The Atlantic hurricane season started on Sunday, June 2, and the state of Massachusetts is taking the lead in preparation for rising sea levels. A new state program is offering residents protection through the safer construction of houses–as in the coastal town of Scituate, Mass.

Talking to WBUR reporter Monica Brady-Myerov, Conservation agent Vin Kalishes explains why Scituate is now the poster-child town for what to do right in terms of storm protection. With floods being the most common and most expensive natural disasters in the US, property-damaged home owners can sue their town if it has allowed others to build in a way causing flooding. Brady-Myerov investigates this powerful incentive to get local officials on board with stricter coastal building codes–especially relevant as global warming projections show sea levels to be rising.