It’s exactly one year after hurricane Sandy hit New York . We can think that know, after we experienced it, we are prepared for any kind of storm, and that we have learned from our mistakes. However , what have been done to prevent consequences of any other upcoming storm since Sandy destroyed our boroughs and took lives of our neighbors? Nothing. Scientists came up with some solutions  to keep the water at bay. Some would like to build  storm-surge barriers, others would like to use more natural approach , for example build oyster reefs and create marshlands in the harbor that could help beat down and reduce  a storm’s waves. These projects can slow down the storm, however they won’t stop the storm. These  actions are ,however, only  steps in risk reduction, none of them is the solution. I think it’s a time to address this issue. We cannot just wait for another storm to come, we have to come up with solution and put it into action. I was very surprised that government started to address this topic only now, after a year from disaster. We should acknowledge that our city is not prepared for any other natural disaster, and take needed steps to fix it.

Taisiia Tsvilyniuk