Photo by M.Bob CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Worst case scenario: a hurricane travels up the north Atlantic coast and pays a visit to New York, sending waves of ocean water down the subway systems, flooding business and residential areas of Manhattan.
With hurricane season starting soon, scientists are brainstorming ways to prevent this catastrophe from happening. One idea proposed is to create a barrier and gate that would float into place with rising waters. One ambitious idea was create a 5-mile-long barrier that would be placed between New Jersey and Queens. Barriers and walls were the topic of interest at a recent meeting on this subject that had about 100 scientists and engineers participating. Memories of the broken levees in New Orleans are still fresh in the minds of many trying to think of other preventative measures to keep sea waters out.
Scientists are not concerned with the “if”, but “when” a major hurricane could hit the area again. The hurricane of September of 1812 flooded all of Manhattan and Canal Street. A storm of this proportion today would cost millions of dollars of damage and leave just as many displaced.
The questions that remain about the barriers are how environmentally, socially, and politically sound they are. Are these barriers the best idea for those on the other side of the wall? Scientists are trying to figure out if New Yorkers can learn to live with the water until it recedes by sealing tunnels and moving electrical equipment to higher floors for safety.
