Preventing the Next Sandy: The Importance of Climate Resiliency Plans
Nobody knows when they will face the harsh realities of climate change. For some people, they are immediately born into a situation full of adversity stemming from climate change. Other people confront this reality at a later date. Regardless, we are never prepared.
My first experience with climate change occurred on October 29th, 2012, when Hurricane Sandy devastated New York City and Long Island. I distinctly remember walking around my community in the aftermath of the storm to see dozens of fallen power lines, destroyed houses, befallen trees, and severely damaged property. There was minimal electricity available for two weeks and schools were closed for a similar time frame. My town was one of countless communities in the greater New York City area that was reduced to shambles.
Hurricane Sandy revealed that New York City and the surrounding metropolitan region were brutally unprepared for a climate change induced natural disaster. While it is nearly impossible to say Hurricane Sandy was directly caused by climate change, the Atlantic Ocean temperature was unusually warm compared to historical standards for October and New York City’s sea level is 9 inches higher than it was in 1950. Hurricanes thrive in higher water temperatures, and higher sea levels allow hurricanes to extend farther inland. While Hurricane Sandy was not directly caused by climate change, Sandy and its devastating effects were amplified by the warm waters and high sea level rise that are associated with the Earth’s changing climate.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, New York City became one of the first American cities to enact a comprehensive climate resiliency plan. At the time, New York was the highest profile United States city to install such a plan, and it signified the city’s long-term commitment to protecting its citizens from the threats of climate change.
What is a Climate Resiliency Plan?
A climate resiliency plan is an umbrella term to describe how a city, state, or region can adapt to the new challenges and threats posed by climate change. Climate resiliency plans include a variety of policy interventions and strategies for how an area can mitigate inevitable climate change damage and continue to thrive. Some hypothetical examples include a coastal community restoring wetlands to protect against sea level rise or a desert community enacting programs to protect citizens against stronger climate change-induced heat waves.
Below, I have highlighted many of the key measures that New York City implemented from its post-Sandy climate resiliency plan, titled “A Stronger More Resilient New York”. These are just a few measures outlined in the 400+ page report.
New York City worked to increase coastal edge elevation by restoring sand to eroded beaches and placing hard stone on exposed shorelines to combat rising sea levels.
The City government added sand dunes to select beaches and restored wetland vegetation (swamps and marshes) in multiple boroughs to protect shorelines from high impact waves created by hurricanes.
New zoning laws were proposed to allow buildings in high-risk flood zones to be elevated further off the ground to reduce potential flooding.
Federal funds were used to help rebuild thousands of homes with upgraded resiliency measures.
New York City developed an incentive program to help encourage older buildings to install flood protection measures.
Analysis: All U.S States and Major Cities must implement Climate Resiliency Plans
As the detrimental effects of climate change become exacerbated over time, climate resiliency plans need to move to the forefront of regional and state policy across the United States. All 50 states in the Union and every major city (urban areas with over 100,000 residents) should strongly consider adapting climate resiliency plans to protect Americans from the current and future threats of climate change.
New York City’s climate resiliency plan in response to Hurricane Sandy is an excellent model for establishing effective policy measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. The first aspect of an effective climate resiliency plan is that the policy is tailored to the specific climate threats a city or region may face. New York City, located right on the Atlantic Ocean, specifically emphasized protecting the metropolitan region from the threats of hurricanes, flooding, and rising sea levels. While coastal regions should follow the lead of New York City, this is not the right solution for all regions. Cities and states that are located inland or in deserts, such as Omaha, Nebraska or Phoenix, Arizona, should focus their climate resiliency plans on policies that help protect citizens from the negative effects of prolonged droughts and extreme heat waves that will become commonplace due to climate change. Additionally, exceptional climate resiliency plans invoke both short- and long-term mitigation strategies. New York City’s plan highlights immediate efforts, such as beach nourishment and wetland restoration, to protect civilians from a potential storm tomorrow. The plan also includes efforts such as retrofitting old buildings with new resiliency measures that will help safeguard civilians from long-term climate change threats (higher average temperatures, worse air quality) that may occur decades from now. Negative consequences from climate change can ravage a region next week or over the next few years. This means that effective climate resiliency plans need to factor in measures that protect a region for not just the next storm or heat wave, but the potentially worse weather events of the far future.
Hurricane Sandy cost New York City over 19 billion dollars, killed 44 civilians, and damaged over 70,000 residential housing units. Taking into account projections of rising sea levels and warming temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean (which will increase the intensity of hurricanes), the New York City government estimated that in 2050, a similar storm to Sandy would cost the city over 90 billion dollars, with even more deaths and destruction. On a more positive note, the city government noted that by implementing many of the measures outlined in New York’s climate resiliency plan, the costs of any potential hurricane can be reduced by at least 25%, or 22 billion dollars. These harrowing numbers show the immense impact that a climate resiliency plan can have on a region. By proactively planning for climate change, future costs are mitigated, and more importantly, less lives will be lost.
Protecting Your Community from Climate Change
Fortunately, there are actions you can take to help make sure your community is prepared to face the perils of climate change. First, browse the internet to see if your community, city, or state already has a climate resiliency plan in place. If a plan exists, read through it to see how your region will be impacted by climate change. From there, see if there are suggestions to make your home more resilient. Some examples may include installing stormproof windows if you live in a hurricane prone region or making sure your home is properly insulated if your region is susceptible to heat waves. If no climate resiliency plan exists for where you live, the political process is a great way to express your concern. Voting for political candidates who support pro-environmental policy is an important step to make sure that your community is moving forward towards a climate resiliency plan.
Over the years, the world has been blindsided by the horrible repercussions of climate change induced natural disasters. Climate resiliency plans are the best way to make sure that communities across the world are finally prepared for when the next Hurricane Sandy appears.
Bibliography
C40 Knowledge Community, www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/How-to-adapt-your-city-to-extreme-heat?language=en_US.
Freedman, Andrew. “How Global Warming Made Hurricane Sandy Worse.” Climate Central, 1 Nov. 2012, www.climatecentral.org/news/how-global-warming-made-hurricane-sandy-worse-15190.
“Impact of Hurricane Sandy.” About Hurricane Sandy, www1.nyc.gov/site/cdbgdr/about/About%20Hurricane%20Sandy.page.
SeaLevelRise.org. “New York's Sea Level Is Rising.” Sea Level Rise, sealevelrise.org/states/new-york/.
