New York Raises Coastline to Build East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

Fourteen years after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, municipal officials are constructing ambitious coastal protection infrastructure to safeguard residents from rising sea levels. UN News reported that the multi-billion dollar East Side Coastal Resiliency Project is actively elevating sections of the city coastline to block future storm surges. [1]

On 29 October 2012, Hurricane Sandy brought severe flooding, power outages, and fires to the city. UN News reported that the storm killed 44 people, cut power to nearly two million residents, and forced the evacuation of 6,500 patients from hospitals and nursing homes over a 48-hour period. [1]

New York City is the most populous city in the United States and comprises five boroughs, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. The city is situated on New York Harbor at the southern tip of New York State. [2]

The coastal resiliency project aims to ensure that the destruction caused by extreme weather events and rising sea levels is not repeated along the vulnerable shorelines. [1]