Voting in Rhode Island Election Stories
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Warren
Sea Level Rise
The town of Warren, Rhode Island is entering unfamiliar territory as residents will be forced to flee their homes when the waves come crashing in. Sea level rise is a growing threat in this coastal community. The current low-income, working-class citizens that reside along the shore are facing forced removal due to the actions of the town's previous residents.
Warren's Director of Planning and Community Engagement, Bob Rulli, developed a plan titled "Market to Metacom" as a way to remove residents from the shore and away from the eroding coastline. "With the Market to Metacom Plan, the ultimate goal would be you start to take out the most vulnerable housing and that's going to be the ones closest to the water that have repetitive events of flooding," Rulli said.
The retreat plan is a short-term solution, meaning the town will still be vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise and coastal flooding. The retreat only protects a small portion of the town's residents from dealing with the effects of climate change. As the sea levels continue to rise, the coastline will creep further into the town, continuing to wipe out residential housing.
As elections come closer, we plan to research potential solutions for these communities that could help and inquire with politicians about what they could do to address the issues and if they are not addressing them already.
Warren Ballot Link:
Vote November 8th. Read more about these issues and vote accordingly to help these communities.
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