Thousands of New Yorkers were left without power, and had their access to food, drinking water, healthcare and other critical services disrupted.
It was also a costly disaster, inflicting about US$19 billion in damages and lost economic activity across New York City, according to the city’s official website.
PROBLEMS WITH SEA WALLS
Traditionally, sea walls have been built to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Ms Katie Brennan, executive director of the New York Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, said: “It attenuates the waves, so it slows down the strength and the velocity of the waves as they approach the shore, especially during high tide events.”
Such sea walls are expected to help New York City, where the coastline has changed dramatically in the last four decades, evolving from situating factories to housing people.
However, these human-made barriers can come at a cost, with experts saying that concrete seawalls only risk intensifying surges at neighbouring beaches and destroying ecosystems.
Earlier this year, the United Nations also warned that such infrastructure could worsen the effects of climate change in the long run.
PROJECT BEING WATCHED
The US$107 million dollar Living Breakwaters effort off Staten Island is on track to be completed by 2024, and scientists are watching closely.
For all the latest world News Click Here
