Here's what Boston's doing to prevent flooding if disaster strikes
Flood barriers were put up and stowed away in Boston Friday, though they're only considered a short-term solution for the impacts of the changing climate
With Hurricane Helene causing damages and death in the Southeast, Boston is testing out removal flood barriers to help protect the city from future weather events.
The City of Boston on Friday tested out removable flood barriers in case of emergency — the same barriers that had just helped keep storm surge from swamping a hospital in Tampa amid the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Friday was Boston's first Deployables Day, a training and demonstration event where, under sunny skies, buildings and city workers practiced putting up the temporary flood barriers.
"Extreme weather events like hurricanes and flooding are becoming more intense and more frequent. The City’s priority is to ensure that our residents, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure are safe today and in the future. Deployables Day is one more step in building the resilient Boston we need," Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement.
Superstorm Sandy left much of New York underwater. It's difficult to imagine what would happen if such a storm hit Boston, but NOAH is helping communities visualize the flood risk.
The flood barriers that were put up and stowed away in Boston Friday — the event was scheduled weeks ago, for National Emergency Preparedness Month — are only considered a short-term solution, with the long-term goal being to adapt aging infrastructure to withstand more frequent and stronger threats associated with the changing climate.
"We are in the process of figuring out the steps to get you to be a more resilient community," Wu said at an event.
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People wait in line for gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Fletcher, North Carolina.
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Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.
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A search and rescue team out of Atlantic Beach, N.C. examines a van swept into the river in Swannanoa, N.C. by flooding from Helene.
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David Hester inspects damages of his house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024.
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Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.
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An aerial picture taken on September 28, 2024, shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Valdosta, Georgia.
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This aerial picture taken on September 27, 2024 shows a flooded street after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Steinhatchee, Florida.
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A van is partially submerged in the Swannanoa River in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.
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Boats sit after being pushed ashore by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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A rooftop of a Sunoco gas station destoyed by Hurricane Helene after making landfall is seen in Perry, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
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Candace Redwine surveys the damage after about 3 feet of water inundated her Spiceman Kitchen store when Hurricane Helene passed offshore on September 27, 2024 in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
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Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves’s mother’s house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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Floodwaters at Steinhatchee Rivergate in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida.
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Debris left by Hurricane Helene after making landfall are seen in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
An American flag sits in floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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People toss buckets of water out of a home as the streets and homes are flooded near Peachtree Creek after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers operate an airboat on a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Steinhatchee, Florida.
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Debris are left inside a flooded store after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
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A house destroyed by Hurricane Helene after making landfall is seen in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
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An apartment at Peachtree Park Apartments can be seen flooded after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains overnight on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Marlon Ng, center, evacuated his family to a shelter at Leon High School in Tallahassee, FL, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, in preparation for a fast-approaching Hurricane Helene.
More on how Hurricane Helene is being felt in Boston
