COLLOQUIUM: NOTE SPECIAL DATE - THURSDAY: Unique Vulnerability of the New York/New Jersey Metro Region to Hurricane Destruction - A New Perspective Based on Recent Research on Irene 2011 and Sandy 2012

In the last two years. the Northeast U.S. has been subjected to extreme damage from Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. While northern hurricanes are infrequent, their consequences are major. This is because of the region's unique topographic, oceanographic, geologic, and demographic factors. In addition, hurricanes become more dangerous as they increase their translational velocity and the diameter of their wind fields when  they move into the Northeast. As a result, they do not only affect the coast but cause inland destruction as far North as Canada.

This talk describes the various types of destruction that result from hurricane landfalls in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area. The specific damage wrought by Hurricanes Irene and Sandy is then discussed. The talk concludes with a discussion of future weather trends and the actions we need to take to mitigate hurricane damage, at a time of rising sea levels and climate change, in the most populated and developed coastal region in America.