Flood mitigation request is ironic

It is ironic that coastal councils should be asking for more public money to help mitigate against flooding, when up until now they have been working hand in glove with developers to cover the planet with concrete and housing.

They have chosen to ignore the information from organisations and correspondents, who have been simply sneered at as greenies.

Climate change is not a new phenomenon nor is the idea that building on floodplains or too near to beaches is unintelligent.

Just like George Bush who ignored the warnings about storms in New Orleans, councillors and staff just donned their blinkers and continued on blindly with business as usual.

Ettalong Beach is a prime example of this misguided thinking.

Public money has been used to destroy the dune area; a bulldozer was even used to help flatten the sand.

The Banksia trees have been poisoned and the only thing succeeding there now is weeds.

The access for water to enter Ettalong during a storm surge has been facilitated by the work of council.

Councillors come and go but the permanent staff should be the people who keep up to date with current thinking and research and are able to advise council.

Where have they been all these years?

Why have they been ignorant of the facts and figures in Professor Cowell's work at Ocean Beach?

Why have they continued to favour the raking of Umina Beach, even when it was demonstrated to them that it was a waste of money?

Perhaps the idea of tonnes of sand going to the Woy Woy tip is that it will provide us with some higher ground to escape the flooding.

Engineers often think that they can do better than nature but there are examples from all over the world where prevention of flooding in one area has caused more problems elsewhere.

When we elect people to power we expect them to be informed individuals with some vision for the future.

We want deep thinkers able to look beyond the minutiae of life.

Above all we want transparency in their dealings and accountability in their use of public money.

Margaret Lund, Woy Woy Bay