Gated Community | By: Molly Rubin | October 28, 2017:
Five years ago, the coasts of New York and New Jersey were devastated by a rare late-October superstorm.
On Oct. 29, 2012, a combination of record storm-wind area, a full-moon high tide, and poor infrastructure led to a devastating storm surge and flooding. Superstorm Sandy killed 72 people in the US and caused more than $70 billion in damage.
In the years since Sandy, even as communities have rebuilt and businesses reopened, much of the coastline remains vulnerable if another record flood were to hit again, which is more likely than not. City and state officials, anxious to keep memories of Sandy from fading, are working to drum up financial and public support for infrastructure projects that will fortify New York against future storms.
Despite this year’s record hurricane season, which has caused hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage in the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean, inspiring enthusiasm for increased storm preparedness is proving difficult.
One big idea to prevent massive destruction: A constellation of giant underwater gates that would rise in New York Harbor and beyond when disaster looms.
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