SCIENTISTS say Lake Macquarie is the area in the state most vulnerable to sea rise. And Gordon and Marie Richardson, who have lived there for 42 years, need no convincing.
In the past 20 years, two storms have transformed their street into a tributary of the nearby lake, with water deep enough to float shoes off the veranda.
"If we get big storms, heavy rain, big tides, we do have a problem," Mr Richardson said.
"We've had [40 centimetres] of water in our backyard. It was right up to the doorstep during the big storm two years ago when the Pasha Bulker ran aground," the former coalminer said.
"The weather pattern is changing and when you consider the amount of water that's in Lake Macquarie . . . I don't think there's anything that they can do."
Mrs Richardson, 63, fears news of the area's increasing vulnerability to floodwaters will scare away potential buyers when they want to sell their home.
"Who is going to buy it when they know this happens? That's a problem for everyone around here . . . It's a worry. We'll be fine, but [what about] the ones that follow after us," she said.
Lake Macquarie City Council said it had set up a Sea Level Rise and Climate Change Taskforce to deal with natural disasters and flooding caused by climate change.
Manager of Sustainability Dr Quentin Espey said the council had developed a 37-step plan to address the 91-centimetre sea level rise forecast for the year 2100. SMH
Peter Hawkins
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