Mass. leaders tout ResilientCoasts Initiative as king tides roll in

All eyes are on the coast as king tides roll in this week.

We usually see king tides in the fall, when the Earth, moon and sun align and create a strong gravitational pull.

“To some extent, these are natural phenomena that happen,” Luz Arregoces, director of community engagement at the New England Aquarium in Boston, said Thursday. “But what is a little different now, and especially going forward into future, is that they are more extreme than they have been in the past, and that’s due to climate change and different effects on the ocean.”

When king tides occur, they can be up to 4 feet higher than normal tides, often causing flooding at low-lying coastal areas.

“That’s another important thing we try to educate people on,” Arregoces said. “While it might not look so bad on one day or one year, that doesn’t mean it’s not bad in general.”

New research finds that 174,000 people are at risk for coastal flooding due to sea level rise risk by 2050.  Follow NBC10 Boston: https://instagram.com/nbc10boston https://tiktok.com/@nbc10boston https://facebook.com/NBC10Boston https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston https://bsky.app/profile/nbcboston.com

Massachusetts has now set forth a plan to help coastal communities deal with issues related to climate change.

The ResilientCoasts Initiative will help communities protect their coastlines for decades to come. It was created with input from stakeholders all up and down the coast.

The statewide strategy provides guidelines for protecting residents, strengthening infrastructure and safeguarding natural resources.

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration says making smart investments now will save taxpayers billions of dollars.

“Every dollar in resilience saves $13, and we say that everywhere we go, because sitting around doing nothing is going to cost more than taking action,” said Secretary Rebecca Tepper of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Munich Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurers, has published an analysis showing disasters caused more than $93 billion in damage across the U.S. in the first six months of 2025, and nearly 25% of that damage was uninsured. Meteorologist Chase Cain breaks down how climate change is amplifying disasters.

Since each community has its own set of challenges, officials say there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

The plan identifies 15 coastal resilience districts so communities with common characteristics can work together on solutions.