Engineering Normality

From the November 10th 2012 issue of The Economist - - What Sandy did next - -

"Disastrous storms may well become the norm.  One firm predicts that catastrophe losses  will double every decade because of growing population density on the coasts.  It is projected that, by 2020, 39% of Americans will live in shoreline counties.  In New Jersey alone, 235,000 people live less than five feet about the high-water mark.  Rebuilding will have to take this into account.  Some question the sense of rebuilding in flood zones; yet tourist spots like the Jersey Shore, with its 217 miles of while Atlantic beaches, are an economic engine for the state, generating $38 billion last year.  Tourism-related jobs count for nearly 20% of all jobs in New Jersey."