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A raised house can keep floodwater out of the living room. It cannot guarantee a clear road off the island. And a flood warning cannot protect someone who never reads it.
Those gaps between protection, awareness and action were central to a recent Tidal Flooding Talk discussion with Dr. Bill Thomas, Director, NJ Flood Institute. The anthropologist brought a human perspective to a familiar Jersey Shore problem: why people remain in places that flood, and why others underestimate the danger.
Speaking with hosts Joe Martucci, Dan Skeldon and Palma Shiles, Thomas said understanding coastal flooding requires looking beyond water levels. Housing costs, family ties, local knowledge and expectations all shape how people respond.
Why people stay
For some residents, moving is financially out of reach. Thomas pointed to Atlantic City, where housing near jobs can offer advantages that are difficult to replace elsewhere.
For others, the connection runs deeper than affordability. Home means family, friendships and a familiar way of life. Those benefits rarely fit neatly into a calculation of property value or flood risk.
“Traditions got us here,” Thomas said. “You keep doing what worked.”
That attachment helps explain why leaving can feel more threatening than staying. Thomas said adapting becomes especially difficult when moving would separate people from both their community and their livelihood.
When local knowledge gets lost
Thomas described a divide between longtime Shore residents who understand the rhythms of tides and newcomers who have not learned them.
In his view, elevated homes can reduce the need to think about flooding inside a building while leaving residents exposed to disruptions outside it.
He recalled restaurant customers on Amherst Avenue arriving before rising water complicated their departure. The example illustrated a broader concern: plans made without considering the tide can quickly become difficult to carry out.
Longtime residents, he said, often know which roads become impassable first and how flooding affects travel. A dry street outside someone’s home does not necessarily mean the route off the island remains open.
Getting warnings where people will see them
Thomas said efforts to persuade individuals to use a flood warning system had struggled to attract attention. He suggested placing continuously available information on municipal websites, where visitors may already be looking for information about their destination.
He also sees schools as an important part of the solution.
Children can learn from experienced residents, bring that knowledge home and help parents use new technology. Thomas suggested episodes of Tidal Flooding Talk could supplement weather and geography lessons.
“I don’t think there’s gonna be a quick fix here,” he said.
His message was that better tools need an audience willing to learn. Understanding the community, recognizing its vulnerable routes and paying attention before water rises are all part of living with the Shore’s flood risk.
Experience Tidal Flooding Talk every Tuesday night, America’s leading show on coastal flooding resilience. Hosted by the New Jersey Coastal Coalition, which formed after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, it empowers leaders with dynamic workshops. Visit njcoastalcoalition.com to learn more!
