In 2012, New York was hit by the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. The city administration then realized that climate change was the biggest threat to the city. To prepare for this challenge, New York City has set up a Mayor’s Office of Resiliency. According to scientific data, it is evident that rising sea levels will regularly plunge southern Manhattan under water. Faced with this new context, the City, in collaboration with the State, set out to assess the risks and plan the adaptation to climate change of the most vulnerable parts of the waterfront. This initiative resulted in two concrete actions: the completion of a study on the resilience of Lower Manhattan (” Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study “) And the development of a coastal protection project (“ East Side Coastal Resiliency Project “) Which are in line with the city’s strategic plan for 2050” OneNYC “. More specifically, the City will invest 500 million USD in climate change adaptation projects, in lower Manhattan alone, which includes Battery Park. In a study carried out by the City in March 2019, chronic phenomena such as sea level rise and extreme climatic events such as storms, very heavy precipitation and heat waves were analyzed. An “Adaptation to climate change” toolbox, organized into four themes, was also created: buildings, roads, water and electricity networks, and banks. Among the recommended actions are the raising of the banks, the installation of mobile protective barriers or the construction of raised public spaces. The City also launched the platform FloodHelpNY intended to educate homeowners on how to protect their homes against the risk of flooding.
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