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a “storm tide” of over 14 feet above Mean
Lower Low Water at the Battery, shattering the
previous record of 10 feet, set when Hurricane
Donna arrived in New York in 1960. (See chart:
High Water Events at Lower Manhattan)
However, as Sandy arrived, its winds shifted,
instead moving in a generally northwesterly
direction. It was this shift that helped push the
storm’s massive surge—and its large, battering
waves—directly at the south-facing1,2
parts of
the city.
waters and gets its energy from those warm
waters. Sandy gained wind speed as it curled
north. By October 24, it was a hurricane—
a storm with wind speeds of at least 74 miles
per hour
2 (mph)—with an eye visible on satellite
2,3
images. Sandy made landfall on Jamaica on
October
5 24 as a Category 1 hurricane then
intensified to a Category 3 hurricane before
hitting Cuba on October 25, according to 3the
National Hurricane Center.
UREx SRN Urban Resilience to Extremes: A Proposed Sustainability Research Network s timing. Its
9 coincided
he Atlantic
(high tide
Manhattan
ed there at
evels along
ne already
ides about
at low tide.
, it was not
tide, when
at the very
y up to half
high tide.
w York City
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospherics Administration/Department of Commerce
2
, D. ISandy
waniec
by the, Numbers
N. B. Grimm , C. L. Redman , M. V. Chester
4, T. R. Miller , and T. A. Muñoz-‐Erickson
6 Sandy made landfall three times: at Bull Bay, Jamaica, on October 24; at Santiago de
cPhearson
As a resultT. of allM
of these
factors, Sandy hit New
Cuba, Cuba, on October 25; and finally at Brigantine, New Jersey, on October 29
Finally, there was the unusual path Sandy took
to the city’s shores. Most hurricanes that
approach the Northeast glance the1coastline or York with punishing force.
2 Its surge and waves
curve east and head out to sea before they ever battered the city's coastline along the Atlantic
The storm’s wind speed
4
5
6 was 80 mph at landfall in New Jersey.
reach New York. But as Sandy came spinning Ocean and Lower New York Bay, striking with
north along the east coast of the United States, particular ferocity in neighborhoods across
While the storm moved across the Bahamas, it
Its wind field extended for 1,000 miles.
winds spiraling counterclockwise, the storm South Queens, Southern Brooklyn, and the East
weakened to a Category 1 hurricane—but
encountered weather systems that caused it to and South Shores of Staten Island, destroying
began to grow significantly in size. It continued
In the US, $50 billion in total damages have been attributed to the storm,
take a different course—one that would spell homes and other buildings and damaging
to grow as it traveled north of the islands. After
making it more costly than any other storm except Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and
disaster for parts of the city. A high-pressure critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the natural
passing the Bahamas, Sandy turned
northeast,
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
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system to the north blocked the storm’s topography of the city’s coastline channeled
beginning
its trek through the Atlantic Ocean,
UrbanizaVon and climate change are on a collision § 
A n
etwork o
f d
iverse c
iVes advance. At the same time, a low-pressure the storm surge that was arriving from
paralleling the eastern coast of the United
course and infrastructure is their ba[leﬁeld! “Safe to fail” – failure, but “Fail safe” – low likelihood, §  A network of experts in States. Its winds whirled counterclockwise,
Katrina Size and Wind Speed
with m
inimal c
onsequence a hurricane.
The ostorm’s
angle of approach
was also
raising water levels all the way from Florida it was technically no longer
High c
onsequence f f
ailure Working Groups Two-and-a-half hours before it highly had made
significant.
Because Sandy
came at the
to Maine.
43 deaths… 6,500 patients evacuated from hospitals and nursing homes…
• 
Flexible m
odiﬁed I
nfrastructure 500 Miles
Sandy Storm Path
Brief History of Sandy
landfall, the National Hurricane Center had coast of New York at a perpendicular angle,
Nearly 90,000 buildings in the inundation zone… 1.1§ million
York Citycchildren
A hNew
olisVc onceptual ASandy
framework •  MulVfuncVonal was no ordinary hurricane. It was a
Although
most
hurricanes on a northward track reclassified Sandy as a “post-tropical cyclone” its counterclockwise onshore winds drove
unable to attend school for a week… close to 2 million people without power…
meteorological
event of colossal
size and
impact. It was a convergence of a number of
§  Inclusive, parVcipatory 11 million travelers affected daily… $19 billion in damage…
along
the
USin coast
continue to hug the coast or because the storm had evolved in such a way the surge—and the surge's large, battering
weather systems
that came
together
a way
that was disastrous for the New York area.
By any measure, Sandy was an unprecedented Then there was the storm’s size. When Sandy system that was pushing eastward towards the
eventually curve east and out to sea before that it no longer possessed the technical waves—directly into the city’s coastline.
approaches Atlantic
coast
made
landfall,
its
tropical-storm-force
winds
event
for
New
York
City.
Never
in
its
recorded
energized
the
storm
and
reeled
Sandy,
however,
began innocently enough—far
Phoenix, AZ, 8 Sept 2014 history had the city experienced a storm of extended 1,000 miles from end to end, making it in. Steered between these two systems,
from New York
and
almost
three weeks
before York, Sandy encountered two
characteristics of a hurricane: It lacked strong
they
reach
New
this size. Never had a storm caused so much it more than three times the size of Hurricane Sandy made a westward turn—and headed
its arrival on the area’s shores. It was October
damage. Neverchad
a storm
so many
straight for land just as it was increasing in
(10-‐15 m in affected
<24 h) Katrina. Storm size—the area over which
11, late in the Atlantic hurricane season, when
§  A workﬂow, educaVon other weather systems that caused it to shift thunderstorm activity near its center; its energy After landfall, Sandy slowed and weakened
lives. As of the writing of this report, individuals, strong winds blow—correlates closely with intensity. At 7:30 p.m. on October 29, 2012,
a tropical wave formed off the west coast of
families, businesses, institutions, and, in some storm surge, the rise in water level caused by Sandy slammed into New Jersey head-on,
Africa. By October 22, the wave had evolved
14,000 did not come from warm ocean waters but while moving through southern New Jersey,
direction
and
ways, the city itself are still recovering from the storm’s low pressure and the force of its seven miles north of Atlantic City, with
into a weather
system in the Caribbean
calledabruptly intensify yet again.
program, a
nd e
valuaVon p
lan maximum
winds
of
80
miles
per
hour.
winds
pushing
against
the
water.
(See
graphic:
this
devastating
natural
disaster
and
will
Tropical Storm Sandy, the 18th named storm of
12,000 PHOENIX Sandy Size and Wind Speed; see graphic:
continue to do so for years.
northern Delaware, and southern Pennsylvania.
Oneseason.
was(Seeamap:high-pressure
system to the north from the jet stream; and it had lost its eye.
the
2012 hurricane
Sandy
10,000 The storm’s angle of approach put New York
Katrina Size and Wind Speed)
Storm Path)
that p
r
esults a
nd 8,000 City in the path
ofroduce the storm’s onshore winds,
As it turns out, it took an improbable set of
It finally lost its defined center while passing
that blocked Sandy’s northward advance.
factors coming together in exactly the worst Because Sandy was such a massive storm, it the worst possible place to be. The winds
A tropical storm is a cyclone—a system of
6,000 way to give rise to the catastrophic impacts of generated a massive surge. And that surge, earlier that day had been blowing in a generally
clouds and The
thunderstorms
rotating
around a
a low-pressure system pushing
No matter what Sandy was called, though, the over northeastern Ohio late on October 31.
other
was
4,000 earn this storm. (See sidebar: A Brief History of Sandy) coming on top of the spring high tide, created conVnually southward direction in the New l
York
area.
central "eye"—that originates in tropical
CORE%U.S.%CITY%
2,000 a “storm tide” of over 14 feet above Mean However, as Sandy arrived, its winds shifted,
waters and gets its energy from those warm
storm
never lost its large wind field or its large For the next day or two, what remained of
eastward
over
the
southeastern
United
There was, for example, the storm’s timing. Its Lower Low Water at the Battery, shattering the instead moving in a generally northwesterly
CORE%LATIN%AMERICA%CITY%
waters. Sandy gained wind speed as it curled
0 arrival on the evening of October 29 coincided previous record of 10 feet, set when Hurricane direction. It was this shift that helped push the
north. By October 24, it was a hurricane—
1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070 2090 EXPERT%CITY%
of maximum wind (which is why weather Sandy continued over Ontario, Canada before
reenergized Sandy. Steered radius
almost exactly with high tide on the Atlantic Donna arrived in New York in 1960. (See chart: storm’s massive surge—and its large, battering
a storm withStates
wind speeds of atthat
least 74 miles
waves—directly at the south-facing parts of
Ocean and in New York Harbor (high tide High Water Events at Lower Manhattan)
per hour (mph)—with an eye visible on satellite
6,000 Sandy
by the Numbers
the city.
arrived at the Battery in Lower Manhattan
between
weather
systems, Sandy experts still considered it a “hurricane strike” merging with a low-pressure area over eastern
images. Sandy
made landfall onthese
Jamaica on two
at 8:54 p.m., and the surge peaked there at Finally, there was the unusual path Sandy took
5,000 October 24 as a Category 1 hurricane then
LOS A
NGELES Sandy made landfall three times: at Bull Bay, Jamaica, on October 24; at Santiago de
9:24 p.m.). This meant that water levels along to the city’s shores. Most hurricanes that As a result of all of these factors, Sandy hit New
intensified to
a Category 3 hurricane
before west
turned
sharply
just as it was reaching when it hit the New York region). In fact, when Canada and heading out to sea for good.
4,000 Cuba, Cuba, on October 25; and finally at Brigantine, New Jersey, on October 29
much of the city’s southern coastline already approach the Northeast glance the coastline or York with punishing force. Its surge and waves
hitting Cuba on October 25, according to the
were elevated, with typical high tides about curve east and head out to sea before they ever battered the city's coastline along the Atlantic
National Hurricane
Center.
3,000 another
peak of intensity.
The storm’s wind speed was 80 mph at landfall in New Jersey. the storm made landfall, its tropical-storm-force
five feet higher than water levels at low tide. reach New York. But as Sandy came spinning Ocean and Lower New York Bay, striking with
Managers2,000 And, on the night of Sandy’s arrival, it was not north along the east coast of the United States, particular ferocity in neighborhoods across
While the storm moved across the Bahamas, it
Its
wind
field
extended
for
1,000
miles.
winds extended 1,000 miles—three times that At that point, of course, New York still was
just a normal high tide but a “spring” tide, when winds spiraling counterclockwise, the storm South Queens, Southern Brooklyn, and the East
weakened to a Category 1 hurricane—but
1,000 Decision(
the moon was full and the tide was at the very encountered weather systems that caused it to and South Shores of Staten Island, destroying
began to grow significantly in size. It continued
In the US, $50 billion in total damages have been attributed to the storm,
reeling from the
storm’s effects—and was
landfall in Brigantine, of a typical hurricane. It was those winds,
peak of its monthly cycle—generally up to half take a different course—one that would spell homes and other buildings and damaging
to grow as itWhen
traveled north ofSandy
the islands. Aftermade
0 makersmaking it more costly than any other storm except Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and
-Interesteda foot higher than the average high tide. disaster for parts of the city. A high-pressure critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the natural
passing the Bahamas, Sandy turned northeast,
1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070 2090 Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
(See maps: Water Levels Around New York City system to the north blocked the storm’s topography of the city’s coastline channeled
beginning to
cope with the extent of
beginning itsNew
trek through
the Atlantic Ocean,
Jersey,
just
north of Atlantic City, at as well as the storm’s low pressure, that were onlyCity%
ci7zensadvance. At the same time, a low-pressure the stormSource:
on October 29)
surge that NASA
was arriving from
paralleling the eastern coast of the United
States. Its winds
whirled
counterclockwise,
the damage.
7:30
p.m.
on October 29 with 80-mph winds, responsible for its catastrophic storm surge.
Stakeholder%
Katrina Size and Wind Speed
Sandy Size and Wind Speed
raising water levels all the way from Florida it was technically no longer a hurricane. The storm’s angle of approach was also
School of Life Sciences, Julie Ann Wrigley Global InsVtute of Sustainability, School of Sustainable Engineering & the Built Environment, all Arizona State University; The New School, Portland State University, and USDA Forest Service The Challenge Our Response: UREx Network 1983%
Coastal Flooding A STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT NEW YORK
2013%
NYC%100,y%ﬂoodplain%(FEMA)%%
2020%
2050%
Central QuesVon: How do SETS domains interact to generate vulnerability or resilience to climate-‐related extreme events, and how can urban SETS dynamics be guided along more resilient, equitable, and sustainable trajectories? Although most hurricanes on a northward track
along the US coast continue to hug the coast or
eventually curve east and out to sea before
they reach New York, Sandy encountered two
other weather systems that caused it to shift
direction and abruptly intensify yet again.
One was a high-pressure system to the north
that blocked Sandy’s northward advance.
The other was a low-pressure system pushing
eastward over the southeastern United
States that reenergized Sandy. Steered
between these two weather systems, Sandy
turned sharply west just as it was reaching
another peak of intensity.
Example:'Vulnerability'mapping'in'
Jamaica'Bay'
Source: NASA
When Sandy made landfall in Brigantine,
New Jersey, just north of Atlantic City, at
7:30 p.m. on October 29 with 80-mph winds,
No matter what Sandy was called, though, the
storm never lost its large wind field or its large
radius of maximum wind (which is why weather
experts still considered it a “hurricane strike”
when it hit the New York region). In fact, when
the storm made landfall, its tropical-storm-force
winds extended 1,000 miles—three times that
of a typical hurricane. It was those winds,
as well as the storm’s low pressure, that were
responsible for its catastrophic storm surge.
significant. Because Sandy came at the
coast of New York at a perpendicular angle,
its counterclockwise onshore winds drove
the surge—and the surge's large, battering
waves—directly into the city’s coastline.
After landfall, Sandy slowed and weakened
while moving through southern New Jersey,
northern Delaware, and southern Pennsylvania.
It finally lost its defined center while passing
over northeastern Ohio late on October 31.
For the next day or two, what remained of
Sandy continued over Ontario, Canada before
merging with a low-pressure area over eastern
Canada and heading out to sea for good.
UREx SRN Work Flow At that point, of course, New York still was
reeling from the storm’s effects—and was
only beginning to cope with the extent of
the damage.
NETWORK*EVALUATION*(PSU,*ASU)*
CHAPTER 1 | SANDY AND ITS IMPACTS
12
PRACTITIONER*NETWORK*(9*ci1es*+*partners)*
CITY*(ASU)*
CLIMATE*AND*
HYDROLOGY**
income'
%'minority'
• 
• 
• 
• 
vulnerability'
Vulnerable-Groups-
Groups%
Students-andTeachers-
Minori7esCHAPTER 1 | SANDY AND ITS IMPACTS
12
EnvironmentalNGO’s-
Training the next genera:on of leaders GRADUATE FELLOWS POST-‐DOCTORAL FELLOWS UNDERGRADUATES Our vision A comprehensive network that will build the scienVﬁc SETS*
basis t
o s
upport e
xisVng a
nd e
merging c
ity i
niVaVves INTEGRATION*(ASU,*
and incorporate fundamental and pracVcal strategies CARY*INST.,*PSU)*
SCENARIOS*
to p
romote u
rban r
esilience f
rom a
S
ETS a
nd (New*School,*ITTF,*
TRANSITIONS*
ASU)*
sustainability approach. (ITTF,*Alliance*for*Innov.)*
•  Assembling technical knowledge about infra-‐
EDUCATION*&*DIVERSITY*(FIU,*ASU)*
structure, climate, hydrology, demography, insVtuVons Nine ciVes, 15 insVtuVons, 65 parVcipants •  QuanVfying interacVons and feedbacks in SETS 10 partner insVtuVons and numerous models from diverse sources of informaVon stakeholder partners Ecologists, social scienVsts, engineers, planners, •  Understanding organizaVons that build and manage infrastructure and their contexts designers, climatologists, physical scienVsts Downscaled climate extremes projecVons •  Considering social norms that shape acceptability Geodatabase, computaVon, visualizaVon used of infrastructure for comparison, sustainable future scenarios •  Capturing values and visions of various TransiVons work to implement strategies stakeholders for a more desirable future (NCSU/NOAA,*ASU)*
• 
Drought Two-and-a-half hours before it had made
landfall, the National Hurricane Center had
reclassified Sandy as a “post-tropical cyclone”
because the storm had evolved in such a way
that it no longer possessed the technical
characteristics of a hurricane: It lacked strong
thunderstorm activity near its center; its energy
did not come from warm ocean waters but
from the jet stream; and it had lost its eye.
Working with diverse stakeholders (Researcher Years) YORK
11
to Maine.
500 Miles
500 Miles
UREx SoluVon Source: National Oceanic and Atmospherics Administration/Department of Commerce
COMPUTATION*&*
VISUALIZATION*(SU)*
EXTREME HEAT DAYS × PARCELS AFFECTED Extreme Heat NYC—Syracuse—Bal/more—Miami—SanJuan—Portland—Phoenix—Hermosillo—Valdivia TradiVonal SoluVon Urban Flooding Photo credit: Ge[y images Solu:ons • 
•  Embedded IGERT-‐like graduate program