August 2, 2023
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Communities nationwide are trying to protect themselves from the effects of climate change. They’re shoring up coastlines, they’re making roads higher. And all of that is expensive. Now two new laws aim to help with tens of billions of federal dollars. But as WABE’s Emily Jones reports, that money can be very hard to get.
EMILY JONES, BYLINE: Tybee Island sits off Georgia’s coast near Savannah. It’s home to about 3,000 people and popular as a beach destination. And it has a problem every time it rains.
ALAN ROBERTSON: So all the stormwater drains into here. Let me show you this.
JONES: Tybee resident Alan Robertson points to the pipe where the island’s stormwater is supposed to drain out when it rains. It’s buried by sand.