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.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/284910
14 Proceedings Spring 2014 www.uscg.mil/proceedings the storm due to a collaborative effort among rep- resentatives from Coast Guard Sector New York, along with more than 50 port partners and stake- holders including Customs and Border Protec- tion (CBP), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Offce of Coast Survey, the bi-state Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association, marine terminal operators, trade asso- ciations like the New York Shipping Association, shipping agents, and numerous maritime busi- nesses and interests. MTSRU participants described this unit as effcient and effective — further evidence of the port com- munity's strength and resilience. This was not just because of the MTSRU structure itself, but because of trust and a sense of mutual obligation that already existed among its members. Border Security Amid Response In particular, social capital played a critical role in helping the port community maintain border security throughout the marine transportation system recovery process. Coast Guard Sector New York and CBP's Port of New York and Newark offce exchanged information, solved problems, and in many cases brainstormed innovative solutions amid the post-storm damage and power outages. One key example is how Coast Guard Sector New York and CBP collaborated to manage the post-storm infux of traf- fc into the port. The frst ships to enter the harbor following the storm included cargo ves- sels as well as a cruise ship with approximately 4,000 pas- sengers and 2,000 staff mem- bers aboard. The Coast Guard and CBP typically coordinate vessel, passenger, and cargo coordinated this recovery and facilitated plans already in place, recovery effectiveness depended in large part on longstanding relationships — powerful connections among individuals from federal, state, and city agencies and private businesses that make up the port network. While social capital is often described as an attribute of communities like neighborhoods in New Orleans, it is also an attribute of "communities of practice," like the network of partners in the Port of NY and NJ. The port's success- ful recovery after Hurricane Sandy provides countless examples of social capital in practice, how social capi- tal is cultivated, and why it is worthwhile for the Coast Guard and other maritime agencies and stakeholders to make the modest invest- ments necessary for its devel- opment. The Hurricane Sandy MTSRU was stood up two days before The Hurricane Sandy Marine Transportation System Recovery Unit. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Offcer Eric Swanson. Hurricane Sandy approaches the Atlantic coast of the U.S. in the early morning hours of Oct. 29, 2012. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day-Night Band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. " Relat ionships were key — t hat was the true success of the port recovery." — CDR Linda Sturgis, prevention chief at Coast Guard Sector New York, during Hurricane Sandy response and recovery. "We've been working all these issues for so many years and developing that trust, so when something hap- pens, it just naturally flows." — Captain Andrew McGovern, Sandy Hook Pilots Association. Spring2014_FINAL.indd 14 3/21/14 11:13 AM