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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
Jane M. Swift, Governor

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
Bob Durand, Secretary

COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT Tom Skinner, Director 251 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 626-1200

CZM Information Line....................(617) 626-1212 CZM Home Page.........................................................www.mass.gov/czm

CZM REGIONAL OFFICES
North Shore...................................................(978) 281-3972
Boston Harbor................................................(617) 626-1200
South Shore...................................................(781) 545-8026
Cape Cod & Islands........................................(508) 362-1760
South Coastal................................................(508) 946-8990

EDITOR Anne Donovan
DESIGNER/ASSISTANT EDITOR Arden Miller
COVER PHOTO Arden Miller
PHOTOS unless otherwise noted, CZM Archives

Coastlines is a publication of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA) Award No. NA17OZ1125. This newsletter is funded in part) by a grant/cooperative agreement from NOAA. Views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies. This information is available in alternate formats upon request.

Dear Coastlines Reader:
The question of where and when a hurricane strikes our shores—and its intensity if it does—has confounded meteorologists, insurance adjusters, emergency professionals, and coastal managers for years, but historically, these tropical storms regularly reach Massachusetts. Over the last 100 years, with the exception of the 1920s, the Bay State was hit with at least one major hurricane every decade. Because we haven’t seen a serious tropical storm since Hurricane Bob in 1991, however, it can be easy to forget the kind of devastation hurricanes can bring. And although Bob left almost $700 million dollars of damage in its wake, it pales when compared to storms that hit Massachusetts in the mid-20th Century. With all the coastal development in the last 50 years, it is important to remember that Massachusetts is vulnerable to these major weather events.

To help our readers prepare for the inevitable return of a significant storm, the focus of this edition of Coastlines is hurricanes. Along with basic information on Bay State hurricanes and their potential impacts, this edition includes articles on how to build and rebuild to withstand a storm, tips on how to prepare for hurricane season, and information on a wide range of tools available for reducing risks in hurricane-prone areas.

On another front, you may have noticed that our Coastlines format has changed. To provide more detailed information on a wider variety of coastal issues, we have replaced our quarterly newsletter with this periodic magazine. Each edition will now include features such as a coastal community profile; a guest column from a noted coastal professional; a "Not Just for Kids" page with interesting activities for children, parents, and teachers alike; and an in-depth spread on a major coastal issue. We chose hurricane preparedness as the feature for our newly revised Coastlines to inform our readers on the latest regulatory and technical information on this issue, and to help people prepare their families and property for the day the next big storm comes. You’ll also find many articles on other topics, along with some old features like "Ask Joe" and CZScience.

Please let us know how you like the new Coastlines, as well as any issues you would like us to cover in future editions. For regular updates on issues affecting the coastal zone, sign up for our new monthly e-mail newsletter, CZ-Mail. (See our Web site at www.mass.gov/czm for details.)

  Sincerely,

Tom Skinner
CZM Director