NYC mayor: Extend shoreline to protect city from storms
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing a plan to protect lower Manhattan from rising sea levels by surrounding it with earthen berms and extending its shoreline by as much as 500 feet (152 meters).
The Democratic mayor announced the plan Thursday after previewing it in New York magazine .
Officials have been developing schemes to fortify New York City's waterfront ever since Superstorm Sandy destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in 2012.
De Blasio says the city could fortify most of lower Manhattan with grassy berms and removable barriers for around $500 million.
But protecting the very lowest-lying areas in the old Seaport District, from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Battery, will require adding more land over several years at a cost of up to $10 billion.
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In this Oct. 29, 2012 file photo, seawater floods the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel during Superstorm Sandy in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing a plan, Thursday, March 14, 2019, to protect lower Manhattan from rising sea levels by surrounding it with earthen berms and extending its shoreline by as much as 500 feet. Officials have been developing schemes to fortify New York City's waterfront ever since Superstorm Sandy destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in 2012. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo, File) -
In this Oct. 29, 2012 file photo, sea water floods the Ground Zero construction site during Superstorm Sandy in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing a plan, Thursday, March 14, 2019, to protect lower Manhattan from rising sea levels by surrounding it with earthen berms and extending its shoreline by as much as 500 feet. Officials have been developing schemes to fortify New York City's waterfront ever since Superstorm Sandy destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in 2012.(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) -
In this Aug. 28, 2011 file photo, a bicyclist makes his way past a stranded taxi on a flooded New York City street as Tropical Storm Irene passes through the city. Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing a plan, Thursday, March 14, 2019, to protect lower Manhattan from rising sea levels by surrounding it with earthen berms and extending its shoreline by as much as 500 feet. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
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