Task Force Says Coasts Should Prepare For Rising Seas

NEW YORK (AP) — A presidential task force charged with developing a strategy for rebuilding areas damaged by Superstorm Sandy is recommending 69 policy initiatives it says will help coastal communities prepare for future storms in an age of rising sea levels.

The report released today by the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force calls for a wide array of changes, including the development of a more technologically advanced electrical grid less likely to be crippled in a crisis.

It also cites the creation of better planning tools and flood standards for communities rebuilding storm-damaged areas.

The task force's chairman, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, said the group focused on finding ways to cut red tape and create strategies for communities preparing for climate change.