Proceedings Of The Marine

SPR 2014

Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.

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13 Spring 2014 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings We often talk about resiliency in the language of infra- structure, supply chains, security systems, and recovery plans. But resiliency is also social; it is found in people, in the relationships among port partners who facilitate port and marine transportation system recovery after disasters, and who work together to prevent disasters. These relation- ships are forms of social capital, which is a critical yet under- emphasized element of port resiliency. Social Capital Aids Resiliency The term social capital refers to relationships among indi- viduals that are characterized by trust, mutuality, cred- ibility, reciprocity, and networks. As implied by the term "capital," these relationships and the networks they form can be very valuable. For example, social capital can provide access to informa- tion and resources and can be leveraged to acquire other resources. It can also be relied upon in a crisis, or to help solve a problem, and can help facilitate joint action among a diverse group of individuals and organizations. Not to be confused with offcial arrangements like public/private partnerships or interagency memoranda of understanding, social capital is not necessarily evident on paper. While for- mal membership on a harbor safety committee or in a neigh- borhood watch association can help build social capital, it is by defnition informal and largely intangible. Why is Social Capital Important? Social capital has implications for resiliency and security. It has been found to be essential to the successful recovery of communities after major natural disasters such as earth- quakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis. For example, research has shown that differing types and quantities of social capital explains why some New Orleans neighborhoods rebounded faster than others after Hurricane Katrina. 1 Similarly, social capital is critical to homeland security and played an impor- tant role in facilitating interorganizational communication and collaboration in the response to the 9/11 disaster. 2 Dr. Russell Dynes, a disaster expert, calls social capital "our most signifcant resource in responding to damage caused by natural and other hazards, such as terrorism." 3 More- over, it is inexpensive to cultivate, benefts all involved, and is renewable. Social capital can also be used to respond to and recover from a disaster and can grow through that process — thereby enhancing resiliency in the face of future disasters. Social Capital, Hurricane Sandy, and the Port of New York and New Jersey Consider, for example, the recovery of the Port of New York and New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. This historic storm drove an enormous storm surge into the New York and New Jersey coastlines in October 2012, causing widespread damage and disruption to maritime activities and resulting in the port's closure for nearly a week. Submerged shipping containers and other debris created navigational hazards, security equipment at marine ter- minals was destroyed or disabled, and most electronic com munications systems were down. Despite all of this, port partners worked together to reopen the port in just days and to maintain the security of the port despite wide- spread damage, power outages, and fuel shortages. While the marine transportation system recovery unit (MTSRU), a specialized inter-organizational unit that the Coast Guard uses to coordinate marine transportation system recovery, With a Little Help From Our Friends How social capital enabled security amid recovery. by tiffAny C. sMythe, Ph.D. Post-Doctoral Fellow in Maritime Policy Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy U.S. Coast Guard Academy Plans, Partnerships, Policies Spring2014_FINAL.indd 13 3/21/14 11:13 AM

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