Why New York and other cities still aren’t prepared for floods

A biker and several pedestrians wade through a flooded street. — *A general view of a flooded street in Williamsburg, New York, United States on September 29th, 2023.* | Photo by Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

New York City came to a grinding halt Friday as floods shut down roads and subways and inundated schools in one of the biggest storm-related emergencies since the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit in 2021.

It isn’t a problem that’s unique to New York. Flood risk is rising across the US with worsening weather disasters and growing strain on outdated infrastructure.

What should a flood-proof city look like? The Verge asked Samuel Brody, Director of the Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas and a professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Are cities uniquely vulnerable to flooding?…