After Sandy, feds mull plan for artificial islands

Federal officials looking to better protect New York and New Jersey from storms like Superstorm Sandy are examining a plan to create a string of islands off the coast.

The proposal by New Jersey’s Stevens Institute of Technology and two architectural firms would pump sand onto hard bases to form a chain of islands designed to blunt the force of storm surges like the ones that caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage in 2012.

The “Blue Dunes” proposal would cost $10 billion to $12 billion. The islands would reach from central Long Island to the southern tip of Long Beach Island.

It’s part of the Rebuild By Design competition by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to look for bold new ideas in storm protection.