Oakwood Beach Flood Attenuation Feasibility Study and Design
Nature-Based Resilience in Action
- Location
- Staten Island, NY
- Owners/Clients
- New York State Office of General Services; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- Cost
- $612,000
- Completed
- 2014
- Region
- Northeast
During Superstorm Sandy, the Oakwood Beach community on the southeastern shore of Staten Island, New York, was inundated with 20-foot high waves. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo used the federal housing fund to buy out approximately 300 homes that were affected.
Through a partnership between the state of New York, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New York City, and the Nature Conservancy, a design was developed for Oakwood Beach to become 190 acres of marsh, dunes, wetlands, maritime forest, and recreational space—restoring its natural beauty and reducing flood risk from rainfall-induced flooding and coastal storm surges for more than 1,800 homes.
190
acres designed for resilience