Rising water is forcing this French town off Newfoundland to move. Not everyone is ready to leave

For two centuries, being close to the water has been good for the town of Miquelon. Fishing on the ocean provided a livelihood, and made it easy to travel. But now, the ocean has become the town’s biggest threat. "The village is built on sand and gravel about two metres above sea level," said the town's mayor Franck Detcheverry, speaking in French. "We are not safe from climate risks that could cause danger to people and property." The island is French territory but just a 90-minute ferry ride away from Newfoundland.

Lines on the siding of the customs office at the harbour show what higher ocean levels and worse storms could mean. A mark at 3.7 metres above sea level shows a prediction of how high water could get during intense storms by the end of the century. It would inundate the town. Hurricane Fiona was a big wake up call, narrowly missing the island before slamming into Newfoundland, where around 100 homes were washed away or badly damaged in Port aux Basques.

The mayor worries it’s only a matter of time before disaster strikes his community. The plan to move This is why the town is moving to higher ground. New building lots are being developed on the other side of the harbour, less than a kilometre away from the existing town. "Rebuilding houses on a safe site allows people peace of mind, knowing they can pass their home to their children and grandchildren," said Detcheverry. "Miquelon can endure in the future, which is no longer the case today in the current village."

Right now, almost a dozen homes are starting to go up. The plan is voluntary. France’s Barnier Fund buys people’s homes, giving them the money they need to build on the new lots. When they move in, their old house will be torn down, and no new structures will be allowed on the site. As the the new village goes up, the old one comes down. Some don’t want to move But not everyone is welcoming the idea. "The idea of completely relocating the village doesn’t seem like a good idea to us," said Maryline Detcheverry, also speaking in French, about her petition raising concerns about the plan.

Detcheverry is a common last name in the town — she’s not related to the mayor. She’s worried that they’re giving up on the current town too easily. "The first and most essential thing is to protect what exists. We must protect what is currently there. That means doing some work to strengthen the east side of the village of Miquelon." For some, it’s too late to move. Michel Detcheverry, who is also not related to the mayor, is in his late 60s.

He’s lived in his house his whole life, and his late uncle helped him renovate it. It has memories. "To just take everything, tear everything down and go somewhere else, I don't feel like it," he said. It will be hard to see neighbours move and a village that’s existed for 200 years start to change. "It's going to be difficult to see because you're going to see that village disappear, slowly," he said. This is the first time France has moved an entire village.

It will slowly happen over the next few decades. On a recent trip to the island, French President Emanuel Macron promised 20 million euros to help build new lots — room for 75 new houses, about half of what they figure they’ll eventually need. The mayor understands why not everyone wants to move. "For some, it's a loss of identity, and some people feel they are losing their bearings and their family heritage," he said. "I'm attached to Miquelon Island, but not necessarily to the current site."