Computer Flood Models Could Save Cities, But They're Not There Yet
Alan Blumberg Photo by Colin Lecher When Hurricane Sandy made landfall this time last year, it trampled through the small city of Hoboken, New Jersey, 70 percent of which is in a flood plain. You'd think anyone could predict what happened next: 90 percent of the city lost power; people were trapped in their homes for days, with downed power lines preventing them from leaving even after the storm subsided; and the mayor, appearing on Anderson Cooper 360, soon made a plea for the National Guard to intervene. I watched the city flood from safety. Union City, a nearby town, sits on a hill overlooking Hoboken; out in the distance, across the Hudson, you can spy Manhattan. From a cliff and five floors up, you'd think the view of the city below filling with water would be dramatic, but the truth is it's still abstract;...