Ferry cancellations and beach closures were widespread Friday as the remnants of tropical storm Elsa lashed Martha’s Vineyard with gusty winds and pelting rain.
The storms have rung alarm bells about potential environmental hazards, both from the continual undermining of the south shore’s barrier beaches that protect these ponds and from the longer-term effects of more salt water breaching the fresh water environment.
About 9 inches of snow fell in parts of the Island yesterday, matching the National Weather Service's prediction of 4 and 9 inches of snow, before tapering off in the evening.
The National Weather Service Monday issued a winter storm warning for the Island and much of eastern Massachusetts, prompting the Vineyard public schools and the charter school to cancel classes Tuesday.
The state Department of Environmental Protection Monday granted Edgartown emergency authorization to dredge Katama Bay, clearing the way for a project intended to help restore the storm-battered South Beach.
Climatologists say the prevalence of strong southerly storms that have battered the Vineyard’s south shore this winter are due, in part, to the first El Niño winter in five years.
Declaring a state of emergency expedites the permitting process to dredge and restore sand in the area and opens the town to additional sources of funding and reimbursement from the Massachusetts emergency management agency (MEMA).
