Dear Editor:
It is a fact that most of Hoboken lies below sea level. Early maps of the area show Hoboken to be an island. I have personally observed five feet of water in the streets of Hoboken. Hello! Does that sound familiar, like maybe New Orleans?
I am not an engineer, but Stevens Institute of Technology has a lot of bright engineers, some of whom I have seen on TV talking about what went wrong in New Orleans. With the billions of dollars being poured into residential real estate in Hoboken, I keep waiting for someone in authority, or one of those smart engineers, to reassure the local public that a New Orleans-style disaster can’t happen here.
I am the last person who wants to kill the red-hot Hoboken real estate market but with the kind of money being invested here, not to mention the lives and fortunes of our inhabitants, I am amazed that there is no discussion of the possibility that Hoboken could be hit with a “perfect” northeast storm or even a category 4 or 5 hurricane, which could cause a storm surge sufficient to overwhelm the floodgates which protect Hoboken from the tidal estuary called the Hudson River.
Dear Editor:
It is a fact that most of Hoboken lies below sea level. Early maps of the area show Hoboken to be an island. I have personally observed five feet of water in the streets of Hoboken. Hello! Does that sound familiar, like maybe New Orleans?
I am not an engineer, but Stevens Institute of Technology has a lot of bright engineers, some of whom I have seen on TV talking about what went wrong in New Orleans. With the billions of dollars being poured into residential real estate in Hoboken, I keep waiting for someone in authority, or one of those smart engineers, to reassure the local public that a New Orleans-style disaster can’t happen here.
I am the last person who wants to kill the red-hot Hoboken real estate market but with the kind of money being invested here, not to mention the lives and fortunes of our inhabitants, I am amazed that there is no discussion of the possibility that Hoboken could be hit with a “perfect” northeast storm or even a category 4 or 5 hurricane, which could cause a storm surge sufficient to overwhelm the floodgates which protect Hoboken from the tidal estuary called the Hudson River.
The only thing I know is that no one I know has any idea of the risks of such scenarios or the measures that have been taken or need to be taken to protect us. I hope someone can provide answers to these questions.
Very truly yours,
Marc Arnold