Next for New York: Real Flood Prevention Plans

As recovery from Hurricane Sandy gets underway, The New York Times has teed up the all-important question of what can be done to prevent similar floods in the future. Governor Andrew Cuomo is already saying the city should consider better flood protections. The Times reports that such a system could cost up to $10 billion, but with Sandy expected to cause several times that in damage, and with sea levels certain to rise, the city may have no other choice.

Even before Sandy hit, critics warned that New York’s flood protection plan was inadequate. Back in September, an engineer at Stony Brook’s Storm Surge Research Group told the Times the city "lacked a sense of urgency" about the situation. The city countered that its size and population makes a "resilience strategy" — stressing recovery rather than prevention — more realistic.