Aug 19 2013

USAToday: Hurricane Sandy task force urges better construction

Newswire | Published 19 Aug 2013, 7:27 am | Comments Off on USAToday: Hurricane Sandy task force urges better construction -

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A special task force created after Hurricane Sandy recommends that new construction be built to withstand the force of increasingly dangerous storms, and that existing infrastructure be hardened to ward off power failures and fuel shortages, and maintain cellular service during disasters.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, who chaired the task force, said Monday that the rebuilding strategy “will protect families, small businesses and communities across the region, and the taxpayers’ investment in them, from the risks posed by sea level rise and more extreme weather events — risks that are made worse by the reality of a changing climate.”

President Obama said some of the report’s 69 policy recommendations have been adopted, especially on cleaning up the New Jersey and New York shores after the super storm struck in late October.

“We have cut red tape, piloted cutting edge programs and strengthened our partnership with state and local officials,” Obama said. “While a great amount of work remains, we will stand with the region for as long as it takes to recover.”

The task force report also calls for more and more streamlined assistance for home and business owners who are wiped out by storms.

Obama created the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force in December.

The report emphasized the impact of climate change on the intensity of hurricanes and other storms, and said that has to be taken into account with future building and rebuilding.


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