Following the ravage left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, New York City has now been drawn under a $176 million protection plan to weather natural catastrophes. Plans of building a flood protection system around Lower Manhattan, is currently in progress.
According to The Lo-Down, US Senator Chuck Schumer said, "The Lower East Side waterfront is almost a wasteland compared to the West Side waterfront, and this should make them much more equal." The greater details are yet to be worked out, but the government is contemplating the option of 'deployable' flood walls i.e. walls that are put up along the shoreline in anticipation of a natural disaster.
The staggering $176 million fund came through by way of a national contest held by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help communities cope better in such situations. The contest, called the National Disaster Resilience Competition, saw 40 finalists in its first phase, among which were New York City, New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The second phase has the finalists competing for almost $1 billion, of which $181 million are meant for projects in New York City and New Jersey.
The Senator even lobbied Julian Castro, the housing secretary, several times, most recently being at a diner in Lower Manhattan last week, in an attempt to tilt the scales in favor of New York City.
In addition to this federal fund, the city is eligible for the $100 million commitment made by Mayor de Blasio last year, says the Inhabitat. The initial ask was for $500 million. Now, however, the Lower Manhattan resiliency program will be built on the $100 million fund.
Hurricane Sandy, although having taken place almost three years ago, has certainly left everyone shaken with the havoc it wreaked. As per The New York Times, "Hurricane Sandy was the worst natural disaster in the history of New York City, with 44 lives lost and $19 billion in damages and lost economic activity," said Daniel A. Zarrilli, the director of the Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency. "It was also a turning point in our efforts to adapt to climate change and invest in resilience."
Now, along with huge funds and projects to clean up the natural disaster locations, the New York citizens will also be trained to better handle any future superstorm. Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for the mayor summed it up in her, "With the risks of climate change only growing, the city continues to act."
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