This paragraph really paints AC in the light it deserves. I, more-or-less, am forced to be there every couple months and the place is a complete shit hole. The casinos aren't doing well, it's...
A resolution to turn Atlantic City into a hub for climate science and conventions was passed through the Atlantic City Council, the county freeholders association, and the state legislature, but it’s unclear how committed lawmakers are to specifics just yet. The city was still under state control and about $450 million in debt as of June 2018. The first climate conference took place the weekend of January 25th at the Claridge Hotel, and Dichter has been speaking with David Green about the way things might progress, but it’s been slow going so far. Atlantic City is, for lack of a better term, behaving like Atlantic City. In December, the mayor, Frank Gilliam, was arrested after getting into a fight outside of a casino. (Asked by a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer if he was still mayor, Gilliam replied, “Today.”) A few weeks later he was being investigated by the FBI.
This paragraph really paints AC in the light it deserves. I, more-or-less, am forced to be there every couple months and the place is a complete shit hole. The casinos aren't doing well, it's completely deserted during the off season, and it's probably one of the dirtiest tourist beach towns I've ever been in. I honestly can not believe it's lasted this long and now I can not understand where the hesitation is to use the place as a city-wide research center. The casinos were the only reason that town is note-worthy and they are debt machines at this point. If (and when) something were to happen, I hope everyone makes it out okay, but if there were ever a town that were to be lost to the sea, it's this one. I remember being in Toms River (about an hours drive from AC) right after hurricane sandy and the town was an absolute mess. Million dollar properties were leveled, people were misplaced and living in hotels, completely flooded out areas. It's very clear these communities have no real plans for mass devastation, it's just going to get worse. It sucks that stuff like this has to happen before people wake up and consider not-so-long-term-anymore events.
great time to be living in atlantic city, i suppose. don't count on emissions reductions to save you, because they probably won't:
great time to be living in atlantic city, i suppose. don't count on emissions reductions to save you, because they probably won't:
Last June, NOAA released a report on high-tide flooding in the United States over the course of 2017. Atlantic City and Boston were tied for second place with 22 days of flooding from high tide alone. The only metro area more affected, with 23 days of flooding, was Sabine Pass, which sits on the Gulf Coast, where Texas meets Louisiana.
Last spring, Climate Central published a report on the injustice inherent to Atlantic City’s floods, focusing on a single block called Arizona Avenue. The casinos are protected by large dunes and the Army Corps recently finished building a sea wall with recovery funds from Sandy. Along the back bay though, residents largely rely on aging, undersized bulkheads, and where there are vacant lots there’s often no barrier at all. Things have not improved much over the past year.
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‘Nuisance flooding’ is the technical term for this, but it doesn’t feel adequate. It only takes six inches of fast moving water to topple a grown man. Two feet can sweep a car out to sea. As the water rises so will structural damage. Black mold will spread, kids and the elderly will get sick, and the already debt-ridden National Flood Insurance will edge further toward collapse. “You gotta be up the whole night just to push the water out,” said Neto Alavez.
Things could get bad here very fast, and all of the revival plans are short-term fixes. We’ve already locked in a certain amount of sea level rise at this point, so for Atlantic City it’s a question of when, not if. According to Climate Central’s risk map, even if we cut carbon emissions to zero yesterday the city would still flood by 2100. It’s likely to happen much sooner, but in that scenario at least, the Borgata is one of the last places above the waterline. Mendoza has been parking his car in the right place.
This paragraph really paints AC in the light it deserves. I, more-or-less, am forced to be there every couple months and the place is a complete shit hole. The casinos aren't doing well, it's completely deserted during the off season, and it's probably one of the dirtiest tourist beach towns I've ever been in. I honestly can not believe it's lasted this long and now I can not understand where the hesitation is to use the place as a city-wide research center. The casinos were the only reason that town is note-worthy and they are debt machines at this point. If (and when) something were to happen, I hope everyone makes it out okay, but if there were ever a town that were to be lost to the sea, it's this one. I remember being in Toms River (about an hours drive from AC) right after hurricane sandy and the town was an absolute mess. Million dollar properties were leveled, people were misplaced and living in hotels, completely flooded out areas. It's very clear these communities have no real plans for mass devastation, it's just going to get worse. It sucks that stuff like this has to happen before people wake up and consider not-so-long-term-anymore events.
great time to be living in atlantic city, i suppose. don't count on emissions reductions to save you, because they probably won't: