SLAUGHTER BEACH, Del. - United States Senator, Tom Carper, will visit Delaware coastal communities Tuesday and Wednesday as part of his Costal Protection Week campaign to highlight the need for shoreline restoration and protection in the face of climate change.
Coastal Protection Week comes on the tails of Carper's Shoreline Health Oversight, Restoration, Resilience, and Enhancement Act (SHORRE) Act introduced earlier this month alongside Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.
According to Carper's office, it is also inspired by a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that the United States is predicted to experience as much sea level rise by 2050 as it has in the last 100 years.
The SHORRE Act aims to protect coastal communities nationwide, but this week, Senator Carper's focus is on Delaware.
"Coastal communities are working around the clock to protect their homes, businesses, and essential infrastructure from the growing threat of climate change, but they can't do it alone," Senator Carper told WRDE in a statement. "In Delaware – and across our nation - increased flooding has shut off access to hospitals and schools and displaced residents. This week, we will get a first-hand look at the impacts and discuss how the federal government can do a better job of helping our state and local governments build their infrastructure in a more resilient, forward-thinking way."
It all starts in Slaughter Beach Tuesday. Senator Carper will tour the beach at 12:20 p.m. as a backdrop to discuss Delaware beach replenishment.
"We are a small community, one of several along a Delaware Coast, and we've suffered like all of the other beaches with erosion because of drastic weather, climate change..." said Slaughter Beach Treasurer, Joanne Plescia.
Slaughter Beach is already in the process of replenishment, with more on the horizon with help from the state.
"We can't say enough or explain well enough how happy we are that he [Senator Carper] is supporting us in this endeavor," Plescia said.
Joining Carper will be Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, Slaughter Beach Mayor, Kathy Lock, and other officials.
Afterward, Carper will head to the Indian River Inlet for a press conference on a $43 million investment to finish and repair it.
Coastal Protection Week will culminate in a field hearing Wednesday entitled, "Examining Shoreline and Riverbank Restoration in the face of Climate Change." Governor John Carney will serve as a witness, along with other local, state, and federal, officials.
The field hearing will be held at 10 a.m. at Bethany Beach Town Hall. The public can tune in at http://epw.senate.gov/.