Sustainable Infrastructure

 

Sustainable Infrastructure in Ocracoke & Finland 

 

The working group members: Eini-Kaisa, Emilia, Elsie, Mariah and Caroline 

Introduction 

 Infrastructure is the system of public works of a country, state, or region. In our project we are mainly focusing on the difference between the houses and roads in Ocracoke, and the houses and roads in Finland, and how we both work to fix any problems introduced from environmental changes or natural disasters.  

Infrastructure Now  

Ocracoke Homes & Buildings 

 Infrastructure in Ocracoke has to consider hurricane flooding. Houses are often raised in anticipation of high flooding. After Hurricane Dorian, houses that previously were built only a few feet off the ground were raised in preparation for future storms. According to FEMA, it is estimated that around 400 buildings were damaged, with 200 of those buildings deemed uninhabitable. Houses built in recent years are mostly built raised off the ground, whereas more and more older houses are having to be raised as the flood level of hurricanes gets higher with climate change. 

 

Above pictures are houses built up to prevent flooding damage, photo on far right is house built in 2023 

 If you look at the older houses in Ocracoke, you will see that many are still very low to the ground. Here are some examples: 

 

Above are two older houses that have not been raised. Photo on the right is the house on the lawn of the lighthouse, one of the oldest buildings 

 

Above is a photo of the church post-Dorian 

Finnish Homes & Buildings 

 In Finland, houses have to be able to withstand extreme freezing temperatures and blizzards. Because of this, houses often have gable roofs and rails to prevent snow from getting in. The roofs are often triangle-shaped so the heavy snow falls down and doesn’t cause damage to the building. In Finland, houses have to be insulated more than the houses here, because of the cold. Air conditioning in Finland is more of a privilege, and not every house uses it. It’s becoming more and more common in recently built houses as climate change makes for hotter summers. 

 

Pictures above are of older Finnish houses 

 

Pictures above are from newer apartments in Finland Mold growth is a problem in many Finnish buildings because of poor insulation in old buildings. Many school buildings face this problem, causing kids to have to switch schools. 

 

Our 100-year-old school in Hämeenlinna. 

 

Newer Ocracoke School on left compared to the older on the right  

Streets and Transportation  

When it rains on Ocracoke, the streets will flood and make large puddles that last for days at a time because we are at sea-level and the water has nowhere to go. 

 

The picture above is an example of puddles on the road in Ocracoke, from rising tides 

Ocracoke does not have much space for designated bike paths in the village. Bikes mostly have to ride on the streets. Finland has wide lanes to serve as bike paths 

 

On the left is a picture of a typical street in Finland, far left there is the sidewalk, next to it is a bike line and then the road. The right picture is Ocracoke, as you can see there is no bike path there. 

Future Implications  

The rise of sea level will likely make Ocracoke uninhabitable in the years to come. To actually prevent this, it would take a lot of work. We would need to plant more trees, and around the globe people would need to work harder to reduce their carbon footprint. Ocracoke is just one of many examples of places being destroyed due to climate change. As for Finland, the temperature is rising consistently. Glaciers are melting, and the rivers could be more susceptible to flooding. Winters in Finland will be cloudier and summers will be hotter. Despite this, Finland has worked hard to prevent their CO2 emissions by putting laws in place and increasing train use. They are one of the leading countries in preventing climate change. 

 

Above pictures show examples of floods and sea levels rising 

 

Heat index of Finland 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, both places have tried their best to adapt to natural disasters worsening because of climate change. Ocracoke has passed a grant to help the waterways underground. With this project ongoing, in the future Ocracoke inhabitants will hopefully see lower water levels. Finland has implemented The New Climate act in July of 2021. This act was put in place to help lower the greenhouse gas emissions. In the nearing future, Finland and Ocracoke will continue to work to fix the devastating impact of environmental changes on our infrastructure.