How Cities Are Responding to Flooding
To the Editor:
“Greenhouse Gas Linked to Floods Along U.S. Coasts” (front page, Feb. 23) draws attention to an alarming reality: The ocean is rising at a speed not seen since the time of Romulus and Remus. It’s a daunting challenge, but coastal cities are confronting it head on.
Cities are fertile ground for creating solutions, and are turning the challenge of rising sea levels into an opportunity.
Norfolk, Va., for example, is developing new ways to live with a changing climate, including converting old watersheds to accommodate recurrent flooding, and using research and community engagement to determine the ideal location for critical infrastructure.
The city is partnering with local businesses to develop apps that help residents notify one another of changing conditions, and support one another when flooding occurs.
This long-term, holistic thinking — embodied in Norfolk’s comprehensive Resilience Strategy, completed in conjunction with my organization and the Rockefeller Foundation — has transformed Norfolk into a magnet for federal investment.
Seas are rising, but cities are on the cutting-edge of responding, with places like Norfolk leading the way.
MICHAEL BERKOWITZ
President, 100 Resilient Cities
New York
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/opinion/how-cities-are-responding-to-flooding.html?emc=eta1&_r=0
Michael Berkowitz is the President of 100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. Previously, Michael was the global head of Operational Risk Management (ORM) at Deutsche Bank, the head of CSBC in APAC, and editor of Emergency Preparedness News, a Washington, DC-based newsletter for emergency management professionals.
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