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Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 6:00 PM UTC

AP IMPACT: Will NYC act to block future surges?

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AP IMPACT: Will NYC act to block future surges?FILE - In this Saturday, March 10, 2007 file photo, Daren J. Eller watches as pumps put in place by the Army Corps of Engineers extract water from New Orleans' 17th Street Canal into Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. One of the levees along the canal failed during Hurricane Katrina, contributing heavily to the flooding of the city. The pumps and floodgate are designed to control the water level in the drainage canals during a storm event. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File)(Credit: AP)

If you think Sandy was just a 100-year storm, imagine one just as bad — or worse — every three years.

New Yorkers are going to face tough decisions in the coming years to keep powerful storm surges out of Manhattan and other boroughs.

The Associated Press interviewed prominent thinkers and builders who said now is the time to think big to shield the city’s core.

Some examples include:

— A 5-mile barrier blocking the entryway to New York Harbor.

— An archipelago of man-made islets guarding the tip of Manhattan.

— And, a 1,700-foot barrier at the mouth of the Arthur Kill waterway between the borough of Staten Island and New Jersey.

The chief question is whether sufficient political will exists to get any of the gigantic projects built.

More Jeff Donn.

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