Rep. Lauren Carson will present the results of a survey on flooding in the Point at the Point Association’s fall meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. in the church hall at St. John the Evangelist Church, 61 Poplar St.
The online survey, conducted this summer, asked Point residents about their experiences and priorities related to stormwater flooding, sea level rise and climate change.
More than 40% of respondents said they had experienced flooding in the past five years, according to Carson. Only about a third reported having flood insurance, and more than three-quarters said their homeowners insurance premiums had risen somewhat or significantly.
“Flooding has long been a problem in the Point,” said Carson, a Newport Democrat and former Point resident. She said residents deal with property damage, mold and roads they sometimes cannot drive down, and that the neighborhood’s concentration of colonial-era homes raises the stakes for what the water is doing to the building stock.
Carson sits on the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, led the House Commission on Economic Risk Due to Flooding and Sea Rise, and co-founded the Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus. She was the House sponsor of the 2021 Act on Climate.
