We should not pay to try to postpone the inevitable for these houses.  Years ago, beach houses were cheap because people knew better than to invest in real estate built on sand.  I feel no responsibility to help those people.  More recently, beach housing became trendy and expensive.  I feel no responsibility to help those people, either.  The city of Newburyport is responsible for allowing building to go on Plum Island; let the city taxpayers help, not the rest of us.

I have zero sympathy for people who build homes on ocean front sand dunes with no trespassing signs, and then want inland taxpayers to pay for  the repair of the foreseeable damage with subsidized flood insurance and also to pay for beach restoration.   Boo Hoo!

I was shocked to see someone who was identified as a Plum Island "homeowner" interviewed on camera yesterday who said he felt badly about the destruction but that as Plum Island is a barrier beach, no residential construction should ever have been allowed. Perhaps he was misidentified -- but that was a rare comment based in reality. It's a travesty that is coming home to roost -- Newburyport should have NEVER laid sewage and water lines out there, and certainly should not have allowed the kind of housing to be built that is there now. It's time for coastal communities to wake up to the realities of climate change -- and the taxpayers can't bail out foolish homeowners who literally stick their heads in the sand and refuse to face reality. Plum Island should be a barrier beach only, a home to birds, and a completely open public space -- with NO housing.

I am bothered that a large sum of state taxpayer funds have been used for the benefit of a few private homeowners to buy them a little time in a losing battle. I feel for these people who will lose their homes. They should be allowed to spend their money on this effort, but taxpayer dollars should not be used. The argument for using taxpayer dollars (to protect sewer lines on the other side of these homes) is a red herring.