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Hurricane Sandy Transportation Impacts and Lessons

This is the second in a series of blog postings on lessons learned.

This is the second in a series of blog postings from a post Hurricane Sandy symposium (my term for it) that I attended in New Jersey on Tuesday.  Great information in the notes below.  Transportation was the focus.  What will you do differently where you are because you read these remarks?

 

Transportation Resilience:  Lessons Learned from the Regional Frontlines

 

  • James Weinstein, Executive Director, New Jersey Transit
    • Real damage was inflicted on their railroads.
    • The bus system dodged a bullet
    • They had a great plan for shutting down the railroad.  600 at grade crossing gates that had equipment that needed to be protected. 
    • Your equipment needs to be protected and positioned in the right place in order for it to be useful – post disaster
    • It is easy to have a plan, but it is only a starting place.
    • Thomas Prendergast, Chairman and CEO, MTA
      • You need very detailed plans.
      • Protecting equipment is more than protecting rolling stock
      • Irene helped as a dry run for Sandy
      • Admiral Daniel Able, Commander First Coast Guard District
        • 1,400 vessel movements in NY harbor a day
        • Slowly returned system to operation
        • The channel needs to be clear.  36 hours
        • The marine transportation recovery unit needs to prioritize which ship comes in first.  It is not based on who has been waiting the longest
 

What was the key information you needed?

 

  • Jim Weinstein
    • What is the status and projection for the storm surge?
    • They didn’t fully appreciate what the size of the surge might be.
    • Lots of information available, but it doesn’t always mesh.  Two different NWS offices that had different projections.  Everyone was surprised by the size of the event.
    • Tom Prednergast
      • Irene was a wind event
      • Sandy was a water event
      • The sea rise over the last one hundred years has already made a big difference.
      • You need to protect your infrastructure for about two hours from the impacts of a storm
      • There are 540 places where water can enter the system
      • The tunnel flooded in 25 minutes. 
      • Admiral Abel
        • Reopening the ports was critical
        • Fuel is a critical and a port issue
        • The media loves a victim and a villain
        • But, when the ships dock with fuel there needs to be a distribution system for the fuel.  There is no single petroleum spokesperson for the distribution system.  The Governor was trying to hold the Ports responsible for fuel distribution—which is not their infrastructure.
        • Refining capacity is also hugely important
 

What about the Federal Support.  What was good or not so good?

 

  • Admiral Abel
    • The Marines and CB’s were available to help.  They started with an amphibious landing at Sandy Hook
    • They cleared the channel
    • Helped get a gas station back into operation
    • Oil spills were also part of the issues being dealt with. 
    • XXX
      • Helping get the runways back open
      • Getting parts form other CTA operations
      • Patrick Foye
        • “Lead, follow, get the hell out of the way.”  The Feds did this pretty well.
        • In the infrastructure there was a great deal of resiliency.  People sharing resources.  You do learn from every incident.  Trying to spend $10B in recovery funding wisely.
        • Tomas Prendergast
          • Having the contacts established in advance are key.
          • Emergency contracts with ferry companies
          • Great support from Feds. 
          • The Congressional Delegation was very active and terrific.
One last note:  

 

  • You have to take care of your people.  The transit authority had people who did not go home for 20 days.