Thursday, November 11, 2010

Protecting the coast from storm surges


From Huffington Post:

The city is seriously considering a proposal to erect huge storm surge barriers as part of a comprehensive waterfront plan meant to protect New York from rising sea levels, officials told DNAinfo.

Community Board 4 member and longtime Chelsea leader Robert Trentlyon said he was told late last month that the city was going to include the proposed barriers in their Vision 2020 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

A spokesperson for the Department of City Planning confirmed that storm surge barriers are under consideration for inclusion the report, on a list of other possible strategies for protection against storm surges and sea level rise.

Residents of particularly vulnerable lower Manhattan neighborhoods have been pushing for the city to consider the barriers for the past year, and are hopeful that they'll succeed when the Vision 2020 is unveiled in the next month.

Proponents say the threat of storm surge floods to Manhattan is real, and they cite other metropolitan cities like London, Rotterdam and St. Petersburg, which have already taken steps to install massive storm surge barriers.

New York is already overdue for a category three level storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's average return periods. The last one, 1938's Long Island Express led to over 700 deaths across the mid-Atlantic and New England.

If the city takes the barriers seriously enough, proponents say, the next step would be to get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to commission a study on installing them at the Upper East River, the Verrazano Narrows and Arthur Kill.


Hi, see me frantically waving over here? Yeah...with all the building going on along the waterfront in this borough, what about protecting Queens?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, so a major storm surge gets blocked from going under the Verrazzano and up the Hudson so Manhattan doesn't get drowned. Ya think maybe that blocked mass of water is just gonna disappear or is it just going to move to the right and left and add to the storm surge into Jamaica Bay and onto Staten Island?

Anonymous said...

Instead of hard seawall barriers, we need soft sponge-like barriers to absorb the waves. You can't fight nature, work with it.

Sarah said...

The city is considering placing large wind blocking structures around Middle Village to protect the residents from tornadoes that may be coming since we are clearly past due for a large tornado to hit Middle Village. The city is seriously considering installing a giant umbrella to prevent a hurricane from causing wide spread flooding. Large heat lamps to prevent snow from accumulating, giant air conditioners for heat waves, ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Anonymous said...

The new Flushing skyscrapers built on swamp land will sink into quicksand in a serious storm or quake.

georgetheatheist said...

"Nature to be commanded, must be obeyed." - Francis Bacon

velvethead said...

Can someone tell me when we became Venice?

velvethead said...

Hey, Sarah
We'll meet in Juniper Valley Park
I'll bring the wine.
You bring the cheese.
We'll enjoy the shade under that big (stimulus paid for) umbrella!

Anonymous said...

Watcha bitchin about Crappy?

Everyone in Queens is happy. We have no problems. Everything will be taken care of.

Anyone that can think has been co-opted, or given ice cream money to be ready to slit the throats of those that aren't.

Right?

Anonymous said...

Let's move that bike lane money to pay for this.

That we we could piss it all away that much faster.

Anonymous said...

Let's move that bike lane money to pay for this.

That way we could piss it all away that much faster.

Anonymous said...

Why not Queens? I don't think much could be done to protect southern Queens since it is directly on the ocean. Conceivably the barriers on the upper East River would help protect western Queens.

Also, lower Manhattan is more vulnerable a. because much of it is built on landfill which could liquify if flooded badly enough and b. the real estate is worth a lot more $.

spy vs spy said...

myth
Also, lower Manhattan is more vulnerable a. because much of it is built on landfill which could liquify if flooded badly enough and

reality
so is Long Island City numnuts.

myth
b. the real estate is worth a lot more $.

reality
making R E more vulnerable because it is more valuable? huh?