The communities surrounding Jamaica Bay are being confronted by increased flooding. Some reasons for the increased frequency of these disruptive events include historical landscape changes and sea level rising effect on the tides. These landscape changes, such as land filling that has occurred since the late 1800s, has led to increased tidal range by 20% in Jamaica Bay (Pareja-Roman). That in conjunction to higher sea levels have contributed to many of the floods that are occurring in this area. Philip Orton, an oceanographer stated “Some neighborhoods around Jamaica Bay flood about 60 times per year”. This increased activity is moving quicker than the global average, due to the fact that the NYC coast has risen almost a foot which is about double the average seen (Maldonado). On a daily basis, community members face the threat of being trapped in their homes, potential property damage, and down power lines. An example of this is given by a member of the Hamilton Beach community in which he said that during lesser storms and even high tides, he moves his computer and furniture upstairs, where he sleeps and he hopes for the best (Schiffman).
Even though these flooding occurrences have been more frequent, since many of the repairs that have had to be made after Sandy, there has been a vast increase (approximately 44%) in property values nearing the waterways. There is a little over $176 billion in property value in the areas surrounding Jamaica Bay. However, these properties are facing more and more problems due to the decline in the coastline’s ability to fight off flooding and are at a high risk for being damaged. This has a big impact on the real estate market’s affordability in these areas as conditions worsen. With increased risks, the insurance for properties will take a sharp increase. With the additional cost faced by community members of this neighborhood on top of mortgage payments, there is becoming a great burden on the community members financially. Insurance companies are updating their flood maps to heighten the risks of those along NYC’s coast lines, therefore increasing the homes that are required to purchase their premiums and increasing the premiums of those who are already purchasing it. In the Canarsie neighborhood, homeowners experienced a tripling in their premium within a short period of time (Jie Jenny Zou). Flood insurance is set by the maps created by FEMA, and are dictated by at which (sea) level is the house currently on. The further below sea level, the higher the premium is (NYC Gov). Homeowners are encouraged to use construction methods in order to lift their homes to levels that are higher. Although that is ideal, it is also a costly solution which most homeowners cannot afford.
Given these circumstances of higher housing prices, insurance rates, and higher risk of destruction of goods the communities surrounding the Jamaica bay are having a hard time to stay in their homes because of unexpected cost that they are now incurring. In addition, especially in a market with increased interest rates they are finding it difficult to sell their homes since these headaches that come a long with it are not desirable.
On a more positive note however, NYC has created a $52 Billion plan to save low line areas from flooding. Therefore, there will be new projects and programs such as building a flood gate in the Hamilton Beach area to mitigate the constant flooding received during high tides. It will also focus on restoring the coast line with salt marshes that will reduce the impacts of flooding. It will also create construction projects to raise streets above the sea level. While there is concern over the fair distribution of these funds. This plan perhaps will slow down the rise of flood insurance and keep community members in their homes.
Sources:
- Pareja-Roman, L. F., Orton, P. M., & Talke, S. A. (2023). Effect of estuary urbanization on tidal dynamics and high tide flooding in a coastal lagoon. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 128, e2022JC018777. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018777
- Maldonado, S. (2022, November 18). The rinse of tides: Neighborhood plagued by monthly flooding sees hope in Sea Gates. The City. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.thecity.nyc/environment/2022/11/18/23464209/hamilton-beach-monthly-flooding-army-corps-sea-gates
- Schiffman, R. (2022, April 1). Is this the last generation to live on New York City’s wild fringes? The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/nyregion/jamaica-bay-broad-channel-climate-change.html
- Rockaway Beach Real Estate Market Trends. 2022 Home Prices & Sales Trends | Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY Real Estate Market. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/market-trends/residential/nyc/queens/rockaway-beach
- emma_newburger. (2022, December 27). The $52 billion plan to save New York’s low-lying areas from sea level rise and storm surges. CNBC. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/22/queens-battled-monthly-floods-as-sea-levels-rise-storms-worsen.html
- Jie Jenny Zou, D. L. (n.d.). The Federal Flood Insurance Program is changing, and homeowners fear it will push them out. Gothamist. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://gothamist.com/news/federal-flood-insurance-program-changing-and-homeowners-fear-it-will-push-them-out
- NYC GOV, Flood resilience zoning info brief – New York City. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/plans-studies/climate-resiliency/flood-resilience-zoning-info-brief.pdf