It's been 10 years since Superstorm Sandy, but there is work still to be done along the Jersey Shore and up and down the Northeast to protect against the next big storm.
The two deadly storms, nearly a decade apart, left public officials and residents alike contemplating what more needs to be done. And today, 10 years after Sandy and with billions of dollars already spent, the most ambitious and comprehensive protections are years away from completion, with some still in early stages or even unfunded. Experts say Ida showed the area was not ready for another storm — and they worry about what will happen when the next one hits.
Experts nationwide say hurricanes like Ian set off a familiar cycle: Another round of evaluations follows each storm, adding to the list of needed work, from the overhaul of aging inland stormwater management systems to infrastructure projects to address climate change concerns. “Because the challenges we face are very widespread and can vary — they might deal with something like long-term sea level rise or being prepared for a big storm shock like Sandy — I think we’re at real risk of it showing up in a slightly different way, and we won’t have the defenses in place to handle that,” said Andrew Salkin, who co-founded New York-based nonprofit Resilient Cities Catalyst.
Some projects launched after Sandy are complete. A 4-mile steel wall is buried under the sand of replenished beaches in Mantoloking and Brick at the Jersey Shore, where storm surge cut a coastal highway in half and swept dozens of homes into Barnegat Bay. Ortley Beach in Toms River was one of the communities hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy. NBC10’s Ted Greenberg takes a look at the continued recovery effort ten years later.
In the Bronx, the city hopes to take a brook diverted into the city’s sewer system a century ago and bring it back above ground. That might help avoid a repeat of issues during Ida: The brook, swollen beyond capacity of the sewer pipes, ran onto a major city expressway and submerged cars.