PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Sandy's lessons include: Put parks, not houses, on the beach

2013-10-27
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Kea Giles
kgiles@geosociety.org
Geological Society of America
Sandy's lessons include: Put parks, not houses, on the beach

Boulder, CO, USA - Just days before Hurricane Sandy hit the New York and New Jersey coastline on 29 October 2012, scientists from the City University of New York's (CUNY) College of Staten Island had produced the most detailed model to date of the region's potential for damage from big storms. So naturally, the morning after the floods receded from Staten Island, CUNY geology professor Alan I. Benimoff was out mapping the high-water marks in the flooded neighborhoods. There he discovered that his team's pre-Sandy model had been right on the money.

Sandy caused 40 deaths and massive damage in New York City -- yet future storms could be worse, according to Benimoff and his colleagues. At the 2013 Geological Society of America (GSA) meeting in Denver, they will describe how the combination of rising sea level and more frequent, more severe hurricanes could bring Atlantic water much higher.

Their new flood model predicts that Staten Island and Long Island would again flood in low-lying areas, such as South Beach, with their working-class neighborhoods and beachfront boardwalks, and could even surpass Sandy levels. In Manhattan, the storm surge could extend past the low areas that flooded in Sandy, which included Battery Park subway tunnels, the Financial District, and a 14th Street electrical substation.

The researchers are geology professors Benimoff and William J. Fritz; Michael Kress, director of the CUNY Interdisciplinary High Performance Computer Center, vice president for technology systems, and professor of computer science; and undergraduate student Liridon Sela.

Since Sandy, Benimoff and Fritz, who is interim president of College of Staten Island, have been active in the community discussions about how -- or whether -- to rebuild on the most vulnerable parts of the barrier islands. They have developed five recommendations for area policy makers, emergency agencies and residents.

In public discussions, Benimoff does not mince words. As a scientist, he says, he has an obligation to communicate data clearly to non-scientists.

"To paraphrase our governor: There are some parcels of land that Mother Nature owns, and when she comes to visit, she visits," Benimoff says. "The reality is that these particular barrier islands are uniquely vulnerable to storm surges. They have a lot of coastal and wetland that never should have been built on.

"What's more, they have a geometry of coastline where Coney Island and Sandy Hook make a right angle with Staten Island right at the apex, and the seafloor comes up very gradually. Water piles up in that corner and has nowhere to go but inland. That means any storm that comes perpendicular to the coastline of New Jersey is going to put us in harm's way."

The College of Staten Island scientists' five-point plan recommends: Protect the existing natural barriers -- the beaches and dunes; Build them higher; Rezone in the flood zone to prevent home construction. Buy these properties and turn them into parks, which will sponge up the inevitable floodwaters and partially protect the islands' higher lands. (There is precedent for this -- after 157 people died in 1946 and 1960 tsunamis in Hilo, Hawaii, the most damaged neighborhoods were turned into parks.) Be very careful about engineering solutions such as sea barriers because they will not only be expensive but also protect one stretch of beach at the expense of its neighbor. "Jetties, sandbars, seawalls -- these are merely Band-Aids," Benimoff says. "You've got to face the music here." Teach coastal residents how to survive a hurricane: Stay informed by watching weather forecasts. Evacuate early. Don't seek refuge in basements, which could flood. Know your area's high ground and, if faced with rapidly rising waters, go there.



INFORMATION:

What: Session 12: Learning from the Impacts of Superstorm Sandy https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session33048.html
Abstract: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Paper227524.html
When: Sunday, 27 October: 8 a.m. to noon MDT
Where: Colorado Convention Center, Room 501

Media contact:
Alan I. Benimoff, Department of Engineering Science and Physics and the Masters Program in Environmental Science, The College of Staten Island/City University of New York (CUNY)
mobile +1-917-584-9020
e-mail: Alan.Benimoff@csi.cuny.edu

ON-SITE NEWSROOM


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Treasures found and lost in US National Parks

2013-10-27
Treasures found and lost in US National Parks 2013 GSA Annual Meeting Boulder, CO, USA - U.S. National Parks are not just beautiful vistas and great family vacation destinations; they are also key scientific field laboratories and rich repositories of the record ...

Next generation science standards and drive toward climate literacy generate synchronicity of ideas

2013-10-27
Next generation science standards and drive toward climate literacy generate synchronicity of ideas GSA Annual Meeting research Boulder, CO, USA – Teaching and learning science in U.S. K-12 schools just got more interesting. Working with the National Research Council ...

Rainbow research reveals young children with asthma visit emergency department most often

2013-10-27
Rainbow research reveals young children with asthma visit emergency department most often Second study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference reviews incidence of adverse drug events in hospitalized children CLEVELAND: ...

Rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease: Mayo Clinic studies shed light on dangerous connection

2013-10-27
Rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease: Mayo Clinic studies shed light on dangerous connection Early menopause is risk factor, research presented at American College of Rheumatology meeting shows SAN DIEGO -- People with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory ...

Young people report worse fibromyalgia than older patients, Mayo Clinic study shows

2013-10-27
Young people report worse fibromyalgia than older patients, Mayo Clinic study shows Research is among several Mayo studies being presented at American College of Rheumatology meeting SAN DIEGO — It may seem counterintuitive, but young and middle-aged fibromyalgia patients ...

Supermagnets present ongoing child health risks

2013-10-27
Supermagnets present ongoing child health risks Powerful neodymium magnets causing a 'significant' increase in ingestion-related injuries ORLANDO, Fla. – The continued sale and availability of powerful, neodymium magnets—typically 10 to 20 times stronger ...

Prevalence of household gun ownership linked to child gun shot wounds

2013-10-27
Prevalence of household gun ownership linked to child gun shot wounds Reducing the number of household firearms, especially handguns, may reduce childhood gunshot injuries ORLANDO, Fla. –There are approximately 7,500 child hospitalizations and 500 in-hospital ...

Stroke prevention surgery less effective than meds, lifestyle change

2013-10-26
Stroke prevention surgery less effective than meds, lifestyle change

Multiple, distinct Y chromosomes associated with significant excess risk of prostate cancer

2013-10-26
Multiple, distinct Y chromosomes associated with significant excess risk of prostate cancer Genealogical and medical records of males in Utah's multi-generational families were analyzed An analysis of the genealogical and medical records of males in Utah's ...

How bacteria with a sweet tooth may keep us healthy

2013-10-26
How bacteria with a sweet tooth may keep us healthy Some gut bacterial strains are specifically adapted to use sugars in our gut lining to aid colonisation, potentially giving them a major influence over our gut health. We live in a symbiotic relationship ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

WMO report on global water resources: 2024 was characterized by both extreme drought and intense rainfall

New findings explain how a mutation in a cancer-related gen causes pulmonary fibrosis

Thermal trigger

SNU materials science and engineering team identifies reconstruction mechanism of copper alloy catalysts for CO₂ conversion

New book challenges misconceptions about evolution and our place in the tree of life

Decoding a decade of grouper grunts unlocks spawning secrets, shifts

Smart robots revolutionize structural health monitoring

Serum-derived hsa_circ_101555 as a diagnostic biomarker in non-hepatocellular carcinoma chronic liver disease

Korea University study identifies age 70 as cutoff for chemotherapy benefit in colorectal cancer

Study explores brain cell communication called ‘crosstalk’

4 beer and wine discoveries

Massage Therapy Foundation awards $299,465 research grant to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Chung-Ang University develops chloride-resistant Ru nanocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production from seawater

Afghanistan’s August 2025 earthquake reveals the cost of international isolation, UN scientists warn

Shortlist announced for Panmure House Prize

Small nuclear RNA base editing a safer alternative to CRISPR, UC San Diego researchers find

Can Hayabusa2 touchdown? New study reveals space mission’s target asteroid is tinier and faster than thought

Millisecond windows of time may be key to how we hear, study finds

Graz University of Technology opens up new avenues in lung cancer research with digital cell twin

Exoplanets are not water worlds

Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices

New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

[Press-News.org] Sandy's lessons include: Put parks, not houses, on the beach