#shoredup

[npeters13]

Bringing Back the Beaches

This film did a great job of doing more then just making us aware of problems caused by Hurricane Sandy that we already know about. This movie went deeper into the aftermath of Sandy and the restoration of the areas affected. It was all about the current beach restoration projects going on right now in states like New Jersey. It went deeper by talking to the people in charge of these restoring acts and the ones directly affected like the property owners. The film talks to surfers, town mayors and victims of Sandy trying to find out their thoughts on how to protect the beaches they call home. It showed both the positive and negative sides of using fake sand and bulldozers to make a fake beach.

The movie's call to action is to get people to understand how our coastal communities are being affected by rising sea level. Throughout the last few years, more and more hurricanes and tropical storms have occurred and caused millions of dollars in damages. With higher waves comes higher amount of damages to both the land and the homes. Global warming and climate change has caused a significant rise in sea levels and this threatens our coastal cities and businesses. How long with these manufactured beaches can we keep the power of the ocean at bay? We must fight and ask the real questions to be able to protect our seaside cities for generations to come. 

[abbyg-envirocomm]

"Shored Up" is a documentary by Ben Kalina that explores the science, politics, economics, and emotions behind the impacts of natural disasters on beach communities on the East Coast. The filmmaker originally set out to make a documentary on surfing, but his focus changed with Hurricane Sandy. The movie takes place primarily in North Carolina and New Jersey, with a few scenes in New York. 

I thought this documentary was effective because it presented similar information in different frames;

the emotional frame: the impact of the destruction on local communities, as well as the emotional value of these beach communities to those who have lived and visited there for decades

the scientific frame: what causes beach erosion? Why do beaches constantly shift? Why are natural disasters becoming more intense and frequent? How do beach restoration projects work?

the political frame: throughout the film, we see many groups working either for or against legislation regarding sea level rise, beach restoration projects, and more.

the economic frame: related to the political frame, the economic frame showed the issues surrounding beach restoration, continuing beach house construction, and the controversy surrounding who gets federal money to rebuild after disaster hits (spoiler alert: it's the rich communities that get the money)

Watch the trailer for "Shored Up" here.

Find out more information about the film here.

[cedwards13unity]

The Big Thaw

Shored Up by Ben Kalina is a documentary that asks tough questions about our coastal communities and our relationship to the land. What will a rising sea do to our homes, our businesses, and the survival of our communities? Can we afford to pile enough sand on our shores to keep the ocean at bay? In Long Beach Island, New Jersey and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surfers, politicians, scientists and residents are racing to answer these questions.

This film has a great message that most people seem to ignore. A large amount of the population simply do not believe in climate change and the affects it is having on our planet. The film connects with personal stories of people who have been affected by the sea level rises due to climate change such as surfers, home owners, even politicians. But what I love about this film the most is the fact that instead of focusing on why sea level rising is bad, it also explains that the measures we are taking to combat it is incorrect and simply making the problem worse. I highly recommend you give this film a look, it definitely opens your eyes to the subject. 

[raeannmh]

Moving to the coast may have more cost than you know of.

In the film "Shored Up", directed by Ben Kalina, the struggles of living on a shore line are explored. Throughout the film the idea that the shores are constantly rearranging from the ocean and people can not do anything to stop it, but humans love living on the water. Is it possible for humans to keep there favorite living spot? The science seems to indicate that it is not. Science shows that due to climate change, major storms like Sandy will continue to occur more frequently. These storms will decimate the coasts. The project sea level rise is another major problem that still needs to be addressed.

The reactions to this information varied greatly. In showing the different ways politicians and scientist dealt with this information, the film did more than just bring awareness to a problem we already knew existed. The director makes it a point to show both sides of the argument. He uses interesting scenes where one person from one side will say something then he will cut to the other person saying something to argue with them. This method really helped to show the different views. The real argument came down to do we ignore science to make some money now, or do we listen to science to protect our future. 

This film looked at two discourses about living on the coast; political and scientific. I strongly suggest watching this film. It will show you some of the true power of nature and if man can find a way to control it. Here is a link to the trailer.

[urbanarchigirl-blog]

Trailer from Ben Kalina's film Shored Up

[urbanarchigirl-blog]

"If the tide lasts more than 4 hours, call your climatologist." - Stephen Colbert

As a student of architectural design and a relief volunteer on disaster projects, I am drawn to the subject of rising sea level and how it affects infrastructure. I was intrigued particularly with how it affects the coastal region around me in both New York and New Jersey. From my volunteer work, in Japan after the tsunami and in Staten Island after the storm surge, combined with my academic research in design and infrastructure as it relates to rising sea levels, Ben Kalina’s film Shored Up shared many of my personal interests. It was worth buying a ticket the view the documentary as the research was presented very clearly, and at times comically, while really addressing the arguments of rising sea levels as it relates to our coastlines.

When I was abroad working along the coastlines of Northeastern Japan after the Great East Tsunami, the destruction of building infrastructure was devastating. This one shore town, Rikuzentakata in the Tohoku Prefecture, that sat straight along the coast, was completely flattened. From the previous tsunami decades prior, the town had built a higher seawall that was to be closed in the event of a wave as well as planted thousands of tall trees along the coastline as both a memorial to the previous tsunami as well as an ecological ‘seawall’ of sorts as preventative method. Following the tsunami the physical wall was not high enough to protect the small city from the tidal wave, and only one of those trees, of the thousands planted, stood. It stood lonesome among a bed of flattened homes, buildings, cars, boats, and memories.

.Rikuzentakata. Lone pine tree. 4 months after tsunami. 

The difference between the disaster of a tsunami and the disaster that struck us last October is that although the Japanese were not prepared for the size of the wave that came after the earthquake, they understand in their culture that these waves come and wipe out their coastal towns from time to time. It is something that has been repeated over and over in the past and has been documented. The tsunami, the wave, is all a part of their culture. They view water as both something beautiful and something evil.

Here on the the East Coast, no one was prepared for the devastation and destruction that ensued. Though it was a storm surge, and not a tidal wave, homes, businesses, etc. were demolished by salt water in the same way.

Where I have been volunteering in Staten Island, the week after Superstorm Sandy, we reviewed the damage. The houses closest to the water were flattened. The further down the street away from the beach there was foundation, then studs, then studs with vinyl siding attached, and finally a house with a roof. The cars had all been flooded and pushed down the streets, into homes, and on top of one another. By the second week the houses and cars had all been assessed by insurance companies, FEMA, etc. “This property is condemned” lined the front doors from one street to the next. 

As a disaster relief volunteer, one of jobs entails getting homes ready for gutting. We gut up to the flood lines. And a lot of clearing and removal of debris takes place before gutting. One of the first lines in Kalina’s film, as stated by a resident of Long Beach Island, is “It’s your life on the curb.” She said this as the structure of her home was being cleared of debris and the contents were being placed on the curb for curb-side garage removal. Right off the bat at the beginning of the film, I felt that was one of the more compelling themes in the film, that this kind of destruction is one that is extremely personal and life-changing. The destruction that is a product of rising sea levels is a serious issue that will affect the lives of many. And I believe it to be a great moment to begin with in the film.

Not having great knowledge or vocabulary of geology or ecology of it all, the cinematography combined with the writing really created for a clear and entertaining description of the arguments at play. There were two story lines were the producer or cinematographer chose to have a volley between different individual’s opposing arguments creating for some comic relief in the film. Video from Stephen Colbert’s nightly program was even introduced in response to comments made by North Carolina’s state legislature’s approach to rising sea levels and their coastlines which was a really special part of the film that I enjoyed. These volley arguments described controversial issues of groin infrastructure and erosion as well as certain state’s involvement, or lack there of, in issues of rising sea levels. 

One of the interviewees stated “All those hard lines will eventually succumb,” in talking about building lines, street and infrastructure, and all of the permanent things that now make up these shifting barrier islands like Long Beach Island. That was also a strong point made in the film that, although the film had much to do with Superstorm Sandy especially in the wake of its disaster, it had even more to do with these volatile, naturally shifting barrier islands and the effects that they will have on the man-made permanence that exists on these islands and coastlines. 

The film marries the discussion of current issues of shifting barrier islands with the discussion of storm surges and their destruction both under the umbrella of changing sea levels. Barrier islands and their concerns were the topic of Kalina’s research, and Superstorm Sandy ended up lending itself to the conversation. The film presents an interesting marriage of the two topics.