The World Trade Center site, and all of Lower Manhattan for that matter, is poised on ground that has an extreme disadvantage in regards to flooding- built up on a landfill atop the Hudson River.

The World Trade Center site, and all of Lower Manhattan for that matter, is poised on ground that has an extreme disadvantage in regards to flooding since it is man-made land built on a landfill. Being just at sea level, the area is prone to flooding during and after major storms.

Another even more dire problem with the World Trade site is that, like other construction sites, much of it is an open, unguarded pit. During Hurricane Sandy, New York saw many construction sites transformed into miniature lakes, resulting in expensive water pumping and water damage repair.

Pat Foye, the Port Authority’s executive director, is keeping mum on just how the site will be taken care of should another storm rip through the region. Foye has only shared the $2 billion estimate for repairs, and also adds that the costs would be covered by FEMA payments and reimbursements.

But with climate change and super storms now a grim reality in our region, we should hope that there is in fact a plan to safeguard New York’s most expensive skyscraper, at $3.8 billion, from impending damages in a known flood zone.

Via Transportation Nation