Across the city during the past week, local residents marked the five year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy in many different ways. On Friday. NYC public officials and community leaders gathered at Pier 35 (near Clinton Street) for the unveiling of a “High Water Mark” sign.
Signs have been put up in various areas throughout New York to raise awareness of the growing flood risk. The program is sponsored by FEMA and administered by the NYC Office of Emergency Preparedness, with cooperation from the Economic Development Corp. A local group, Friends of Pier 35, led a campaign for the installation of a high water mark sign on the Lower East Side.
The sign reads:
October 29, 2012: On this day, Hurricane sandy brought a storm surge of 5 feet to this area as indicated by the red line below.
On Friday, NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito said, “This sign is here to remind everyone about the life-threatening storm surge we experienced when Hurricane Sandy hit and to urge New Yorkers to stay prepared should another storm hit.” City Council member Margaret Chin and State Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh also attended the event.
As we have reported, the city’s multi-million dollar plan to create flood barriers along the East River has been pushed back. Construction was supposed to begin this past summer but is now anticipated to start in 2019.
