Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 5.11 Expected number of buildings that would be damaged in the present-day
downtown New York City, for various types of storms for different sea level trajectories.
Based on information presented in Figure 5.10 that includes more detail for intermedi-
ate return times and damage estimates from NYCOEM (2009).
ments in building codes and zoning regulations designed to maintain the
specific “climate (risk) protection levels” embedded in existing legislation
and operating procedures.
On west coast of the United States, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
region is home to farms, roads, oil and gas lines, and extensive housing
developments (Figure 5.12). The entire Delta is below mean water level,
much of it more than 15 feet below. The magnitude of impacts from sea
level rise and storm surge breaching of the levees currently protecting the
region is estimated at tens of billions of dollars over the next few decades
alone (CALFED, 2009).
The California Bay-Delta Authority is exploring options to divert large
amounts of water away from the region and/or cut losses in certain areas by
deciding ahead of time what to replace and what to leave. Other regions,
such as the metropolitan Boston area, have also identified areas likely to
flood, and they are exploring the efficacy of prevention and adaptation op-
tions such as preserving coastal wetlands and relocating water treatment
plants away from the coasts (Kirshen et al., 2008a).
