Port infrastructure must be strengthened against hurricanes, says ULI

The Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) noted in a recent report that despite the extraordinary devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, it was not particularly severe as storms go. 

Sandy left numerous unanswered questions concerning the best ways to build resilience into the nation’s seaports and our coastal regions.

“Among the many controversies raised by Hurricane Sandy, one incontrovertible fact is that sea levels are rising and that higher sea levels increase the risk of damage from storms,” said ULI senior resident fellow John McIlwain.  “But there is also much that has already been studied, is well known, is practical and can be implemented now without the need for new studies. He added that these recommendations should be enacted and to become part of zoning and building codes and the process of approving new development and infrastructure. If they are not, he warned, the memory of Sandy will fade, “just as did the memory of the damage caused by Hurricane Irene only a year ago.”