The Interim Flood Protection Measures (IFPM) program, which was put in place as a temporary measure against storm surges following Hurricane Sandy, had its funding eliminated following Mayor Eric Adams’ budget cuts in November.
Seaport was devastated by Sandy, and the IFPM program was meant to help prevent, or at least mitigate, the damage of future hurricanes. The program funds the installation of flood barriers, and while they haven’t faced a storm in that area yet, residents David Teeter and Emily Cohen don’t think the measures would be effective given their low height.
But residents Debra Florez and Noah Chasin are concerned about what will happen to the neighborhood if another hurricane hits Seaport in the next few years. Even if they are ineffective, the IFPM barriers are the only thing at the moment that’s available to protect the neighborhood, since more permanent measures are still many years away from completion.
About the author(s)
Vincent Jiang is a journalist and M.S. student at the Columbia School of Journalism.