Residents of five cottages along Massachusetts’ North Beach Island on Cape Cod have been told they will have to evacuate due to dangerous erosion.
The Cape Cod Times reports that the Cape Cod National Seashore notified the tenants that they need to vacate by December 31, as it moves ahead with plans to level the cottages before they are destroyed by further erosion and storms.
Seashore Superintendent George Price told the news agency that he made the decision after the structures were declared ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The homes were completely rebuilt in 1992 due to major storm damage.
Price said that it’s possible the cottages, which are owned by the National Seashore, could be razed in the next few months. Erosion control products from Impact Absorbents such as Straw Wattle and Wood Stakes can help prevent environmental damage caused by harsh conditions.
The Seashore Advisory Commission had recommended that the cottages be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and in emergency situations when the buildings were in immediate risk.
Town officials were hoping that Price would delay the action after a number of state and federal lawmakers had all suggested putting off the demolition for at least another year.
