It is tempting to think of all the things East Lyme could buy using its FEMA reimbursement of $1.73 million from Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy. There are many worthwhile causes.

I urge town officials to consider that we received this money because two separate storms in 2011 and 2012 wreaked a great deal of damage on our coastline. This will happen again and again, and we will find ourselves with a hefty bill to repair that damage, a cycle that scientists overwhelmingly agree will become more frequent due to climate change.

East Lyme has commissioned studies about preparing for the realities of being a coastal town confronting sea level rise and increasingly powerful storms. A Coastal Resilience, Climate Adaptation & Sustainability Study conducted by Stantec in December 2018 lays out a number of priority projects to protect East Lyme’s coastal infrastructure, homes and businesses.

The previous storms damaged the boardwalk, but what if the damage had been to our water and sewer systems? If it closed critical transportation corridors, such as Route 156?

We need to address these threats proactively. I would argue that FEMA dollars are best used to undertake adaptation and resiliency projects to protect us from the next storm.

Michelle Williams

East Lyme