Inquirer Editorial: The next superstorm

New Jersey responded ably to the emergency of Superstorm Sandy a year ago today. Lives were saved, injuries prevented, and victims sheltered. And the Jersey Shore went on to have a far better summer than the wreckage of last October foretold.

But the state and federal governments haven't done as well in preparing for the next storm or providing clarity for property owners. Too many still don't know whether they should stay or go, whether they will ever get enough money from the government and insurers to rebuild, or whether they should elevate their homes or leave them on the ground. They deserve answers.

The state must update building codes to anticipate future storms. Shore structures are exposed to constant abuse from wind and water, and they should be built to take it.

Last month's fire in Seaside Park, which damaged the boardwalk and about 60 businesses, revealed the high cost of low standards. The fire started in electrical wiring under the boardwalk that was drenched with seawater during Sandy but, inexplicably, was not replaced. The Asbury Park Press recently reported that power had been restored to a store near the fire's origin even though its electrical equipment had failed an inspection.

This sloppy, business-as-usual approach is untenable considering the risks it poses to lives, property, and a $38 billion tourism economy.

Resilient construction isn't cheap. Just protecting PSE&G's electrical substations from future flooding could cost $1.7 billion. And PSE&G is only one of several power companies whose customers faced blackouts last year. But rebuilding smartly will ultimately cost much less than rebuilding unwisely over and over again.

New Jersey has to work on long-term measures to prevent flooding, too. While the Christie administration has pushed for more dune construction, dunes aren't enough to protect the state from rising sea levels. Environmentalists have rightly criticized officials for falling short on restoring wetlands, which serve as natural sponges that soak up storm surges.

Part of the problem is that too many buildings and parking lots stand in the way of wetland restoration, and government buyouts are underfunded. Gov. Christie and the Legislature must replenish the state's open-space acquisition funds and commit to buying property along the coast, which will get people out of harm's way and create storm buffers.

Raising bulkheads on the bay sides of barrier islands should also be considered. Those low-lying areas experience severe flooding during storms.

A solid strategy for reducing climate-changing emissions would also help address rising sea levels. But Christie doesn't have such a strategy. Instead, he has diverted clean-energy funds to fill budget holes, reduced clean-energy goals, and pulled the state out of a program to mitigate greenhouse gases. He should restore the state's climate-change office and develop a plan to deal with the issue.

To withstand future storms, New Jersey must recover from the last one with an eye on the next one.