Act before water laps at our ankles

People on the Peninsula are being encouraged to sign a petition if they are concerned about the information on sea level rise being placed on their property documents, as it will have an impact on their valuation.

Surely knowledge of sea level rise is not new to these people.

For many years there have been countless letters and articles in the papers as well as many public meetings about the subject of Global Warming and Sea Level Rise.

Gosford Council asked for input from the public before producing their flood level document.

At a recent presentation in the Community Hall at The Bays, to which all were invited someone from the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water showed us pictures of sea water coming up the storm drains and causing a flood in the middle of Woy Woy.

Another photo showed water washing over the wall across Brisbane Water Dr.

Imagine the impact on the railway that this will eventually cause.

It was interesting to see that there was support from small business.

Many of these same people have been working very hard to destroy the vegetation and dunes around the Peninsula; trees are still being cut down, poisoned or even burnt, thus destroying natures own way of protecting the land by building up the dune.

It is sad that these petitioners seem unaware that many people in the world are not only having their properties devalued but are losing them completely, as well as the very land mass on which they live.

Unfortunately this whole story simply confirms the fact that we humans don't bother about anything until our hip pocket is hit or, should that be, until the water is lapping at our ankles.

Email, 10 Aug 2010 Margaret Lund, Woy Woy Bay