Ten Projects to Improve Hazard Warnings for New Jersey, New York and Connecticut Residents

Press Release Contacts:

• Barbara A. Branca, New York Sea Grant, Communications Manager, E: barbara.branca@stonybrook.edu, P: 631-632-6956
  
  
• Paul C. Focazio, New York Sea Grant, Web Content Manager, E: paul.focazio@stonybrook.edu, P: 631-632-6910
  
  
• Margaret (Peg) Van Patten, Communications Director, Connecticut Sea Grant, E: peg.vanpatten@uconn.edu, P: 860-405-9141

NOTE: For a full list of the 10 projects funded under this program, click here.


Post-Sandy rebuilding efforts—work done on a board walk and dune in the Rockaways. Photo: Jay Tanski, New York Sea Grant

SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2014 – Connecticut Sea Grant, New Jersey Sea Grant, and New York Sea Grant have awarded funds totaling $1.4 million to support ten social science research projects to improve community understanding and response to coastal storm hazard information as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant "Coastal Storm Awareness Program" (CSAP).

Despite the unparalleled accuracy of the forecast for Post Tropical Cyclone Sandy, too many coastal residents either failed to fully understand the severity of the storm and the dangerous conditions it would produce, or chose not to evacuate in spite of the serious risks of staying in their homes. The awarded projects will study community response to disasters by closely examining the coastal storm warning systems, the information conveyed (what to expect, when to expect it, and what do) and the factors that affect whether recipients of this information decide to act on it. The results of this research will improve the communication of coastal hazards to both the general community and to community leaders.

“This work should lead to an improved response from coastal residents in the face of impending storms. A better understanding of the true implications of extreme weather threats like Sandy is a step forward in building a Weather-Ready Nation," said Peyton Robertson, NOAA's Chair of the Sandy Assessment Team. Robertson's full discussion on Federal News Radio during the time of CSAP's initial funding announcement in October 2013 can be streamed via NYSG's news item, "On Air: NOAA Announces Sea Grant's Coastal Storm Awareness Program."

This national competition drew on the decades of experience within NOAA and Sea Grant as well as the well-earned reputation for credibility and trust of the Sea Grant outreach communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. By combining Sea Grant’s established relationship within local communities with current social science research, this effort will be able to maximize awareness and understanding of the true severity of coastal hazards - even amongst hard to reach, isolated groups within communities.

Sea Grant’s CSAP is a part of the Disaster Relief Appropriations of 2013 (DRA), commonly referred to as the Sandy Supplemental.  DRA provided supplemental appropriations to the NOAA to improve and streamline disaster assistance associated with Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy, and for other purposes.  In addition to recovering and rebuilding infrastructure from the devastation of Sandy, NOAA will conduct a coordinated program of activities to improve NOAA information and services for decision makers, communities, and the public in preparation for, response to, and recovery from other high-impact events. The results of these efforts will contribute to NOAA’s vision of resilient ecosystems, communities, and economies.


Post-Sandy rebuilding efforts—Home being elevated in the Rockaways. Photo: Jay Tanski, New York Sea Grant

More Info:

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, and Currents, its e-newsletter supplement, each distributed several times a year.