Table of Contents
As long as it is a subway car, this lock gate, like dozens of others, will block the openings provided for traffic in the five kilometer wall that runs from 25th Street to Chinatown and finally securing, in part, the protection of the eastern side of Manhattan. Here, as Sandy traveled, the gentle slope along the East River allowed the water, raised nearly 4 meters by the tide and wind, to attack a power plant the East Town.
This wave plunged half of the megalopolis into darkness, before it rose through the entrances to the tunnels under the bay and destroyed the southern part of the island. The 42 deaths and $20 billion in damage caused by the disaster forever haunt New York, but shed light on its future challenges. The city hall has already included as official data the 40 cm rise in seas expected by 2050, the promise of harmful flooding in neighborhoods near sea level due to the warming of the world, New York, since 2020, has been officially listed as a subtropical area. Thirty-three days a year, it experiences temperatures above 32°C, and floods from time to time. Hence the size of the offensive front.
Raised banks, dikes, flood walls…
President during Sandy, Barack Obama saw in the disaster the first vector of a national climate movement. He then provided a federal credit line of $15 billion for the city’s coastal change. Money still works. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York at the time, used his last year in office to implement a mega project worth about $3 billion called Big U.
This 15-kilometer fortress was to begin in East Harlem, follow the East River and encircle the southern part of Manhattan, combining, depending on the area, projects to construction, designed dikes, flood walls and coastal expansion in the area form flood parks in the event of a climate cataclysm. But this coordinated mega project has given way to a number of complex and impressive projects, which are supposed to integrate the defense of the city into its architecture.
Near the Asser Levy playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park, on the eastern banks of the river, was raised more than two meters. This promenade in front of the heel, redesigned as a buffer zone against the elements, is the beginning of the famous defensive wall, supported by foundations deep enough to prevent infiltration, which ‘ going further south towards the East River mega-construction site. Swarms of excavators are creating embankments that, from 2026, at a cost of 1.5 billion dollars of work, should strengthen this large green area to make it a glacier that protects the dozens of HLM buildings on Street Houston, flooded in 2012.
Like a flood drawbridge
Further down, under the first columns of the Brooklyn Bridge, one hundred large flood barriers are being installed at a cost of 500 million. Normally invisible when they lie on the ground of the promenade, they preserve the corridor and the view of the East River. But they are built as a drawbridge, with hydraulic or manual tools, to protect the 44,000 residents of Chinatown.
Protecting the population without turning it off completely is a technical challenge.
Jordan Salinger, Assistant Director of Climate Change Strategies in New York
Wall Street is waiting for its turn. South of Seaport, the beautiful old port of Manhattan, two joint projects aim, for $7 billion, to completely develop the financial district for the next fifteen years. Battery Park, the great esplanade in Lower Manhattan that leads to the pier towards the Statue of Liberty, will be remodeled to preserve the magnificent view of the bay stop the rising waters.
Work is also underway outside of Manhattan. In Staten Island, the fifth borough in the city, which suffered more than half of Sandy’s deaths, a large sea wall has just been completed south of the island. The beach of Rockaway, Queens, is elevated by dunes. What remains is the pharaonic and still unclear project to protect the port, especially located on the other side of the bay, in the state of New Jersey, using underwater megabarriers. It is estimated, at least, at $56 billion in federal funds.
Jordan Salinger, the deputy director for Climate Change Strategies at New York City Hall, does not deny that “Saving New York, like many cities, can be complicated…”. If it is mostly referring “the technical challenge of protecting a population without turning it off completely”the problems are many and varied. More than a decade after Sandy, projects are proceeding at a disproportionate pace in the budget allocations from New York State and the federal government…
As aware as New Yorkers are of the dangers of climate change, they balk, like around East River Park, when work requires trees to be cut down for future protection. In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that flooded in 2012, residents do not welcome flood gates that would take away their unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty.
The threat of heavy rain
The danger no longer only comes from the sea, but from the sky. In 2021, the torrential rains of Hurricane Ida caused 13 deaths in New York, most of them drowned in their cars or in mezzanine apartments in the middle of the night. The frequency of these storms required a complete review of the city. The sewer network, which is a hundred years old, is regularly saturated with this great precipitation, which the concrete floors can no longer absorb.
There is no shortage of projects. But it is already estimated at $33 billion that the continued installation of porous roads and sidewalks, the construction of dozens of deep basketball courts as water reservoirs in case of severe weather, new sewers and the proliferation of green areas around new buildings at the town. must find. Despite all efforts, New York cannot escape the wrath of heaven. #
2024-11-27 05:30:00
#Raised #banks #dikes #flood #walls.. #York #fighting #rising #waters
**How are local communities like Red Hook, Brooklyn, balancing the need for protection from rising sea levels with the preservation of the neighborhood’s unique character and livability?**
## World Today News: Interview on NYC’s Fight Against Rising Waters
**Introduction**
Welcome to World Today News. Today, we delve into the heart of New York City’s ongoing battle against the ever-rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms. We are joined by two esteemed guests: Dr. Emily Chen, a leading urban planner specializing in climate adaptation, and Mr. John Mueller, a lifelong resident of Red Hook, Brooklyn, a community deeply affected by recent flooding events.
**Section 1: Building the Big U – Fortifications Against the Sea**
* **Interviewer:** Dr. Chen, the article mentions the ambitious “Big U” project initiated after Hurricane Sandy. Can you elaborate on this project and its intended impact on protecting New York City from future coastal flooding?
* **Dr. Chen:**
* **Interviewer:** Mr. Mueller, as a resident near Doctor Thompson Park, which is part of the “Big U”‘ project, what are your thoughts on these large-scale infrastructure interventions in your neighborhood? Do you feel safe and well-protected?
* **Mr. Mueller:**
**Section 2: The Human Cost of Climate Change: Balancing Protection and livability**
* **Interviewer:** The article highlights the challenges of balancing protection with maintaining the city’s livability. Dr. Chen, how can we ensure that these large-scale climate adaptation projects don’t negatively impact the character and functionality of New York City’s diverse neighborhoods?
* **Dr. Chen:**
* **Interviewer:** Mr. Mueller, the article mentions concerns about floodgates obstructing views and sacrificing green spaces for flood defenses. What are your thoughts on these potential trade-offs?
* **Mr. Mueller:**
**Section 3: Beyond the Coastline: Addressing the Threat of Heavy Rain**
* **Interviewer:** Dr. Chen, Hurricane Ida in 2021 tragically exposed the vulnerability of New York City to intense rainfall. What are some of the solutions being implemented to address this intensifying threat?
* **Dr. Chen:**
* **Interviewer:** Mr. Mueller, how have you and your community adapted to the increased threat of flash floods and severe storms?
* **Mr. Mueller:**
**Section 4: Looking Ahead: The Future of Resilient Cities**
* **Interviewer:** Looking forward, Dr. Chen, what lessons can be learned from New York City’s experience in combating climate change, and how can these lessons inform the development of other coastal cities around the world?
* **Dr. Chen:**
* **Interviewer:** Mr. Mueller, what message would you like to share with other communities facing similar challenges?
* **Mr. Mueller:**
**Conclusion**
Thank you to Dr. Chen and Mr. Mueller for sharing their valuable insights. The challenges New York City faces are a stark reminder of the global threat posed by climate change. It is through innovative solutions, community engagement, and proactive planning that we can build more resilient cities capable of withstanding the challenges of a changing world.
