Hurricane Earl finally ended a decades-long fight to save a home in Nantucket, and it also throws light on the ongoing debate about preventing beach erosion: Does protecting one area of land cause damage to adjacent properties, or is that a myth?
A couple in Nantucket had been trying to stave off coastal erosion to save the home they bought 35 years ago. When they purchased it, owner Gene Ratner says, there was about 150 feet of land between the house and the sea. The distance has steadily gotten less, and last week, after strong winds and high surf caused by the hurricane, the house began to collapse. Ratner says he will now demolish it and remove the debris.
Trying to protect the home over the years, the Ratners installed long sandbags or geotextile tubes along their entire property. Some contend that coastal armoring—sea walls or even tubes of this sort—increases scouring and speeds the erosion process for land on either side. Their efforts led to battles, sometimes in court, with the town and the local conservation commission. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection eventually allowed installation of the bags.
Now that the fight to save the house is over, though, the controversy over the geotubes continues, as remnants of the tubes were found floating in the ocean after the hurricane. The Coast Guard is broadcasting advisories to warn them about the potential danger, and is also searching for pieces of the tubes by patrol boat and by air.