Surge Barriers for New York — the Best or Worst of Solutions?

After the flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, a proposal was developed to build storm surge barriers to protect New York City and nearby municipalities. Given the rising sea levels and increasingly violent storms associated with climate change, many … Continue reading

South Street Seaport Museum to Get $10.4 Million Federal Funding for Superstorm Sandy Repairs

Great news!  Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and the South Street Seaport Museum announced that the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is awarding the museum $10.4 million from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program as part of federal efforts to … Continue reading

Don’t Be Shellfish – Save the Coney Island Mermaid Parade!

One unexpected victim of Superstorm Sandy was New York’s Coney Island Mermaid Parade, or more specifically, the historical museum, performance space and gift shop that helped to financially support the free parade.  The parade is  “an American celebration of ancient mythology and honky-tonk rituals … Continue reading

North Atlantic Storm Jolle More Intense than Superstorm Sandy

Last Saturday, in the Northern Atlantic to the south of Iceland, the extratropical storm Jolle, intensified dramatically.  Meteorologists use central pressure as a proxy for measuring the strength of a given storm. The lower the barometric pressure, the more intense the storm.  By this standard,  Jolle, … Continue reading

Celebrating Surviving Sandy – South Street Seaport Reopens with Two New Exhibits

When I first visited New York’s South Street Seaport in the early 70s, it was a fairly lonely place. There was no shopping mall on Pier 17 and the high-end chain-stores like Guess, Abecrombe and Fitch and Brookstone had not yet been … Continue reading

Storm Surge Barriers for New York Harbor? Would They Do Enough?

Rotterdam, London, St. Petersburg, and Toyko all have storm surge barriers to protect low-lying areas from flooding.  In the United States, Stamford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and New Bedford, Massachusetts all have storm barriers.  Should New York, which suffered significant flooding two years in a … Continue reading

Will the South Street Seaport Sink Post-Sandy?

The news this week from the South Street Seaport Museum was good. The Museum’s Bowne Stationers has reopened its doors after being flooded by Superstorm Sandy.  There had been serious concern that the 19th century type and letterpress equipment  might be seriously damaged or destroyed by the flood. … Continue reading

PortSide NY, the Tanker Mary A. Whalen, Superstorm Sandy and Redhook

Like most of the historic vessels in and around New York harbor, the tanker Mary A. Whalen survived Superstorm Sandy Sandy better than her shore based neighbors. The tanker, which weathered Sandy at the inshore end of Pier 9B in … Continue reading

Schooner Bessie A. White – Hide & Seek Beneath the Sands of Fire Island

Last Wednesday, we posted about the wreck of a wooden ship uncovered by Superstorm Sandy beneath the dunes of Fire Island, east of Davis Park.  The remains are thought to be the Bessie A. White, more than 90 years old, said Paula Valentine, public affairs specialist for … Continue reading

Superstorm Sandy Reveals Shipwrecks and Shuts Down the Statue of Liberty

When Superstorm Sandy came ashore roughly two weeks ago, she uncovered at least two shipwrecks.  On Fire Island, New York, the storm washed away dunes east of Davis Park revealing the remains of a wooden ship believed to be a post-Civil War cargo … Continue reading

Mitik’s Wild Ride and a Brooklyn Aquarium Under Siege by the Sea

Mitik is the name given to a 234-pound 15-week-old orphaned walrus rescued from the open ocean off Alaska in early October. The walrus calf was transported aboard a FedEx cargo jet, accompanied by a veterinarian and a handler, and delivered to … Continue reading