City leaders address concerns about flooding and climate change in Boston

BOSTON — After a series of brutal nor'easters hit cities and towns across the state, city officials in Boston met up on Monday to address solutions to the recent floodings.

City commissions have already been studying solutions to rising sea levels, but they said this winter's weather brought more immediacy to their work.

"There is incredible urgency and there is a cost of doing nothing, so status quo is not free," said City Councilor Michelle Wu.

One of the proposed solutions includes possibly building a seawall in Boston Harbor that would run all the way from Winthrop to Hull, but would cost the city billions of dollars.

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Adding green space to absorb the rising tides was another one of the solutions proposed during Monday's meeting.

"One of the conversations I had was building little inlets along the harbor, protecting the shoreline, so we are gonna be looking at different options," said Mayor Marty Walsh.

Walsh says that, while some funding will come from the state, the city can no longer count on federal funds to fight climate change.

"The federal government needs to take a serious look at this, this isn't just about Massachusetts," said Mayor Walsh.

Fort Point was just one of Boston's neighborhoods that experienced first-hand the damages the historic flooding during high tides during January's nor'easter caused.

Fort Point residents like Sara McCammond brought their concerns to city councilors on Monday.

"To see the extent of the flooding hitting the streets - the neighborhood - was quite surprising," said McCammond. "We live in the neighborhood, we want to be there for many years, and preserve it for future generations."

Councilor Wu said she's hoping to have at least some actionable items in place before next winter.

Cox Media Group