Beverly
THE MAIN IMPACTS:
Erosion Beach erosion is likely to continue to significantly threaten oceanfront homes and neighborhoods.
Marsh Loss High marsh, which makes up most of Beverly’s 42 acres of marsh, may be reduced by about 2.5 acres by 2050 [CIT. 2].
Habitats Concerns By 2050, 37 (44%) of the city’s 84 acres of estuarine beach/tidal flats could become open water [CIT. 2].
Developed Coast Ten-year storm flooding may occur in areas near Water, River, and West Streets in 2050 [CIT. 1].
OCEAN-FACING SHORELINE (7.6 MILES) [CIT. 4]
Shoreline types below can overlap, not cumulative
FUTURE STORM AND TIDAL FLOODING [CIT 1,3]
Blue=Current Shoreline / Red=2050 Chronic Tidal Flooding (MHHW) / Yellow=2050 1% (1 in 100 year) storm flooding
OTHER RISKS INCLUDE:
Property Damage A 10-year storm in Beverly may flood more than 275 buildings (1.9%) in 2050 [CIT. 3]. Chronic daily tidal flooding could impact 49 buildings (0.3%) in 2050 [CIT. 1].
Road Flooding Daily high tides may flood almost 0.4 miles (0.2%) of roads in 2050 [CIT. 1]. An estimated 5.2 miles (2.8%) of roadway could flood in the event of a 100-year storm in 2050 [CIT. 3].
STRATEGY SNAPSHOT: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES
Beverly is exploring the possibility of using portable flood walls to block key flood pathways along the lower portion of the Bass River. Deployable barriers are relatively simple to use and may be cost-effective, making them increasingly popular in flood-prone communities nationwide. Earlier this year, Beverly was also awarded a $100,000 MVP Action Grant to complete a comprehensive Climate Action Plan in collaboration with Salem. Both cities hope to identify and prioritize projects and create an actionable plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change impacts.