New York City is actively raising East River Park by as much as 10 feet, or three metres, as part of a multibillion-dollar infrastructure initiative known as the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project to combat sea level rise and future storms. On 29 October 2012, Hurricane Sandy battered New York City, creating a severe storm surge that flooded subways, tunnels, and homes, knocked out power, caused deadly fires, killed 44 people in just 48 hours, left nearly two million residents without power, and caused $19 billion in damage. Kathryn Prybylski, the city’s Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, noted that current projects are a reaction to Sandy, emphasizing that it is time to look to the future. With about 90 per cent of the system in place, temporary barriers can currently plug gaps until work concludes in 2027.
Engineering a Resilient Waterfront for 110,000 Residents
The ESCR project and a smaller companion to the south form a roughly $2 billion investment designed to protect more than 110,000 residents living along more than three miles, or five kilometres, of Manhattan’s waterfront. Bobby Issac, Assistant Commissioner of Coastal Resiliency Construction at the city’s Department of Design and Construction, recalled that public housing blocks behind him were underwater by at least a storey during Sandy. Much of the new protection remains hidden underground, featuring a floodwall running through the park and concrete-filled piles plunging about 100 feet into reclaimed land. When a storm approaches, crews will close 18 floodgates and raise nearly 100 flip-up barriers further south, with the design factoring in about 30 inches, or 76 centimetres, for rising seas. The elevated East River Park now features riverside walking paths, green areas, sports fields, playgrounds, and barbecuing spots for the community to enjoy.
Global Sea Level Rise and Worldwide Urban Threats
According to the World Meteorological Organization, the rate of global sea level rise has nearly doubled since satellite measurements began in 1993, while warming oceans fuel more intense tropical storms. Without protective measures, Ms. Prybylski warned that many New Yorkers could face regular tidal flooding multiple times a month or even daily in the decades ahead. The threat extends far beyond the city’s 520 miles of coastline, as a recent UN report found that nearly 10 per cent of the world’s population, roughly 770 million people, live in coastal areas less than five metres above high tide. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that mega-cities on every continent face serious impacts from rising seas, explicitly naming New York. Navid Hanif from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs stated that what New York is doing should be acknowledged, appreciated, and emulated globally, even though low-lying South Asian cities and Pacific islands face even more severe or existential threats from permanent inundation and forced relocation.
Source: Cosmo News Desk
