<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/will-climate-change-put-an-end-to-coastal-living/100504100>
"When Chris Rogers returned to the NSW Central Coast after a stint living
overseas, he was eager to embrace the quintessential Australian lifestyle — a
home where his kids could swim in the ocean whenever they liked and he could
walk along the beach he loves every day.
But more than a year after powerful swells battered Wamberal Beach, causing
massive erosion beneath the waterfront properties, he's been left fearing his
home could be washed away in the next storm surge.
"We've worked our whole life, this is our family home, and to look at your kids
and not be able to comfort them is scary," Rogers says.
"It's no different to someone sitting in a bushfire zone with a beautiful home.
They love the bush and they love living there, and … the fire burns their home
down. All we want to do is be able to protect our homes and our families."
Rogers, 47, feels lucky compared with his neighbours: some were forced to
evacuate when their homes partially collapsed in the storm. The home where
Rogers has lived with his wife and two children since 2016 remains intact, but
his backyard has "sunk" where sand from the beach was washed away.
"Every time there's heavy rain, everyone is having more and more of their bank
starting to collapse," he says. "If there are ... multiple east coast lows that
hit this beach at the right tide, you could have as many as 10 homes going."
Rogers was attracted to the area by the relaxed pace of coastal living. Thanks
to a rise in remote working as a result of the pandemic, more people than ever
are making a similar decision to leave large cities and work from regional
locations.
But this pilgrimage is taking place against a backdrop of climate change, and
many of its impacts are already being felt — not just in Wamberal, but all
along Australia's coast."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
