President Trump came out strongly against a seawall to protect New York City from storms.
The New York Times reported on Friday that the Army Corps of Engineers is currently examining five options to protect New York City from increasingly frequent storms, one of which includes building a six-mile wall to block any flooding. The proposed barrier is estimated to cost $119 billion and would take 25 years to construct. President Trump took notice of this, voicing his opinion on Twitter.
“A massive 200 Billion Dollar Seal Wall, built around New York to protect it from rare storms, is a costly, foolish & environmentally unfriendly idea that, when needed, probably won’t work anyway. It will also look terrible,” the president said on Twitter. “Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready!”
A massive 200 Billion Dollar Sea Wall, built around New York to protect it from rare storms, is a costly, foolish & environmentally unfriendly idea that, when needed, probably won’t work anyway. It will also look terrible. Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2020
The president is not alone in his opposition to the barrier. Scott M. Stringer, the New York City comptroller, also opposes the seawall, urging the Corps to consider other options in a letter. Stringer says that the barrier, once built, would not be sufficient to counter rising water levels should it occur.
“These sea gates will not be able to protect communities from flooding caused by rising tides and rising sea levels, and once they’re built, that’s it. We’re not going to get the money again,” Stringer said.
Others, such as Kimberly Ong, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, have pointed out the sanitation risks of the proposal. Ong cites how a barrier could “trap sludge closer to shore” because sewage can back up in the city when it rains.
“We’d essentially be sitting in a bathtub of our own excrement,” she told the New York Times.
This particular debate on New York City’s infrastructure began after the city was rocked by Tropical Storm Sandy in 2012. Forty-three people in New York City died, and over 2 million people were left without power as a result of the storm.
