Coastal Development - Assignment Example

Coastal Development al Affiliation Coastal Development Hurricane Sandy is arguably the worst hurricane ever witnessed in U.S. history. The Hurricane Sandy that hit the U.S. coastline on October 2012 caused massive destruction to properties on the coastline and left hundreds of people dead (Foster, 2014). Official report released after the disaster confirmed that at least 117 American citizens perished in the disaster while 69 others died in Canadian and Caribbean coastline making the hurricane the deadliest and most destructive hurricane disasters ever.

However, evidences point that the destruction caused by the hurricane could have been minimized if proper measures were put by homeowners and contractures at the affected coastlines. Currently, plans are underway in finding the best way of mitigating the effects of Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to hit the coastline in the near future (Hutchins and Augenstein, 2012). Although controversies have marred the proposed new construction measures at the New Jersey shore-front, the only way to protect the communities living near the shoreline is to establish new construction requirements to ensure that structures built near the shoreline are strong enough and capable of withstanding heavy storms.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy confirmed that the existing building codes cannot solve flooding and elevation problems witnessed whenever a storm hits New Jersey coastline. Therefore, to mitigate future damage that may be caused by heavy storms, the property owners at the New Jersey coastline will be required to elevate their buildings above the base flooding elevations (BFE). The flood elevation requirement issued by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is effective from October 2013, requires that properties built in the coastlines, which are prone to storms should be built above the flood elevation threshold (Foster, 2014).

Building properties above the BFE will ensure that the flooding does not reach the properties in case of a storm like the Hurricane Sandy. Since storms are accompanied by heavy winds, contractors and property owners at New Jersey coastlines will be required to build structures that are capable of withstanding high winds. In this regard, the contractors will be required to ensure that properties have wind-rated roof covers capable of withstanding strong winds. Additionally, the contractors will also be required to ensure that adequate protections of openings, such as doors and windows are created to protect properties from strong wind pressure and windborne debris.

Where necessary, property owners will be required to build sand dunes at the shoreline to help minimize the strength of the storm as witnessed during the Hurricane Sandy (Hutchins and Augenstein, 2012). Further, building engineers will be required to build strong foundations for structures at the coastlines to ensure that they are capable of withstanding heavy storms. Implementing these measures will certainly ensure the construction of structures that are capable of withstanding future heavy storms at the shoreline.

This will help minimize the damage to property and loss of lives in the event of another Hurricane Sandy.ReferencesFoster, J. M. (2014). The Jersey shore rebuilds higher after superstorm Sandy. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/21/3429081/new-jersey-elevates-houses/Hutchins, R., & Augenstein, S. (2012). N.J. sand dunes protected Shore towns from Hurricane Sandys wrath. Retrieved from http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/nj_sand_dunes_protected_shore.html