In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Governor Cuomo created three commissions for the purposes of studying how the catastrophic impact of such superstorms might be minimized in the future. Today the Times has published a draft copy of the study conducted by the NYS 2100 Commission, which was tasked with finding ways to improve the resilience and strength of the state’s infrastructure. And although Mayor Bloomberg has firmly swatted away calls to build expensive sea walls, the Commission is recommending them for the Narrows.
Storm barriers with movable gates would cost tens of billions of dollars to implement across the Narrows, but some experts say they would be the city's best defense against similar storm surges, and point to the success of such methods in flood-prone Rotterdam. Among other recommendations, the Commission is suggesting building dunes and investing in oyster reefs, which protected the city's waterfront in previous centuries.
Sources also tell the Daily News that the Commission will recommend solid roll-down gates at subway entrances to thwart flooding, and the use of inflatable plugs, or bladders, in the mouths of subway tunnels. Here's a look at one such inflatable bladder in action. The Times reports that the Commission's study "is short on details, particularly on cost estimates and how the state might pay for new mitigation programs." And furthermore:
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the New York State Assembly produced a report warning that New York City “fails to protect the life, safety and property of the city’s residents,” but little was done... Richard L. Brodsky, a former assemblyman who led the commission that produced the post-Katrina study, said of the 2100 report: “This is a useful if somewhat vague set of long-term goals that are already ensconced in state law. What I was hoping to see in this whole worthy effort is someone saying that they have to get the existing planning, financing and disaster prevention section of the state government finally working.”
“Goldman Sachs knew enough to sandbag their building on West Street and escape unscathed,” he added. “At the same time, a block away, water was pouring into the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, severely damaging key infrastructure because the state and the M.T.A. didn’t have the legally required prevention plan.” The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the tunnel, which has been renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.
For more, here are Bloomberg's ideas for bracing the city for increasingly extreme weather patterns. When the proposals were unveiled last month, Al Gore joined the mayor for the presentation, telling the audience, "This storm was related to climate change…Our democracy has been hijacked by large carbon polluters and their ideological allies."
