Despite having some of the largest number of properties in New England repeatedly damaged by the sea, officials in Milford, Connecticut voted earlier this week to eliminate the position that helps oversee the community’s vulnerable flood zone.
The Board of Aldermen made a final decision to cut the assistant city planner's job that watches over development and helps guide residents through the confusing world of flood insurance and disaster relief. Pleas from residents and other town officials to keep the position failed. There are 4,000 structures in the community's flood plain – 900 of them were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
I recently wrote a story about how Milford has one of the largest number of homes in New England that get flooded repeatedly by coastal storms, and the community's initial decision to eliminate the position. The decision runs counter to what many other communities in New England are doing: Preparing for higher seas and flooding from manmade climate change.
