UTRC Press Release
Friday, January 31, 2014
Contact: Nadia Aslam
Assistant Director for Technology Transfer
University Transportation Research Center - Region 2
Tel: 212-650-8051
Email: nadia@utrc2.org
The University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) Publishes the Final Report: "Lessons from Hurricane Sandy for Port Resilience"
UTRC has released a final report for the research titled: "Lessons from Hurricane Sandy for Port Resilience", funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration/USDOT (RITA). The principal investigator was Dr. Thomas H. Wakeman III, the Deputy Director of the Center for Maritime Systems and research professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
New York Harbor was directly in the path of the most damaging part of Hurricane Sandy causing significant impact on many of the facilities of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The U.S. Coast Guard closed the entire Port to all traffic before the storm hit on October 28th. It was not fully reopened to vessel traffic until November 4th. Then, even though the waterways were open, numerous port terminals and maritime facilities did not resume their operations for several more weeks because of power failures and damages to the facilities and equipment. This study was conducted to identify lessons learned that could assist in restoring the Port and its contributions to the supply chain to service more rapidly in the future. The study used interviews of key port stakeholders to gather information, to understand events, and to identify the circumstances that led to the Port’s storm-related impacts and operational recovery. The project reviewed the existing design codes for infrastructure and attempted to identify how building codes could be improved. It also examined the activities and processes that enhanced port resiliency.
The full report is available for a free download at the UTRC website: http://www.utrc2.org/publications/hurricane-sandy-port-resilience
About the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC)
The University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) is a USDOT Regional Transportation Center addressing surface transportation operations, management, design economics and planning. The Region 2 University Transportation Research Center is one of ten original National Centers, established in 1987, in recognition that transportation plays a key role in the nation’s economy and in the quality of people’s lives. Located at the City University of New York, the Center is a Consortium of 17 major Academic Institutions in New York, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico. Through the Grant supporting the Center, the mission incorporates research, education and the transfer of technology in the field of transportation. Academically based, the work of Faculty and Students – graduate and undergraduate provide a critical link in resolving our national and regional transportation problems while training the future and current professionals who address our transportation system and their customers on a daily basis. For more information, visit www.utrc2.org.