ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's attorney general has asked a state judge to release sealed documents about the 1971 riot and retaking of Attica state prison in an effort to reveal the full history of the nation's bloodiest prison rebellion and answer the questions of families whose loved ones died there.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wants the court in Wyoming County to open hundreds of detailed pages about investigations into the five September days when inmates took control of the maximum-security prison in rural western New York until state troopers and guards stormed the facility and fatally shot 29 inmates and 10 hostages.
Schneiderman said it's time to bring transparency to what he referred to as one of the state government's darkest chapters. The sealed documents are part of a 1975 report by a special commission that examined New York's efforts to investigate the riot and its aftermath.
"It is important, both for families directly affected and for future generations, that these historical documents be made available so the public can have a better understanding of what happened and how we can prevent future tragedies," Schneiderman said. He noted the historical significance and the fact that all related criminal and civil litigation has ended. And after 40 years, he said, the privacy concerns can be addressed more narrowly by omitting only the names of many grand jury witnesses and some people identified in testimony.
Among those seeking the records are the Forgotten Victims of Attica, a group of prison employees who survived and relatives of those who died.
"For families that lost their father, son, brother because they were killed in D Yard, they yearn to know the truth of how their loved one died and why they died," said Gary Morton, a lawyer representing the group, said this year. "Some of that has come out, but certainly there's a lot more that hasn't come out."
In all, 11 staff and 32 inmates died — all but four shot by troopers and correction officers who fired hundreds of rounds in six minutes storming the prison's D Yard on Sept. 13, 1971. An additional 89 men were wounded. The inmates were demanding better conditions and amnesty for the riot itself.
Known as the Meyer Commission Report for the late judge who headed the investigation, the 570-page document was divided into volumes. The first with broad findings and recommendations was released, but the others were sealed in 1981 because they contain grand jury testimony.
Published four years after the riot, the first volume said 62 inmates had been indicted for various offenses, but the grand jury investigation should continue and consider all possible crimes by authorities. The original grand jury refused to indict in four cases brought against law enforcement personnel. One trooper was later indicted on a charge of reckless endangerment in 1975.
The commission report emphasized "important omissions" in the evidence gathered by state police afterward and the possible conflict of interest with troopers investigating their fellow officers' actions in retaking the prison. It found no intentional cover-up by prosecutors but faulted police for bad planning and failing to account for the rifles, shotguns and pistols used and bullets, slugs and buckshot fired by individual officers.
Gov. Hugh Carey effectively ended official scrutiny of the uprising in 1976 when he pardoned seven inmates and barred disciplinary action against 20 of the troopers and prison guards among the hundreds of officers who retook the prison. He also commuted the murder sentence of inmate John Hill, who was found guilty of beating guard William Quinn to death. The report concluded Quinn and three inmates were killed by prisoners.
It isn't clear when the judge will rule.
In 2005, the state reached a $12 million settlement with survivors and families of prison staff caught in the uprising. About 150 claims were filed.
That followed a settlement for $8 million five years earlier with 502 former inmates and families of those killed or injured, who claimed they were beaten, tortured and denied medical treatment after the prison was retaken.
Audiotapes published in 2011 showed then-President Richard Nixon offering support by phone to then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller hours after the siege ended. "You did the right thing. It's a tragedy that these poor fellows were shot but I just want you to know that's my view and I've told the troops around here that I back that right to the hilt," he said.
While Rockefeller initially praised the work of state police sharp shooters and called the retaking "a beautiful operation" a day later, he acknowledged "a little problem" — that most hostages were killed by gunfire, not by inmates as initially believed.
July 7, 2012. Las Vegas. Tito Ortiz choked back tears at his UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony as he tried to explain why his bout with Forrest Griffin that night at UFC 148 would be his last.
"I put my heart, soul and body into this sport," Ortiz said at the time. "I've had ACL surgery, back surgery, neck surgery, a meniscus tear. When people ask me, 'Why you retiring?' I'm retiring because it's time."
If only the Tito Ortiz of 2013 would have listened to the Tito Ortiz of 2012.
I'm not here to make cruel jokes at Ortiz's expense in the wake of the news that Ortiz suffered a serious injury in training and had to pull out of his planned Bellator fight with fellow former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on Nov. 2. A fractured neck is an injury I wouldn't wish on anyone.
If the unverified numbers which made the rounds among media types this week about what Ortiz was scheduled to make for the fight are even in the ballpark, well, put it this way: You would have come out of retirement, too.
But hopefully Ortiz takes his latest injury as a sign that enough is enough.
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" finally had his karma correct when he took the stage to accept his UFC Hall of Fame plaque just over a year ago. The sins of the past had been forgiven. He had won back skeptical fans with his inspirational upset of a younger and healthier Ryan Bader at UFC 132. He seemed to finally make peace with Dana White after stepping up on short notice and meeting Rashad Evans just two months later and took a Fight of the Night bonus in his loss. Ortiz transitioned from fading fighter to elder statesman.
The long and heartfelt ovation Ortiz received from the fans at the UFC Fan Expo that day -- not to mention that night, when he was arguably robbed of the decision in his trilogy fight with Griffin -- showed the pioneer of the sport had come around with the fans, as well.
If only Ortiz had left well enough alone.
It's easy for those of us who have never been in a fighter's shoes to tell them it's time to hang ‘em up. We've never felt the intoxication of the bright lights, the attention, the money, the rush of having 15,000 fans chanting your name. It can't be easy to walk away.
Especially when you're in a position like Ortiz has been over the past year. He had both neck and ACL surgery and suddenly found himself feeling better than he'd felt in years. Your mind starts cranking. You start thinking about how you weren't getting blown out of your fights. How you could have gotten the decision against Griffin. How you almost got the late submission against Lyoto Machida. You come to the conclusion you've still got something left in the tank.
And that doesn't even take non-fight matters into account. The very public marital troubles with estranged wife Jenna Jameson. The management career, which hasn't exactly gotten off to a gangbuster start, as his top client, Cris Cyborg, remains outside Zuffa while women's MMA experiences its golden age. Another run in the spotlight would make it all go away for awhile.
All understandable. Still shouldn't have come back.
Have you noticed we haven't heard a heck of a lot from Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in recent weeks? Sure, he spoke up about his perceived slights at the hands of the UFC when he signed with Bellator earlier this year. But after the Ortiz fight was signed, Jackson more or less stopped with the negative chatter. Say what you will about Jackson vs. Ortiz, but if nothing else, "Rampage" appeared to have his head in the right place as he prepared for the bout.
You can't say the same for Ortiz. Starting with the August press conference in Newport Beach, Ortiz seemed more concerned with bashing the UFC than focusing on his new company. On Twitter and in seemingly every media appearance he made, Ortiz bashed White and the UFC, the people who had made nice with him in his public sendoff last year. For the money it took to lure Ortiz out of retirement, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney had to wonder when his new marquee star was going to focus on the present.
That's moot now, since Ortiz had to pull out of the fight. If anyone aside from Ortiz, Jackson, and their respective accountants were disappointed by the fight's cancelation, they haven't been speaking up. Rebney now gets to take was what shaping up as a sure money loser and repurpose it into the best fight card, by far, he's ever put on free TV, and focus on what promises to be a killer lightweight title fight between Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez.
Ortiz and Rebney have tried to sound positive about Ortiz's eventual return. But the facts remain stark. Ortiz is 38. He'll turn 39 in January. He's only won once in his past nine fights. He's added another serious injury to a lengthy list.
Your body's trying to give you a hint, Tito. Please don't come back this time.
Music legend and Rock and Roll innovator Lou Reed has passed away at the age of 71. It’s kind of hard for me to wrap my head around the news, despite Reed‘s advanced age and despite the fact that he survived a liver transplant earlier this year … for some reason, Lou was one of those rockers that I kind of assumed would live forever. At this point, no cause of death has yet been revealed but news of his death today comes with the caveat of the aforementioned liver transplant (ie. the assumption is that he may have passed away due to complications from the surgery earlier this year). As a voice of The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed stands as a giant of Rock and Roll. As a solo artist, he stands as a giant among mankind. As a man, he will forever stand as one of the coolest humans to walk planet Earth.
Lou Reed has died aged 71. According to Rolling Stone, the cause of death is currently unknown, however, the legendary singer had a liver transplant last May (2013). At the time of the operation, his wife suggested that he might not “ever totally recover”. Reed later posted a message to fans on Facebook, where he described himself as a “triumph of modern medicine” and announced that he is looking forward to playing live again. He also returned to the stage on June 20, but in July he was rushed to hospital with “severe dehydration”. Earlier today, the following picture was posted on Lou Reed’s official Facebook page:
Reed was an incredibly gifted singer, songwriter and musician who influenced generations of artists. Most famously known for his time in The Velvet Underground, Reed also had great success as a solo artist, with his second solo album ‘Transformer’ spawning world-renowned hits ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ and ‘Perfect Day’.
Here is an excerpt from Rolling Stone magazine’s excellent obituary:
Lewis Allan “Lou” Reed was born in Brooklyn, in 1942. A fan of doo-wop and early rock & roll (he movingly inducted Dion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989), Reed also took formative inspiration during his studies at Syracuse University with the poet Delmore Schwartz. After college, he worked as a staff songwriter for the novelty label Pickwick Records (where he had a minor hit in 1964 with a dance-song parody called “The Ostrich”). In the mid-Sixties, Reed befriended Welsh musician John Cale, a classically trained violist who had performed with groundbreaking minimalist composer La Monte Young. Reed and Cale formed a band called the Primitives, then changed their name to the Warlocks. After meeting guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, they became the Velvet Underground. With a stark sound and ominous look, the band caught the attention of Andy Warhol, who incorporated the Velvets into his Exploding Plastic Inevitable. “Andy would show his movies on us,” Reed said. “We wore black so you could see the movie. But we were all wearing black anyway.”
The full text of this RS obit can be read HERE. I urge you to take the time to read it the whole way thru. Lou Reed … man, he was definitely one of the greats. A great light has gone out of this world. He will be missed but his influence on Rock will never, ever be forgotten. Rest well, Lou.
A poster depicting an American negotiator wearing a suit jacket and tie at a negotiating table and a dog to his side is displayed in Palestine square, Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has described his outreach to the U.S. as part of a "new era'' and a chance to put the nuclear standoff with the West to rest. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
A poster depicting an American negotiator wearing a suit jacket and tie at a negotiating table and a dog to his side is displayed in Palestine square, Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has described his outreach to the U.S. as part of a "new era'' and a chance to put the nuclear standoff with the West to rest. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
A poster depicting an American negotiator wearing a suit jacket and tie at a negotiating table and a dog to his side is displayed in Palestine square, Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has described his outreach to the U.S. as part of a "new era'' and a chance to put the nuclear standoff with the West to rest. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Banners that suddenly cropped around Tehran in the past week depict an American diplomat dressed in a jacket and tie, while under the negotiating table he is wearing military pants and pointing a gun at an Iranian envoy.
The anti-American images were ordered taken down Saturday by Tehran authorities. But they made their point.
It was another salvo by hard-liners who are opposed to President Hassan Rouhani's pursuit of better ties with Washington and worried that Iran could make unnecessary concessions in its nuclear program in exchange for relief from Western sanctions.
The banners and posters were something of a warm-up to the main event: Rouhani's critics are planning major anti-U.S. rallies — and amped-up "Death to America" chants — on the Nov. 4 anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution.
Anti-American murals have long been part of the urban landscape in Iran, and include images of the Statue of Liberty transformed into a creepy skeleton and bombs raining down from the Stars and Stripes. The storming of the U.S. Embassy is marked every year with protests outside the compound's brick walls.
Now, however, the images reflect internal divisions in Iran and suggest more intrigue ahead.
Rouhani's groundbreaking overtures to the U.S. appear to have the backing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This means that — at least for the moment — he has the ultimate political cover to try to reach a nuclear deal and perhaps find other ways to cross the 34-year diplomatic no man's land between the countries.
However, the criticism and protests by hard-line resisters, led by the Revolutionary Guard, are as much directed at Rouhani's government as they are intended as a message for the supreme leader.
The Guard and others know that Khamenei does not want to risk an open confrontation that could sow further discord in Iran. The subtext of the posters and banners: More pressure could come if Rouhani's government is perceived as moving too fast toward concessions when nuclear talks resume next week in Geneva with the U.S. and other world powers.
The signs had an ad-agency quality that is rare compared with the usual anti-American fare of simple fliers and hand-lettered placards.
"American Honesty," read one in Farsi and slightly mangled English, showing the U.S. negotiator with the gun under the table.
Another depicted an American negotiator in a suit, a black attack dog by his side. The third one showed an open hand facing the open claws of what appeared to be an eagle, the symbol of the U.S.
On Sunday, with most of the images taken down, new posters popped up around Tehran. They contained just one sentence, in Farsi: "We don't oppress and don't allow to be oppressed."
The high production values of the banners and posters suggest possible connections to the powerful propaganda machinery of well-funded groups such as the Revolutionary Guard or its nationwide paramilitary network, known as the Basij.
Mohsen Pirhadi, head of Basij's Tehran branch, said he ordered the posters put up, but gave no further details on the designers or financial backers.
"These posters were in line with the interests of the (ruling) system," the Bahar newspaper quoted him as saying Saturday.
A day earlier, protesters trampled posters of Wendy Sherman, the chief U.S. nuclear negotiator with Iran, who said earlier this month that past experience suggests "deception is part of the DNA" of the nuclear talks. Iran's hard-line media, however, added "Iranian" to the quote and stirred outrage.
"Our people have seen nothing but dishonesty, deception of public opinion, betrayal and back-stabbing by Americans during the past years. ... Therefore, there is no way they can trust American promises and deceiving smiles," hard-line politician Hamid Reza Taraqi told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Israel and others suspicious of Iran have used similar language to question Rouhani's sincerity.
A conservative lawmaker, Hamid Rasaei, decried the order to take down the posters and banners. "Why is a group seeking to erase the 34-year-old honor of the Iranian nation?" he told Parliament on Sunday.
A moderate lawmaker, Mohammad Javad Kowlivand, demanded a probe into the U.S.-bashing campaign.
Political analyst Hamid Reza Shokouhi said opposition to Rouhani's outreach reflects the insecurities that come with any bold diplomatic gestures.
"Public opinion cannot easily digest that everything has suddenly changed," he said.
With partial DVR data now available for the first two episodes of American Horror Story: Coven, FX's latest entry in the anthology series is proving to be remarkably steady -- and huge. Ahead of Live+Seven Day ratings, both episodes are already outpacing all but one other telecast (Sons of Anarchy) in network history.
Upping its time-shifted viewing in the second week to leave the audience virtually on par with the massive premiere (7.121 versus 7.266 million in Live+Three), Coven actually improved its lot among adults 18-34. The new record, 2.945 million in the demo, now outranks the network's all-time top performer across the board (the recent season-six premiere of Sons).
Among adults 18-49, the second episode of Coven is also neck-and-neck with its premiere -- falling a touch from a 4.98 to 4.92 million demo viewers. That's a difference of less than a tenth of a ratings point.
Compared to the previous two seasons in the American Horror Story franchise, Coven is outpacing Asylum by 41 percent in the key demo and Murder House by a whopping 90 percent.
Looking at FX's top 50 telecasts of all time, all of which save Coven include the extra four days of DVR use, 18 of the top 20 are all Sons of Anarchy. The first two episodes of Coven currently hold the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, and the most recent episode is on track to topple the premiere when Live+Seven is available for both.
So what does that mean? Barring a serious drop in momentum, Coven may end up rivaling the current run of veteran Sons of Anarchy as the highest-rated season of any show in the cable network's history.
Sandy's lessons include: Put parks, not houses, on the beach
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
27-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kea Giles kgiles@geosociety.org Geological Society of America
Boulder, CO, USA - Just days before Hurricane Sandy hit the New York and New Jersey coastline on 29 October 2012, scientists from the City University of New York's (CUNY) College of Staten Island had produced the most detailed model to date of the region's potential for damage from big storms. So naturally, the morning after the floods receded from Staten Island, CUNY geology professor Alan I. Benimoff was out mapping the high-water marks in the flooded neighborhoods. There he discovered that his team's pre-Sandy model had been right on the money.
Sandy caused 40 deaths and massive damage in New York City -- yet future storms could be worse, according to Benimoff and his colleagues. At the 2013 Geological Society of America (GSA) meeting in Denver, they will describe how the combination of rising sea level and more frequent, more severe hurricanes could bring Atlantic water much higher.
Their new flood model predicts that Staten Island and Long Island would again flood in low-lying areas, such as South Beach, with their working-class neighborhoods and beachfront boardwalks, and could even surpass Sandy levels. In Manhattan, the storm surge could extend past the low areas that flooded in Sandy, which included Battery Park subway tunnels, the Financial District, and a 14th Street electrical substation.
The researchers are geology professors Benimoff and William J. Fritz; Michael Kress, director of the CUNY Interdisciplinary High Performance Computer Center, vice president for technology systems, and professor of computer science; and undergraduate student Liridon Sela.
Since Sandy, Benimoff and Fritz, who is interim president of College of Staten Island, have been active in the community discussions about how -- or whether -- to rebuild on the most vulnerable parts of the barrier islands. They have developed five recommendations for area policy makers, emergency agencies and residents.
In public discussions, Benimoff does not mince words. As a scientist, he says, he has an obligation to communicate data clearly to non-scientists.
"To paraphrase our governor: There are some parcels of land that Mother Nature owns, and when she comes to visit, she visits," Benimoff says. "The reality is that these particular barrier islands are uniquely vulnerable to storm surges. They have a lot of coastal and wetland that never should have been built on.
"What's more, they have a geometry of coastline where Coney Island and Sandy Hook make a right angle with Staten Island right at the apex, and the seafloor comes up very gradually. Water piles up in that corner and has nowhere to go but inland. That means any storm that comes perpendicular to the coastline of New Jersey is going to put us in harm's way."
The College of Staten Island scientists' five-point plan recommends:
Protect the existing natural barriers -- the beaches and dunes;
Build them higher;
Rezone in the flood zone to prevent home construction. Buy these properties and turn them into parks, which will sponge up the inevitable floodwaters and partially protect the islands' higher lands. (There is precedent for this -- after 157 people died in 1946 and 1960 tsunamis in Hilo, Hawaii, the most damaged neighborhoods were turned into parks.)
Be very careful about engineering solutions such as sea barriers because they will not only be expensive but also protect one stretch of beach at the expense of its neighbor. "Jetties, sandbars, seawalls -- these are merely Band-Aids," Benimoff says. "You've got to face the music here."
Teach coastal residents how to survive a hurricane: Stay informed by watching weather forecasts. Evacuate early. Don't seek refuge in basements, which could flood. Know your area's high ground and, if faced with rapidly rising waters, go there.
###
What: Session 12: Learning from the Impacts of Superstorm Sandy https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session33048.html
Alan I. Benimoff, Department of Engineering Science and Physics and the Masters Program in Environmental Science, The College of Staten Island/City University of New York (CUNY)
mobile +1-917-584-9020
e-mail: Alan.Benimoff@csi.cuny.edu
ON-SITE NEWSROOM
Contact: Kea Giles
Colorado Convention Center, Room 608
+1-303-228-8431
The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with more than 25,000 members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.
http://www.geosociety.org
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Sandy's lessons include: Put parks, not houses, on the beach
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
27-Oct-2013
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]
Share
Contact: Kea Giles kgiles@geosociety.org Geological Society of America
Boulder, CO, USA - Just days before Hurricane Sandy hit the New York and New Jersey coastline on 29 October 2012, scientists from the City University of New York's (CUNY) College of Staten Island had produced the most detailed model to date of the region's potential for damage from big storms. So naturally, the morning after the floods receded from Staten Island, CUNY geology professor Alan I. Benimoff was out mapping the high-water marks in the flooded neighborhoods. There he discovered that his team's pre-Sandy model had been right on the money.
Sandy caused 40 deaths and massive damage in New York City -- yet future storms could be worse, according to Benimoff and his colleagues. At the 2013 Geological Society of America (GSA) meeting in Denver, they will describe how the combination of rising sea level and more frequent, more severe hurricanes could bring Atlantic water much higher.
Their new flood model predicts that Staten Island and Long Island would again flood in low-lying areas, such as South Beach, with their working-class neighborhoods and beachfront boardwalks, and could even surpass Sandy levels. In Manhattan, the storm surge could extend past the low areas that flooded in Sandy, which included Battery Park subway tunnels, the Financial District, and a 14th Street electrical substation.
The researchers are geology professors Benimoff and William J. Fritz; Michael Kress, director of the CUNY Interdisciplinary High Performance Computer Center, vice president for technology systems, and professor of computer science; and undergraduate student Liridon Sela.
Since Sandy, Benimoff and Fritz, who is interim president of College of Staten Island, have been active in the community discussions about how -- or whether -- to rebuild on the most vulnerable parts of the barrier islands. They have developed five recommendations for area policy makers, emergency agencies and residents.
In public discussions, Benimoff does not mince words. As a scientist, he says, he has an obligation to communicate data clearly to non-scientists.
"To paraphrase our governor: There are some parcels of land that Mother Nature owns, and when she comes to visit, she visits," Benimoff says. "The reality is that these particular barrier islands are uniquely vulnerable to storm surges. They have a lot of coastal and wetland that never should have been built on.
"What's more, they have a geometry of coastline where Coney Island and Sandy Hook make a right angle with Staten Island right at the apex, and the seafloor comes up very gradually. Water piles up in that corner and has nowhere to go but inland. That means any storm that comes perpendicular to the coastline of New Jersey is going to put us in harm's way."
The College of Staten Island scientists' five-point plan recommends:
Protect the existing natural barriers -- the beaches and dunes;
Build them higher;
Rezone in the flood zone to prevent home construction. Buy these properties and turn them into parks, which will sponge up the inevitable floodwaters and partially protect the islands' higher lands. (There is precedent for this -- after 157 people died in 1946 and 1960 tsunamis in Hilo, Hawaii, the most damaged neighborhoods were turned into parks.)
Be very careful about engineering solutions such as sea barriers because they will not only be expensive but also protect one stretch of beach at the expense of its neighbor. "Jetties, sandbars, seawalls -- these are merely Band-Aids," Benimoff says. "You've got to face the music here."
Teach coastal residents how to survive a hurricane: Stay informed by watching weather forecasts. Evacuate early. Don't seek refuge in basements, which could flood. Know your area's high ground and, if faced with rapidly rising waters, go there.
###
What: Session 12: Learning from the Impacts of Superstorm Sandy https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session33048.html
Alan I. Benimoff, Department of Engineering Science and Physics and the Masters Program in Environmental Science, The College of Staten Island/City University of New York (CUNY)
mobile +1-917-584-9020
e-mail: Alan.Benimoff@csi.cuny.edu
ON-SITE NEWSROOM
Contact: Kea Giles
Colorado Convention Center, Room 608
+1-303-228-8431
The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with more than 25,000 members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.
http://www.geosociety.org
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| E-mail
Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The Long Beach High School marching band prepares to march down the Long Beach boardwalk during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
The Long Beach High School marching band prepares to march down the Long Beach boardwalk during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
One year ago Tuesday, Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast, devastating shoreline communities from Florida to Maine.
Many of these areas have been rebuilt, including the Long Beach boardwalk, about 30 miles outside New York City. Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new boardwalk Friday.
Ninety percent of the funding for the restoration came from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid $44 million to repair the devastation.
Jack and Roseanne Vanderbeck love the new boardwalk. They come every weekend to power walk along the beach.
"I missed it last winter," says Jack Vanderbeck. "The old boardwalk actually was getting beat up a lot. This is much easier to walk on. People now don't get splinters."
"It's really beautiful," his wife adds. "They really did a great job."
Geologist Rob Young knows that it will be difficult to convince locals that rebuilding the coastlines might not be worth the cost.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Geologist Rob Young knows that it will be difficult to convince locals that rebuilding the coastlines might not be worth the cost.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
But should the federal government pay for shore restorations, when the beaches are sure to be hit and damaged by future storms?
Rob Young, who directs the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, is one of many geologists who say taxpayers are shelling out too much cash to rebuild coastal areas that will continue to be ravaged by the effects of climate change.
"After storms, the federal government creates this moral hazard, in my opinion," Young says. "We spend billions of dollars rebuilding coastal communities, a lot of it in place."
The argument for the spending is that the coastal economy is worth the money. But Young asks, "If the coastal economy is that strong and vibrant, why can't they pay for the risk of being here themselves?"
Stay Put Or Retreat?
Young suggests that some coastal areas should be abandoned altogether because climate change is eating away at the nation's shorelines.
"The primary response post-Sandy has been to elevate some homes and elevate some infrastructure," he says. "So it's like you're standing in the river and the flood is coming, and instead of getting out of the river, you just roll up your pant legs, or hike up your skirt."
Besides Long Beach, other parts of the New York area were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, including lower Manhattan. Damages, including lost economic activity, were estimated at close to $20 billion.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg set up a task force to look at how the city could better protect itself from a rising sea level and increasing storm events linked to climate change. Seth Pinsky, who ran that task force and is now executive vice president of RXR Realty, agrees that certain parts of Manhattan are vulnerable during storms.
But Pinsky says retreating is not an option.
"We're dealing with 400 years of settlement here in New York City," he says. "In New York today, we have 70,000 buildings — representing over 500 million square feet of built area — that are in our 100-year flood plain. The idea that we're going to be able relocate those people, their jobs, their homes, that built infrastructure in any foreseeable future is just not realistic."
An Expensive Precedent
People like Charlie Minch love the beach and the new boardwalk. He drives here a couple times a week with his sister, Carol Halmy.
"It's nice," Minch says. "The boardwalk itself is nice. And it gives me something to do."
His sister says it's "certainly worth the money they put into it."
But geologist Rob Young says that sooner or later the money it takes to rebuild coastal areas — storm after storm — isn't going to be worth it anymore. Making that case to the people who live here, though, will be difficult.
"Any discussion of changing the way we do business at the coast and potentially not rebuilding some areas makes local residents nervous," Young says. "The issue is how long into the future can we afford as a nation to hold every shoreline — on East Coast to the Gulf Coast and the West Coast — in place."
Last week, the Department of the Interior released $162 million for research and restoration to protect the Atlantic Coast. The money will go to 45 projects, from Maine to North Carolina. Such funding sets an expensive precedent, Young says.
"If we have a big storm that hits Florida now, they are going to expect the same," he says. "They are going to expect the federal government to come in and rebuild beaches from Miami to Jacksonville. Can we afford to do that?"
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