Climate change has made New York vulnerable to an increasing number of severe storms and the flooding that often follows. This will only get worse in the coming decades, climate projections show. Following Hurricane Sandy, the Army Corps of Engineers commenced a study to evaluate these flood risks in the area surrounding the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary and along the east coast. The Army Corps proposed a plan for addressing some of these risks late last year, which would cost $52.6 billion and would not be completed until 2044. This tentatively selected plan, 3B, relies almost entirely on “grey infrastructure” being built – flood walls and similar barriers - while largely ignoring solutions made in conjunction with nature. The plan fails to adequately value social impacts to our region, such as those on environmental justice communities. The plan also fails to use this opportunity to address multiple flood threats, such as day-to-day sea-level rise and inland flooding from rain storms.
The Army Corps’ proposed plan delays consideration of nature-based solutions, uses insufficient sea-level rise estimates, and fails to value our diverse communities. Join us in calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider their plan, and work with communities to develop a local alternative, in light of these shortcomings!
UPDATE: the comment deadline has been extended to March 31st. Send your comments today!