NCEM Workshop Keynote Speaker

Abstract

Keynote speaker Linda Sturgis described the impact that Hurricane Sandy had on the coast of New

York and Northern New Jersey, an area in which she was responsible for safety, transportation and

navigation. The effects are still being felt. The statue of Liberty is not open yet, not because the

monument was damaged, but due to damage to the docking facilities on the Island. Ellis Island was

heavily damaged including many archives stored there. The weather buoys measured water height

at 9 feet and 10 feet and then suddenly off the scale. Some people said there was 42 foot wave and

they are probably right, but it was not measured. What affected people most, Sturgis said, was shipping, especially petro-chemical products because the anchorages in New York serve a large region

and have the second largest refinery in the country, operating since 1905. The entire system was

disrupted, including areas currently being dredged to accommodate larger ships. Widespread power

outages effected millions of people. In lower Manhattan, many of the neighborhoods in which first

responders live were hit hard. Many transportation routes were disabled for days.