In August,
New Jersey experienced a pair of natural incidents that hadn¹t been seen here in most of our lifetimes. First, offices and homes trembled from a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, the strongest recorded in the Northeast since 1901. Days later, the first hurricane to have made landfall in New Jersey since the World War II era struck our coastline.
It was a tense experience for all
of us. However, while the cost in lives
and property was high, the region managed to avert a far worse situation through a combination of thorough preparation and good fortune.
In this issue, InTransition looks at some of the preparations transportation agencies around the world have taken to guard their infrastructure against catastrophes. By studying all that could go wrong in a wide range of scenarios, we can ensure that more goes right in the event one of them actually takes place.
Daniel P. Sullivan
Chairman, North Jersey Transportation
Planning Authority