Indiana governor called on to declare lakefront emergency – nwitimes.com

“I’ve been trying to get them help for years,” he said.

Moseley said he and state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, made a failed attempt last year to secure $1 million, with most of the money earmarked to fund a study needed to enact the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in beach nourishment.

“They didn’t listen to me,” he said of his fellow state lawmakers.

The continued erosion jeopardizes not just lakefront homes, but also the multimillion-dollar local tourism industry, Moseley said.

“Why do you want to turn your back and destroy that tourism engine?” he asked.

Moseley said he will keep on pushing for the money, but called in the meantime for Gov. Eric Holcomb to declare an emergency to free up funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Holcomb fell short of that expectation last month when he flew over the local lakefront in a helicopter and opted to issue an executive order directing state agencies to take steps to mitigate the significant erosion on the beaches, bluffs and other properties along the lakefront, particularly in Beverly Shores, Ogden Dunes, Portage and Long Beach.

“It’s ridiculous,” Moseley said of the state’s response.

A representative for Holcomb referred inquires to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR declined to comment as a result of pending litigation by Ogden Dunes and pending action by lawmakers in session.

Homeland Security Communications Manager Amber Kent said Monday her agency has received no reports of damage or other issues from anyone in Ogden Dunes.

“At this point, we’re continuing to monitor,” she said.

The agency maintains an online page, www.in.gov/dhs/lakemichigan, to provide information about Lake Michigan erosion and a reporting tool for impacted landowners, Kent said.

In late January, Ogden Dunes filed a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department over denial of permits for shoreline protection work.

“The town’s shoreline protection system is at imminent risk of failure, and at least one section of the steel wall has already experienced a failure,” the lawsuit said. “If any portion of the sheet piling and stone protection fails, the town’s infrastructure, including town-owned dunes, beach access ways, roads and utilities — and 60-plus private homes — are in danger of total destruction.”

The lawsuit comes after the town declared a state of emergency Dec. 28, with town police restricting access to the shoreline.

Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said Monday he was not aware of any lakefront communities seeking financial assistance from county government.

“Any request of this type would first need to be formally submitted to the commissioners and County Council for public discussion and consideration, which it has not,” he said.

The Porter County Board of Commissioners issued travel restrictions in December in Beverly Shores because of the threat erosion poses to a local road.

The county’s emergency declaration came less than a week after the Indiana Dunes National Park temporarily closed down the western portion of the parking area and all beach access at the Lake View area in Beverly Shores.

Beach access also was shut down at the Portage Lakefront Park and Riverwalk. Portage Mayor Sue Lynch declared an emergency in January, asking for state and federal agencies to act quickly to save the disappearing beach.

“This is something that didn’t need to happen had the government been doing the right thing all along,” Rodger Howell, chairman of the Ogden Dunes Beach Nourishment and Protection Committee, said Sunday.

“We are trying to save our homes,” Howell said. “We notified the appropriate emergency management agencies, and we believe the law is on our side in terms of being able to protect our homes.”