Hoboken as we know it could possibly be underwater by the year 2100. Climate change is causing sea levels all over the world to rise. Coastal regions will be confronted with difficult decisions in the near future if they fail to respond to the challenges now. The New York metropolitan area is no exception. The threat is very severe for 23 million residents living near some 3,700 miles of coastline. However, little action is being taken to address the impending flooding of buildings, infrastructure, and entire towns.
In a 2016 report, the Regional Plan Association (RPA), an independent planning organization that focuses on the New York metropolitan area, predicted that sea levels could rise by as much as six feet by 2100. However, by 2050, we can expect at least one foot of sea-level rise. At six feet of inundation, we can anticipate over 619,000 residents to be affected over the total NYC metro region. And that’s only an estimate based on current metrics.
Predicting the damage is difficult since there are so many factors at play, such as the amount of emissions generated, the amount of ice melt, the topography of the land, the integrity of coastal infrastructure, etc. Storm surges are also known to worsen when sea levels rise, which will only further area flooding. However, one thing is certain — the policies, plans, and projects in place or in development fall short of adequately addressing the problem. Flooding poses an existential threat to millions of people whether they are aware of it or not.
Not all hope is lost. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has begun the preconstruction phase of a project called “Rebuild by Design: Hudson River,” which is a comprehensive and strategic approach to improving the infrastructure alongside coastal cities such as Hoboken, Jersey City, and Weehawken. It combines hard and green infrastructure to protect against storm surges. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2025. The RPA report explained that the project does not discuss the implications of flooding from sea-levels rising. According to the RPA’s report, municipalities and governments ought to commit to reducing carbon emissions and begin investing now even if the threat seems distant.
The Stevens community is also concerned and hard at work to prevent further flooding, or at the very least, mitigate irreversible damage. Yeganeh Hayeri, Assistant Professor at the School of Systems & Enterprises, alongside Raif Bucar, a Ph.D. candidate, developed a model that assesses the resilience of city streets and infrastructure during flood events. The model is based on Hoboken and can be applied to other flood-prone cities. It’s an attempt to retain transportive functionality even during the most extreme conditions. City authorities and engineers can use the model to plan ahead for flash floods and storm surges.
As sea levels continue to rise, government action is required to see progress. If left ignored, Earth is a soon-to-be uninhabitable planet.
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