November 29, 2012 - "Looking to Russian Engineering to Defeat New York's Storms"
Duration: 17 minutes 23 seconds
SBU investigator Malcolm Bowman is the featured guest on the entire broadcast

Post-Sandy, New York City may be able to look to Russia for inspiration on how to defeat storm surges in the future. Rob Sachs interviews Malcolm J. Bowman, from the Stony Brook Storm Surge Research Group.

Bowman calls for a bolder, regional approach to creating a barrier against future storms instead of the current New York situation where barriers are localized around power stations or subway tunnels. The Saint Petersburg dam, started in the 70s, was such a huge project that construction only ended last year.

What can New York learn from Saint Petersburg? Says Bowman, "I've studied storm surge protection systems around Europe for some time — including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Russia — and I have been impressed with the sophisticated system that has been built around the city of Saint Petersburg, which has chronically been flooded by storm surges over the centuries."

The newly-completed dam is an elevated highway that surrounds this low-lying Russian city that's built on the delta of Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. And, in addition, Bowman says this highway extends into the ocean, allowing cars and trucks to travel along the top.

"There are large gates that are normally open to allow the ships in and out. But, if a storm surge is coming down the Baltic Sea, they shut these gates for a few hours, hold back sea surge and the city is protected."

As Bowman reinforces in this extended conversation, "We can learn from the technology of the Europeans what would be best for New York City."

"There will come a storm, like we saw with Sandy, that will overwhelm all our 'local fixes,' so I feel the time has come when New York City has to look a bolder, more regional approach. And, I point to Saint Petersburg, because I think that's a very good model."

For more details on Bowman's discussion, check out the full interview (mp3).