Published: May 30, 2025

The red sky off the Connecticut shore. (Photo: © Mark Seth Lender)

Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, ruminates on the storm as it meets the shore.

On the New England coast, now with the ocean lapping at our feet the only way to attenuate risk is by height and depth and girth. Brute strength. In our house, every connection has hurricane clips, roof to walls, walls to plate. Even the ridgepole is tied to the rafters with stainless steel. The sheathing is 5/8 marine plywood, with 18 inch by 3/8 white cedar shingle sustainably harvested, air
dried and custom sawn in Maine by Mr. Dow himself. Between that and the sheerwalls we are good to 140 miles an hour, at least. The roof is guaranteed to 160. The storm shutters are Dade County Certified. They will hold in a Category 5. The pilings, not the typical New York Building Code Class B, are Railway Pilings, Class A, of enormous strength, pressure treated to almost 3 pounds which means they won’t rot out for another 70 years. Moot point. Because by then what we now call the Connecticut Shoreline will be underwater. Between that time and this and despite all the precautions and the expense, what will really happen? And When? Who knows. No one should live as close to the ocean as I do. I did not plan it like this but life has a way with plans, doesn’t it. We are not taking chances. We are bucking certainties.

Science meanwhile is an Optimist and likes to say “There’s Still Time.”

Politics hears, and laughs up its collective sleeve.

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Listen to Mark's essay here