Opinion: Irma, Harvey and Sandy - We Need a Marshall Plan for Future Disasters Like These

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Opinion: Irma, Harvey and Sandy - We Need a Marshall Plan for Future Disasters Like These

When superstorm Sandy struck my home state of New York in 2012, it dealt a severe blow to communities that were unprepared for a major flooding event — even though many of them were literally right on the water.

People died, property was destroyed and lives were ruined because residents and local governments failed to appreciate the risk.

Now the same story is unfolding in Texas and Florida.

The tragic truth is that we know all too well that cities and towns on the coast and near major waterways are vulnerable to storms. We also know what we have to do to protect them from flood damage. Yet the work has not been done. . .