Trying to Shame Dune Holdouts at Jersey Shore

Lest you think I was being hyperbolic, or overly critical of Americans, in my last post:

Trying to Shame Dune Holdouts at Jersey Shore

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Why We Don't Design Our Cities to Withstand 1,000-Year Floods

Why We Don't Design Our Cities to Withstand 1,000-Year Floods

This is a good article. The title is inaccurate, though, since it doesn't explain WHY we don't design our cities to 1,000 year floods, but the Dutch do. FEMA maps are based on 100 and 500 year floods, but design standards and insurance are generally based on the 100 year (or 1% chance floods, I'm glad they're moving away from that terminology).

The Dutch standards are for 1,000 years, or .1% (and the large infrastructure, like the storm barrier at the entrance to Rotterdam, for 10,000 years, or .01%) because they can be, because the Dutch people agreed that they should be after a massive flood in the 50s. The Dutch also have national planning and they don't have the same concept of private land and land rights as the US.

 "Is the government going to tell people they can't build their cabin next to the stream?" says Axt. "They don't want to be told that."

That's it, right there. The Dutch WILL tell people that they can't build their cabin next to the stream, and the law backs them up. If the cabin already exists, and they want to be able to flood that wooded area to save a city, they will say hey, we will relocate your cabin to any of these places, free of charge, or give you a replacement cabin elsewhere, or give you enough money to build a new cabin in a different place. But you're not staying here, or else you are putting an entire city at risk. The Dutch cabin owner, most likely, will say oh of course, let me get out of your way, glad to help, thanks for the cash.

The American cabin owner, most likely, would stock up on guns and/or hire a lawyer and tie up the whole works until he gets a court order, or wins a lawsuit, or puts the project over budget, lest his rights be infringed. To be fair, the American government (Federal, State or Local) likely will not have sufficient funds to purchase, relocate or swap the cabin, and instead will just inform the owner that the flood insurance on the cabin is really high, so he should move. So the cabin owner won't buy the insurance. When the flood does arrive, the cabin owner will still require rescue and demand reimbursement, even though he hasn't offset any of those costs buy buying insurance. Meanwhile, the city floods.

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New Orleans has a radical new plan for managing floods

Yeah! Go Dutchies!

New Orleans has a radical new plan for managing floods | Grist:

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Rebuilding in Flood Plains - It's Difficult to Resist

I'm on a roll today.

This is why incorporating natural disasters into a master plan is important, and why preparedness planning is also important. Have the codes and moratoriums in place that are automatically triggered when an event strikes, rather than trying to make decisions at the same time as rebuilding and recovery. Have financial incentives in place, coordinated with federal funding, to relocate to a more resilient location and people can rebuild quickly without putting themselves back in harms way. Quick-as-possible economic rebound only makes sense if it doesn't keep happening over and over, like flooding in a flood plain.

Rebuilding in Flood Plains - It's Difficult to Resist | Planetizen

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Miracle on Vine Street

Yep, another one. Stormwater infrastructure is a pretty major problem in a lot of cities that have combined sewer overflows. Rather than digging up all of the streets and replacing a single pipe with two, that then have to both be replaced or repaired, keep the single outflow and invest smartly in a distributed network. It replenishes the water table when needed, adds some green space and urban interest, and keeps shit out of the water that children play in. (I'm looking at you, Golden Gardens.) Seriously, there is human fecal matter in that stream. Get out of there!

Water Works: Miracle on Vine Street | Crosscut.com

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New Map Shows Where Nature Protects U.S. Coast

As simplistic as this might sound, there's a reason that FEMA requires this sort of analysis for all of its Hazard Mitigation Plans. Figuring out what is at risk and how much it costs makes it much easier to weigh the different methods of reducing possible losses. If preserving wetlands and reefs has multiple economic, health and safety benefits, whereas spending the same amount building hard barriers like seawalls doesn't have those benefits, the choice should be clear. Should be.

I hope they also include the fact that when some systems are given the proper support & room to adapt, they are self-maintaining and, sometimes, self-expanding in response to future sea-level rise, whereas walls stay the same height and need expensive repairs.

New Map Shows Where Nature Protects U.S. Coast

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Can bringing wetlands back to our coasts protect us from future megastorms?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Hell yes.

Can bringing wetlands back to our coasts protect us from future megastorms? | Grist

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Edamame and sun-dried tomato couscous

Just a quick, easy recipe to share. I always pick up a bag of Trader Joe's frozen edamame and then don't know what to do with it, besides throw it in a stir-fry in place of tofu. I'm low on handy proteins this week so I cooked it according to the package, then tossed it in my pasta and red sauce. The result was serviceable but not great.

This, however, turned out well. I had half of the package leftover and a very old box of couscous, so voila!

Edamame and Sun-dried Tomato Couscous

Half a package of cooked edamame (about one cup)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced or chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
One cup dry couscous
Garlic salt
Black pepper
Nutritional yeast (optional)

1. Bring one cup of water to a boil
2. Add the first five ingredients, stir, and return to a boil.
3. Add the couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover with a lid.
4. Let sit five minutes.
5. Add salt, pepper and nooch to taste. If it seems a bit dry, add a splash of water.

Enjoy!

Solar chargers for mobile phones debut in NYC

Yes! This is a great example of small fixes that can really affect people's moods, stress and recovery after a disaster. In between disasters they're useful all the time (or at least during the day?). Great infrastructure that does double-duty.

Months after Sandy, solar chargers for mobile phones debut in NYC | Reuters

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The VOTO Charger Uses Fire to Charge Your Cell Phone

Where there’s smoke there’s heat, and Point Source Power has figured out a way to harness that heat to charge your cell phone. The company’s new VOTO charger converts the heat generated from a fire to create power. It’s an amazing solution that could provide a power source for those who live in areas without power and backcountry campers alike.

Read more: The VOTO Charger Takes Fire and Turns It Into Electricity To Charge Your Cell Phone | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building