Mayor Bloomberg's New Plan to Protect New York City from Future Disasters

On June 11, mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, released a new report on the city's long-term plans for reconstruction following super storm Sandy and for protecting itself from similar devastating natural disasters. The 439-page report, "A Stronger, More Resilient New York," asserts that extreme weather, like Sandy, is the result of climate change and that storms will only become more frequent and more severe in the future. For this reason, Mayor Bloomberg asserts that New York City must take immediate steps to better protect itself. In order to take these steps, the report outlines 60 safeguard proposals for potential implementation.

The following are a few key proposals from the report: •Placement of storm barriers at Newtown Creek in Brooklyn •Construction of permanent barriers in Coney Island and possibly Gowanus Canal •Doubling the number and height of dunes along the city's shoreline •Placement of temporary barricades in flood prone urban areas •Creation of an "exemplary waterside neighborhood" to be built above flood level, to be called "Seaport City"

The estimated cost for implementing these proposals is about $19.5 billion, a sum that Mayor Bloomberg hopes the federal government will help to finance. The fact that super storm Sandy cost the city $19 billion in damages, however, makes the plan's price tag more palatable - especially since the cost, along with the severity, of future storms are expected to increase exponentially.

Barring any financial restrictions, New York City officials hope that the report will serve as a blueprint for the development of the city's protective measures for the next two to three decades.

Further discussion on the plan can be found on PIX11.com, the website of New York City's local news channel, and Mayor Bloomberg's hour-long presentation of the report is available for viewing on YouTube.

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