USA: Some cities find small steps key to storm protection

Reuters reports that in the aftermath of the historic floods caused by Superstorm Sandy, some city leaders have begun to argue for the construction of sea walls capable of shielding the U.S. coastline from ever more intense storms. Many however, according to the report, are looking to alternatives.

One Maine (USA) city official who had had the experience of rebuilding roads later destroyed by nor'easter storms commented: "We said, 'We're spending good money after bad. This time we're going to stop.'"

The report highlights that despite the devastation that Katrina brought to New Orleans in 2005 and now Sandy has brought to coastal communities in New York and New Jersey, few cities have even finished planning for climate change, a recent study by JoAnn Carmin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found.