Dikes, water pumps, and parks will help New York City area be more resilient

The Obama Administration has pledged $1 billion in federal funding to protect the New York City region from flooding like the area experienced from Superstorm Sandy.

The money will go towards the construction of a system of dikes around the tip of lower Manhattan, and water pumps and parks across the Hudson River in New Jersey.

Six projects were chosen from a design competition created by a Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and are intended to safeguard low-lying coastal areas. The projects include “The Big U,” an 8-mile long system of dikes around the tip of Lower Manhattan, a series of natural breakwaters—oyster beds and other living reefs—that could absorb storm waters heading for Staten Island, and an initiative to help drain stretches of Long Island.

In northern New Jersey, two projects will create green space to slow storm surges, install water pumps to discharge the runoff, and create additional wetlands and a multi-purpose berm. The projects still must undergo government review, and it would likely be many years before they can be completed.

(http://nypost.com/2014/06/03/feds-announce-projects-to-protect-nyc-and-nj-from-storm-damage/)