Coastal adaptation toolkit offers help with 'what's next' after Fiona

Lots of Prince Edward Islanders are looking for advice on how to protect their shoreline in the wake of post-tropical storm Fiona, and a new online toolkit is offering help to property owners and communities.

The free resource was created by CLIMAtlantic, a climate services organization in the region, funded by the federal and provincial governments.

"Municipalities have been part of the conversation for a little bit longer," said Stephanie Arnold, climate services specialist serving P.E.I.  

"But certainly after Fiona, I heard a lot more from property owners and homeowners associations. They're seeing damage to their property that they probably did not imagine was possible this soon.

"They might think, 'Over time there might be erosion or flooding that might be eating away my property bit by bit.' But to have one storm create so much damage — all of a sudden, it's much more urgent."

Laying out options

Arnold said the CLIMAtlantic toolkit pulls together lots of information from experts, laying out multiple options. 

"You're not going to be able to read and research everything yourself," they said.

"What this tool is really good with is triaging, so that you can have maybe a more knowledgeable conversation if you do hire someone to do the work, or just understanding what options are available."

Arnold said interest in remediation has been growing because of increased funding for climate change adaptation.

"I have had municipalities come to me and say, 'There is some funding available, for example into green infrastructure, and we have a flooding issue that we foresee impacting our properties and our residents soon. What are some options that we can ask to get funded? Where do we start?'"

What are some options that we can ask to get funded? Where do we start?​​​​​​—Stephanie Arnold, climate services specialist for P.E.I. 

Arnold said information on funding is also available on the CLIMAtlantic website.

Building back better

CLIMAtlantic executive director Sabine Dietz said Fiona was a wake-up call across Atlantic Canada.

"We noticed after Fiona, a lot of people ask the question, 'What do I do now? I've been flooded out twice. I know this is going to happen again,'" she said.

"'Erosion has really happened along my coastline. What do I do? I don't know what to do.'" 

Dietz said property owners need to select a specific piece of coastline, and understand what the challenges are.

"Do I have sandy shoreline? Do I have a steep cliff?  Are there rocks that have been put on the shoreline for protection?" Dietz said.

"It's a matter of evaluating a specific site, what you need to do there.

"Armouring is often… sort of the quick idea that people have: 'This is what we'll do,'" Dietz said.

"But it isn't necessarily the approach that's best for a specific site. So I would say the tool provides a lot of other options.

Sea level will continue to rise. We know that. So we need to be better prepared​​​.— Sabine Dietz, CLIMAtlantic executive director

"Retreating from high-risk areas, in our opinion, is always the best thing. But we're not giving advice to people. We are informing them about the options that they have."

Dietz said the toolkit also reinforces the concept of building back better, "to be better prepared for the next Fiona… 

"Sea level will continue to rise. We know that. So we need to be better prepared."