BALTIMORE — In nearly a decade since Superstorm Sandy devastated New Jersey’s shoreline, the Garden State has found opportunity in the tragedy: Instead of rebuilding and repairing entire communities, it spent $200 million to buy and demolish more than 700 homes so flood-weary residents could move to safer ground.
But in Maryland, where Sandy’s biggest impacts were limited to a stretch of the Eastern Shore, retreat was not a welcome option. Residents on vulnerable Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay rejected the idea of leaving their homes, and the strong opposition meant that buyouts had no part in disaster recovery work. Without a direct hit from a storm like Sandy, the sentiment hasn’t changed in many communities, like it did in New Jersey.
Federal data show that buyouts remain a rare response to floods in Maryland. In the past decade, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has reported fewer than 20 buyouts in the state.
