Ports—A Key Resiliency Hub before, during, and after the Storm

Ports are a key part of community resilience. The ability of a port to be prepared before, survive during, and respond and recovery rapidly after a storm is key to the resilience of not only the port but the community and industries it serves. Storm and natural disasters represent acute threats to ports, but there are also more chronic long-term threats driven by climate change and associated sea level rise or changing rainfall intensities. Resilience or the ability of a port to recover quickly and build back from these events in a way that results in improved resistance and quicker recovery from future event requires both physical, planning, and financial measures. Physical measures can include engineering solutions such as flood barriers, the elevating of critical infrastructure and services, utility placement and hardening, storm surge barriers, drainage improvements, erosion protection, and adaptable engineered solutions that leave room for change. Planning measures include vulnerability assessments of the port facilities and supply chains, emergency response plans, continuity of operations plans, and post-disaster recovery plans. Financial measures include insurance, federal mitigation, emergency response, and recovery grants and funding through the port’s capital improvements.