b'was The Army Corps speeded up approvalspeople didnt believe us until they saw how and testing to build a new system of pumpthe hurricane caused flooding in the New stationsandthreelargebarriersthathadYork subways, shutdowns of power to hospi-been completed by 2011. tals, transportation and utilities causing $71 billion in damage.Arcadis was a consultant to USACE and we had someone in New Orleans for fourDirckesaysthereisnowrecognitionof years.the urgency for a storm surge defense invest-ment to protect the region: Under the lead-Dircke noted, This is still a largely untoldership of New York Mayor De Blasio there story about how the federal government andis recognition for the need to build a storm the USACE saved New Orleans when somesurge barrier at the Verrazano Narrows. The people wanted to abandon it.previous proposal for a storm surge barrier [image 3.12-2]TheHurricaneandStormDamageRiskaroundsouthernManhattanprotectsWallPiet Dircke, water managementReductionSystem(HSDRRS)forsoutheastStreet but left the rest of the New York/ Newconsultant for ArcadisLouisiana cost $14.45 billion and includesJersey region exposed.five parishes and consists of 350 miles of le- Protecting Texas Cities and vees and floodwalls.PortsOn its website, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers summarizes the work it has doneDirckerecentlyreturnedfromconsulta-protecting New Orleans: The greater Newtions in Texas: Texas is taking action fol-Orleans system of hurricane and storm dam- lowing the devastation the region suffered in age risk reduction is stronger and better than2017 when Hurricane Harvey dumped 50 it has ever been. In repairing and rebuild- inches of rain on the region causing $125 ing levees and floodwalls, the Corps incor- billion in damage. porated lessons learned and recommenda-tionsfrominternationalexperts,scientificThisincludesworkingwith Texasports: organizations, government agencies and theArcadis is working with the ports of Hous-private sector who studied causes of systemton, Galveston plus the cities and the State of failure during Katrina. Texas to design a storm surge barrier based on similar designs from the Netherlands that Dircke says the effects of Hurricanes Ka- would protect Galveston Bay ports and com-trina, Harvey and Sandy on Louisiana, Tex- munities as well as the oil and gas industry as, New York and New Jersey have focusedfacilities. There are still many issues to ad-attention on why we need more storm anddress and concerns by homeowners of the sea level defense investments in the Unitedeffect of the storm surge complex. The esti-States. mated cost for this project is $40 billion but that is a lot less than paying $125 billion for Protecting New York and Newthe next Hurricane Harvey.Jersey Port of Rotterdam Expansion Dircke said that he and University of Am- and Protectionsterdam earth scientist, Jeroen Aerts have been active since 2008 arguing for more seaIn the Netherlands, we saw the construc-level protection in the United States: Wetion of the Maasvlakte port complex by the predicted the type of storm surge impact thatPortofRotterdamreclaim4,900acresof Hurricane Sandy demonstrated in 2012 butland from the North Sea using sophisticat-2019 Collection Project / Energy Shipping 67'