Flooding has become an unwelcomed normal for people who live along Lake Ontario. There are new efforts to get people help before the water rises again.

During a virtual meeting with people from Niagara and Orleans counties, the New York Department of State explained the Clear Program, and its goal of creating long term measures to protect the shoreline from extreme lake water levels.

Those behind the program say the need input from the people who live along the shore.

“Someone might say, well 2019, we had really great fishing, but our docks were flooded, so we couldn’t get our boats in the water,” Laura Lourenco, from the Clear Initiative Niagara County Consulting Team, said. “And I’ve seen increased erosion on our property from waves. Those are different impacts that maybe you’ve seen, or something like that, so that’s the type of input we’re looking for.”

They'll meet with people in five other counties along Lake Ontario throughout the month.