Climate change threatens P.E.I.'s Lennox Island

A P.E.I. aboriginal community is facing threats from climate change that could strike at any time, warns a researcher from the Mi'kmaq Confederacy.

I got news for them. It's happening.- David Haley, Lennox Island Development Corporation's property manager

Lennox Island, on P.E.I.'sNorth Shore, could be entirely cut off from the mainland by a storm surge of just three metres, says researcher Randy Angus. Last year, Environment Canada forecast a five-metre storm surge for one storm, but it turned outnot to be so high.

"We're not ready. Prince Edward Island is not ready," said David Haley, Lennox Island Development Corporation's property manager.

"Everybody's kind of putting it on the back burner and saying 'Oh, it won't happen, it won't happen.' I got news for them. It's happening."

In addition to washing out the underpinnings of the causeway connecting Lennox Island to the mainland, one bad storm could also wash out part of the community's sewage lagoon.

"There would be flooding. There could be erosion of the land around the sewage lagoon which would release the lagoon," said Angus.

Angus studied the threats facing all four P.E.I. aboriginal communities, and found the most pressing problems at Lennox Island.

2010 storm struck causeway

A storm surge in December 2010 came very close to breaking through the lagoon, Angus said. That same storm washed out partof the causeway, reducing it to one lane. It took six months to repair it.

Haleysaid the 375 Lennox Island residents have been warned about the danger, and told to be ready.

"That they have fuel, that they have food, they have water, and if they have to leave their vehicles have to be ready. If they can get across," said Haley.

Haley said the band has plans ready if the causeway is cut off, but the work on the most threatened areas needs to happen in the next three years, if not earlier.

The next challenge will be finding the millions of dollars it's likely to cost to protect against these threats, he said. Haley does not know where that money might come from.