Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Are US coastal cities making large investments to prepare for worsening storms?

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

By Esther Honig

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YES

Many coastal cities in the U.S., from Charleston to Houston, are in the early phases of massive (and expensive) infrastructure projects to protect them from future storm surges.

In 2019, New York City released plans for a $10 billion project to protect lower Manhattan from flooding by building up new land. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has pledged $30 million a year to defend the city from rising seas. After the 2005 hurricane season, New Orleans worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a $14.45 billion storm protection system, of which $1.5 billion was locally funded. The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a $4.6 billion plan to help Miami, the "most vulnerable coastal city worldwide."

Large flood-prevention investments are typically paid for with both state and federal dollars. In fact, many federal programs require states that pay for a percentage of the project.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

New York City: Lower Manhattan coastal resiliency project

New York Magazine: Bill de Blasio—My new plan to climate-proof Lower Manhattan

Washington Post: Boston harbor brings ashore a new enemy—Rising seas

Army Corps of Engineers: Greater New Orleans hurricane and storm damage risk reduction system

Army Corps of Engineers: Miami-Dade Back Bay coastal storm risk management feasibility study

NPR: A $4.6 billion plan to storm-proof Miami

Scientific American: Miami is the “most vulnerable” coastal city worldwide

Pew: State spending on natural disasters

Yale: Who will pay for the huge costs of holding back rising seas?

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.