Earlier today, storm surge from the Hudson River found it’s way into low-lying areas of manhattan. The city administration had circulated maps showing areas of New York that are most at-risk of flooding. 

These evacuation areas bear a striking resemblance to the Viele map,  a “Sanitary and Topographical Atlas of the City and Island of New York,” first published in 1865, which outlines the natural coastline of Manhattan before it was expanded by landfill techniques. According to the map, the Hudson River was trying to reclaim an area that once belonged to it.

In addition, the map shows natural marshes and streams superimposed beneath the existing street grid: a pond under the New York Supreme Court and streams running through the marshes under Tompkins Square Park.

A New York Times article states that “despite its age, the map will most likely never be outdated or improved upon”, and is still actively used by civil engineers, architects and developers to troubleshoot foundations. Tracing streams now wouldn’t be possible after a few hundred years of intense development.