On Monday, a dike gave way, the coal ash that had been turned into sludge in the pond flooded the neighboring areas.

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Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said workers were inspecting flood damage at La Guardia, including the possibility that a barge may have hit a dike protecting the low-lying runways from the bay.

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Maybe so, but what happened next shows why these busts are akin to a finger in the dike.

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Essentially the Marines and the Army are a finger in the dike that was shaky to begin with.

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On the other are vegetable fields, several meters below the water level, and atop the dike sit a few shacks made of bamboo and plastic.

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And so, let's look at how the concern became a frenzied and concerted effort to keep the holes plugged in the dike.

CNN