East Chop
Who Pays?
East Chop Drive offers some of the most dramatic public views on the Island, but it remains to be seen whether the federal government will deem its stabilization worthy of disaster relief funding.
East Chop Drive offers some of the most dramatic public views on the Island, but it remains to be seen whether the federal government will deem its stabilization worthy of disaster relief funding.
If there is one lesson from the Island’s many efforts to mitigate coastal erosion, it is that no solution is permanent. But the more people collaborate, the more effective short-term actions can be.
In the lopsided battle of man vs. nature, the best course of action may be retreat. But as the Schifter house move illustrates, the cost – both in dollars and physical disruption – can be enormous.
As erosion has accelerated on the Island’s south shore, a growing number of homeowners are facing the harsh truth that their options are running out.
Iconic Gay Head Light has cast its beams over Aquinnah for generations, but only when the cliff got perilously close did the community realize how much it meant to them.
Many factors play into the different responses of other coastal communities to coastal erosion, but where tourist revenue is directly tied to shorefront development, money to fortify the coastline seems to flow.