New York City Commits $100Mln to Protect From Future Flooding

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City would invest an additional $100 million in flood protection for lower Manhattan.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) – New York City will invest an additional $100 million in flood protection for lower Manhattan, the city’s Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a press conference on Thursday.

“This new investment will continue to ensure that New York City is a global leader in protecting itself against the impacts of climate change,” de Blasio said.

The investment will go toward integrated flood protection around the southern tip of Lower Manhattan, which suffered severe flooding from the impacts of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Among the measures to be taken are improvements to surrounding wetlands, constructing additional levees, building dunes on city beaches and making improvements to facilities, boardwalks and other infrastructure.

“The $100 million investment by the city demonstrates a strong commitment to making our coastal communities more resilient,” US Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez said in a statement.

Hurricane Sandy, which affected much of the greater New York City area in 2012, was the second-costliest hurricane in US history, according to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A 2013 study by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that climate-change related increases in sea level have nearly doubled today’s probability of a Sandy-level flood recurrence as compared to 1950.