What would it take to hurricane-proof New York?
Sandy came, ransacked New York City, and left many of us with this question. In the midst of the aftermath of this post-tropical cyclone’s fury, those who were affected most are wondering just what it would take to be better prepared for future storms.
Fortunately for us, new technologies to better prepare the city for the long run, beyond sandbagging, do exist. And now, since scientists are telling us to expect more extreme whether due to climate change, investing in improved infrastructure might not be such a bad idea. There is one catch, though: $$.
Now, before we begin to imagine a completely storm-free New York, we’ll break it down to see what might need to be done, both technologically and financially.
Storm surge barriers. As you may know, a huge part of the damage caused by Sandy was a result of the storm’s vicious surge, so taking measures to block these surges would be highly beneficial.
This is based off of a Dutch-style surge control system, involving barriers built along the coast of the Netherlands to protect its vulnerable, low-lying coastline from flooding. This innovation, called Delta Works, consists not only of immobile barriers, like dams, but also of moving parts that help ensure sound protection without extensively damaging the existing ecosystem or having to close off the ports to commerce.
Scientists have briefly looked into some of this, projecting a cost of a whopping $15 billion. This number may seem overwhelmingly large at first, but when you compare it to the estimated $50 billion in damages that Sandy brought upon us, the advantage is obvious: In this case, spending $15 billion could have saved our state $35 billion.
Matthew Yglesias, Slate Magazine‘s business and economics correspondent, points out that, “Although engineers don’t believe it would be feasible for this system to entirely block storm surges, it could weaken and deflect them—significantly reducing the flood risks to the entire New York Harbor.”
From what I have seen, if we were to invest in anything to help prevent another Sandy, storm surge barriers should be a priority, at least for certain areas. As is evident from the comparative costs alone, many personal and financial troubles could have been avoided had we implemented these technologies.
Underground power lines. Millions lost power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, resulting from both flooding and external damage; with knocked-down trees came knocked-out power.
Manhattan already has 21,000 miles of underground cables, but to truly ensure fewer outages, we need to put all power lines under city streets. Although one study has shown that, when damaged, underground power lines can take up to 58% longer to restore, the likelihood of even having outages would be significantly decreased.
The cost for this venture is quite staggering. One San Diego community spends $54 million annually to bury around 20 miles of utility lines, and Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, said it would take a trillion dollars to achieve this for his state, which leaves many wondering how much it might cost New York. Consequently, these benefits might not outweigh the seemingly outrageous costs, but then again, the cost of a family being safe and with electricity is arguably priceless.
Maintenance to beaches. With each storm, beaches in affected regions are destroyed, as are the houses along the coast. One way to help this is by dredging, which takes sand from under the sea and places it along the coast. Dunes may also be built to protect houses and roads along the coast, avoiding further detriment.
Stressing the importance of this work, David Nash, who manages North Carolina’s coast with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, said, “Dunes are the first line of defense for homes, highways, and other infrastructure during hurricanes and other storms along the North Carolina Coast. Maintaining a healthy dune system is critical to the overall health of our coastal communities.”
As with most of these technologies, beach maintenance and nourishment would be costly projects to tackle. One beach-dredging project in New Jersey in 2010 cost $1.5 million, and Delaware very recently spent $30 million on a restoration project to protect its coastal communities.
The priority of this particular measure may not be as high, for fewer people live in such coastal towns, and storms are part of the risk of living right on the coast. However, for a healthier, functioning community, it still is incredibly significant.
Levees. Levees, in addition to storm surge barriers, help with storm surges, a huge source of damage. These walls would efficiently complement other preventative measures taken to hurricane-proof New York. Though levees seem like the less attractive alternative to the storm surge barriers previously mentioned, they can be used to protect areas that barriers are not useful. They work by trapping water where it is not wanted, not solely by blocking water out.
Levees across New York would reportedly cost around $10 billion, a slightly cheaper alternative to barriers. Again, the priority here is very high, for storm surge can be, unfortunately, very powerful.
What do you think of these technological measures in comparison to one another?
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Do the costs really matter?
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