City Council speaker Christine Quinn unveiled a $20 billion proposal for protecting New York City from major flooding caused by future Hurricane Sandys. According to the Journal, the plan includes the possibility of erecting a $16 billion storm surge barrier. Other infrastructure updates would include building bulkheads and flood gates and creating natural defenses like dunes and wetlands.
The proposal also outlined prevention measures that should be required of utility companies, like burying power lines underground and building barriers around substations in high-risk areas to protect them from a storm surge of at least 20 feet. Quinn also called for stricter building code requirements for flood-proofing electrical equipment, boilers, and generators, and she has requested that the Department of Energy investigate the region's gas distribution system to prevent future gas shortages. Storm surge barrier aside, these protective measures would cost $4 billion, and Quinn said that most of the cost should be paid for by the federal government.
· Quinn Unveils City Flood Protection Plan [WSJ]
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