The New York- New Jersey Storm Surge Working Group is an alliance of expert scientists, urban planners, engineers, architects and media specialists advocating for a regional defense system to protect communities across New York and New Jersey from devastating flooding from extreme storms.
Metro Flood Defense is the advocacy arm and partner non-profit 501(c)3 organization to the Storm Surge Working Group.
The Metro Flood Defense directly advocates for ambitious resilience initiatives with elected officials and government administrations across the region.
New York and New Jersey coastal areas are at immediate risk of future damage and destruction from storm surges and rising sea levels.
The Storm Surge Working Group suggests cost-effective resiliency measures and enlightened policies to ensure the support lasting solutions appropriate to, and effective for, the next 100 years.
Metro Flood Defense articulates and advocates for these needs to elected officials and leading administrators.
Formed soon after Superstorm Sandy devastated the eastern seaboard in October 2012, the Storm Surge Working Group unites world-class science, engineering, planning and advocacy to find cost-effective ways to protect New York City, northern New Jersey, Long Island and western Connecticut from two specific threats of the climate crisis:
extreme storm surges associated with intense hurricanes and winter nor’easters
rising sea levels associated with ocean warming and melting ice masses
Whitehall Subway Station flooded after Superstorm Sandy (MTA).
Over this domain of low topography, we have built critical industrial and commercial infrastructure, seaports, airports, transportation systems, public health facilities, schools, businesses, food distribution networks, and residential communities home to millions.
In this era of rapid climate change, both sea level rise and storm surge, alone or in combination, will lead to serious threats to the livability, security and prosperity of the nation’s largest and most important metropolis in the years, decades and centuries ahead.
The Group brings regional perspectives and solutions to these serious coastal flooding issues, specifically for:
- the Lower Bay (Raritan Bay),
- Upper Bay (NY Harbor and Port Elizabeth), all five Boroughs of NYC,
- the shores of Long Island,
- western Connecticut and both banks of the lower Hudson River, including their many rivers, tributaries, harbors, inlets and backbays.
These dangerous threats demand regional solutions that transcend both geographic and political boundaries.
The Storm Surge Working Group advocates for a layered regional defense sea gate system equal to the scale of a powerful storm.
This system would effectively protect all of New York City and New Jersey's coastal communities from costly climate consequence.
The Storm Surge Working Group meets regularly in New York City to discuss concerns, solutions, and advocacy goals to address this multi-dimensional concern.
