Bayonne Meeting Held On Flooding, Climate Issues By Resilient Northeastern NJ

Bayonne: Meeting Held on Flooding and Climate Issues

Editor’s note: Staten Islander has previously covered issues related to climate change, particularly as it affects New York City, and some of the techniques that the NYC DEP is undertaking in order to mitigate, reduce, and recover from some of the effects of flooding related to climate change.  Staten Islanders were also recently invited to join the Community Climate Corps.  The Heritage Foundation also discussed the surprising adaptability of ecosystems to climate change. 

Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that representatives of Resilient Northeastern NJ did a presentation on flooding and climate issues recently at the Bayonne Public Library. Resilient Northeastern NJ brings together the cities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark, along with the Ironbound Community Corporation of Newark. Megan Bushlow and Nickie Mitch of the Arcadis engineering consulting firm were the presenters.

Ms. Bushlow and Mr. Mitch emphasized that climate change is already here. More extreme weather is expected in the years to come, they said. The speakers explained that sea levels are expected to rise by nearly three feet by the year 2100.

They said that Bayonne can expect more flooding as a result of climate change.

In addition to discussing flooding, the speakers said that extreme heat is another hazard that area residents can expect in the coming years.

Mr. Mitch and Ms. Bushlow suggested that every household should be ready for potential future emergencies by planning evacuation routes and preparing “go bags” in case there is a need to leave home quickly. They recommended cleaning out the areas around street drains, in order to allow water to flow down properly both before and during floods.

In discussions with the audience, the presenters asked people to recognize that the various parts of Bayonne have different flood risks. For example, they said that low-lying areas such as Avenue E have higher flood risks than hilly neighborhoods. They explained that several ideas are under discussion for reducing flood risks. These include constructing large holding tanks for capturing water in low-lying areas during floods. Water could be held in these tanks until flood waters have subsided. The goal would be to cut down on the amount of water that would join the floods.

Ms. Bushlow and Mr. Mitch pointed out that Fitzpatrick Park in Bayonne stands over new water holding tanks that reduce flooding possibilities in midtown Bayonne. (Fitzpatrick Park is located on Avenue C between 26th and 27th Streets.) They reminded residents that the City of Bayonne is working on a long-term control plan that aims to strengthen the community’s defenses against flooding. Bayonne is pursuing federal funding that could help in this regard. The speakers said that local governments in this area are considering such defenses as floodgates, barriers, bulkheads, natural channels, and stream restoration.

For more information, please visit Resilient Northeastern NJ at www.resilient.nj.gov/nenj.

Banner Image: Flooding. Image Credit – Mika Baumeister

City of Bayonne

Bayonne is a community that retains many of the elements of a small town. One and two family homes, small apartment buildings, and small business predominate. There is a population of 62,000 people who take pride in their hometown and its history. Bayonne residents and their ancestors moved to the city from many parts of the world. During colonial times and the first century of the American Republic, the Dutch, British, and Africans were the first groups to arrive after the Native Americans. Subsequent waves of immigrants came from all over Europe, especially between the 1880s and the 1920s. In recent decades, sources of immigration have largely been represented from countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeastern Asia. Each group has left its mark on the cultural, religious and political life of the community.