Secret 'weapon' protects US naval bases from storms

After suffering $50 million in damage during Superstorm Sandy, Naval Weapons Station Earle, which houses some of the most complex weapons for U.S. warships, has come up with a simple way to protect itself from major storms.

The base has allowed an environmental group to grow a nearly 2km-long oyster reef 400m from the shore to create a natural buffer against large waves that appear during storms, the AP news agency reported.

Oysters are grown to act as natural buffers to protect US naval bases. (Photo: AP)

The USS Laffey Museum in South Carolina and other military bases in Florida, Virginia, Alabama and North Carolina are also taking this approach. "Having a solid structure like an oyster reef will help reduce the impact of the waves," said Naval Weapons Station Earle spokesman Bill Addison.

The cost of cultivating oyster reefs is much cheaper than building steel sea walls or wooden fences to block waves. (Photo: AP)

In addition, oysters also help clean water and the cost of cultivating oyster reefs is much lower than building steel sea walls or wooden fences to block waves.

A bill to provide coastal communities with $100 million over the next five years to create “living shorelines,” including oyster reefs, has been introduced into the US Congress.

According to VNN