Blog 12
11/16/2012
1:21pm
Hurricane Sandy caused a storm surge that flooded many cities on the East Coast but one was able to prevent millions of dollars in damage with just a click of a mouse. Two days before the storm reached Stamford, Conn. a 17- foot wall was raised out of sea to protect the city of over 100,000. The technology of movable sea barriers has been used in many coastal city areas and now engineers are looking for ways to use one in parts of New York City. The idea is that such a system could block storm surges from Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean into the East River and New York Harbor. Even during a major storm, areas within the barrier could operate like they do on a normal basis, this is why many favor these barriers. The question that is being asked is would spending billions on this concrete wall actually be worth it in the end? Many are even saying that this wall would cause more problems with disturbing the environment. Many researchers are looking at other options like flood-proofing buildings in the area and expanding wetlands to absorb more water during storms. Putting these barriers in New York City waters would disrupt water traffic and many scientists predict storms may getting worse so it is unknown how well and how high these barriers should be build for the future. Also a barrier that blocks surge on one side would cause water levels on the other to rise close to a foot, which could potentially worsen flooding. Another problem from the barriers could be that pollution from the runoff of storm water mixed with sewage might get trapped behind the barrier and not be able to move anywhere. The truth is, this topic is still being debated and it is all about weighing the pros and cons.
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