This Vulnerable Community Feels Left Behind as New York City Builds Seawalls

"Baba Ndanani has lived in one of New York City's most flood-prone neighborhoods for more than 20 years, and he knows the risks all too well. His two-story home in the coastal community of Edgemere sits directly beside Jamaica Bay. During high tides, he often watches with concern as the bay creeps into his backyard and climbs the steps to his back porch."

"In 2012, during Superstorm Sandy, over 5 feet of water rushed into Ndanani's house. He had to swim across the street to higher ground, riding out the rest of the storm in a disabled car surrounded by water. "I was praying," Ndanani told Floodlight. "I just wanted to get out, and that was it." After the storm, he returned to his decimated home and spent two weeks sleeping atop an overturned refrigerator."

"Despite his harrowing experience and a city-run voluntary buyout program designed to relocate residents of Edgemere, he says he has no intention of leaving his coastal home. "Even with everything that happened, I love the scenery, I love the environment," he said. Instead, Ndanani is among the many Edgemere residents still holding out hope the city will deliver on its decade-old promise to protect the neighborhood from flooding. "In the other neighborhood(s) they've done that, so why is Edgemere different?""

Edgemere is a coastal, flood-prone community where residents regularly experience tidal flooding and storm surge. Ten years after Superstorm Sandy inundated homes, visible remnants such as debris and a scuttled boat remain beside houses. A city pledge to raise the bayside shoreline has not moved forward, leaving promised protections unbuilt. Many residents endured extreme damage and displacement during Sandy but remain in place, rejecting voluntary buyouts. Resident Baba Ndanani reported swimming to higher ground during the storm and later sleeping atop an overturned refrigerator; he nonetheless refuses relocation because he loves the scenery and the environment, and residents continue to hope for the delayed shoreline project.

Read at Truthout