Why New York City Is the Worst Place for a Hurricane

This article reports that New York City is the worst possible place for a hurricane.  “Any city would suffer if 500 million tons of seawater were to spin ashore at a hundred miles (160 kilometers) per hour” but it turns out that New York “suffers more than most.”  The category 1 hurricane has caused major flooding of car tunnels, streets, subways, and buildings.  The article cites four reasons why this is so.

Reason #1: The “New York Bight” which is a curved or bend in an open shoreline where Long Island and New Jersey form an upside-down L in the shallows of the Atlantic Ocean.  Hurricane Sandy arrived there and brought with it millions of tons of ocean water.  The water trapped in the legs of the L; thus, causing water to arrive onshore in the southernmost point of New York City located in the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty.  Due to the shallow water and the storm, water levels “reached a record of 13.88 feet.”

Reason #2: High buildings and bridges are highly vulnerable as the many high rises and suspension bridges in New York added to the “vulnerability.”  Due to the high winds, the buildings and bridges were vulnerable days prior to the storm; access to these bridges was cut off for fear of collapse.

Reason #3: New York has many vital underground systems that are prone to flooding and water filled all of the subway tunnels.  Adding to the problem is the fact that the water was saltwater from the ocean “which corrodes the city’s aging pipes and subway tracks.”

Reason #4:  The edge of the city is full of vital facilities due to ten emergency stations, 19 colleges, 23 hospitals, 17 power plants, nearly 500 schools, and 13 wastewater treatment plants along the coast.  Another concern was that the hurricane hit the financial district- Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange.

This article enlightened me about the upside-down L in the shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  I’ve been to NYC and I can see how this flooding could happen.  The city and its subways system are very close to the ocean.  I was fortunate to visit NYC a year and a half ago experienced the subway system firsthand.  We exited the subway, very near the ocean- where we boarded a ferry in order to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  It’s sad to think of NYC in this state of distress.  With time and a lot of hard work, New York will bounce back because of its residents and their loyalty to their city and because it is the city that never sleeps.

Silverman, R. (2012, Nov. 1). Why New York City Is the Worst Place for a Hurricane: Underwater canyon, high buildings, more make city vulnerable.  Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121101-new-york-city-sandy-hurricane-bight-science-environment-nation/