CONTENTS

How to Use the New FEMA Maps - The Feds have made it easy
New Jersey Adopts New FEMA Maps - Meanwhile, Hoboken's Fund for a Better Waterfront offers a plan

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"Amazing to see so many people come out on a cold winter night when many are still recovering from the storm themselves," Dan Mundy said of the big crowd on January 29 at the Jamaica Bay Task Force meeting. Mr. Mundy heads Jamaica Bay EcoWatchers and co-chairs the Task Force with Don Riepe, Northeast Chapter Director of the American Littoral Society. At the January 29 meeting, a panel of agency leaders gave reports about the impact of Superstorm Sandy on Jamaica Bay and then discussed, with spirited participation by the audience, the ecology, infrastructure and future of the park.

Linda Canzanelli, National Park Service Superindentent of Gateway National Recreation Area, faced concerned questions about the West Pond, which sustained a major breach (above, before and after aerial views). "The good news is," Mr. Mundy commented later, "the passage of the Sandy supplemental bill should ensure funding is available for the needed repairs [of West Pond]." Ms. Canzanelli noted, as did all the speakers, that natural areas tended to fare better during the storm than manmade structures, though she did say that a significant amount of beach shoreline was compromised.

NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland described the DEP's great challenge -- and ultimate success -- in...READ MORE.

Photos: courtesy of National Park Service
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With sweeping views of the Hudson River, New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan, no wonder Liberty State Park is New Jersey's most-visited park. But the usually picturesque water was the park's undoing on October 29 when Superstorm Sandy blew through. Fierce and relentless waves swept over the park's riverfront esplanade, tore away pavers, brought trees crashing down and flooded buildings.

Three months later, roads, parking lots and most fields have reopened, for a total of 263 accessible acres. Buildings, restrooms, playgrounds and parts of the walkway remain closed but park administrators are working to restore the park completely for the upcoming season.

On January 24, the City of Jersey City held the first public meeting about the Liberty State Park mass transit study, which has goals to...READ MORE.

With reporting by Louis Kleinman
Photo: post-Sandy scene, courtesy of Friends of Liberty State Park
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The Rockaway Waterfront Alliance (RWA) is offering workshops in resiliency and rebuilding to the Rockaway community. The first, held January 20, focused on "Urban Ecology in the Face of Natural Disasters" and provided useful information on how to rebuild and protect the peninsula from future storms. Featuring a panel of experts including Jennifer Bolstad and Walter Meyer (local landscape architects), Dr. Klaus Jacob (Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Institute), Arjan Braamskamp (Consulate General of the Netherlands) and Ron Shiffman (Pratt Center for Community Development), the event also offered a public forum in which to connect and discuss how the Rockaway community can work together to put plans in action.

"There was a good mix of residents, elected representatives, agency representatives and corporate representatives," said Jeanne DuPont, RWA Executive Director. She said a number of groups from outside the Rockaways have come to help and are looking for funding. "There is interest in collaboration," she said, "but because there are so many interests in Rockaway, I think..."READ MORE.
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From beach communities in the south to shoreline cities in the north, coastal New Jersey was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy.

Take Hoboken, NJ, much of which lies below sea level. After Superstorm Sandy, half the city was under water. As Ron Hine noted on the Fund for a Better Waterfront web site, "the local hospital had to be evacuated. Cell phone service went out. The power grid was down for nearly a week for most Hoboken residents... The PATH train that transports 28,650 people from Hoboken to New York City [every day] ceased service for 49 days... The impact on people's lives, on businesses, local government and community institutions was profound."

The new preliminary FEMA flood maps (see story above) place approximately 79% of Hoboken in a flood zone, with Hoboken's entire coastline falling within FEMA's "coastal high hazard" zone. "The maps and Hoboken's experience during Sandy, plus the threats posed by rising sea levels and the increased likelihood of extreme weather events, point to an ominous future for much of Hoboken," writes Mr. Hine, who also warns that the cost of flood insurance could be prohibitive to many.

Governor Christie announced that the State of New Jersey will adopt FEMA's preliminary flood maps as the rebuilding standard for shore towns, though some elected officials are saying that these executive orders were too hasty since the maps won't be finalized for two years. Meanwhile, the Fund for a Better Waterfront is examining additional maps, consulting with experts and researching the actions of other coastal communities around the world as it advises the City of Hoboken on post-Sandy action. See FBW's 12-Point Plan here.

Photo: Boat ashore at Weehawken Cove. Courtesy of Fund for a Better Waterfront
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Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance | 212-935-9831 | asimko@waterfrontalliance.org | http://www.waterfrontalliance.org
241 Water Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10038