U.S. Department of the Interior New York

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2013–3089

October 2013

Start with Science to Address Vulnerable Coastal Communities

Hurricane Sandy Science Plan—New York

“USGS efforts to measure pre- and post-storm Sandy water levels in the bays and water velocity in the breach 

at Old Inlet have been a help in answering questions regarding the impact of breaches through the barrier 

islands. The USGS has also been helpful in flying lidar to demonstrate storm impacts and measuring high 

water marks on the mainland, which will allow us to understand the flooding impact...so that we can use [this 

information] to help define the areas that were compromised and follow with identification of assets at risk and 

options for risk reduction.”—Fred Anders, New York Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources

Hurricane Sandy is a stark reminder of why the Nation must 

become more resilient to coastal hazards. More than one-half 

of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and this 

number is increasing.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is one of the largest 

providers of geologic and hydrologic information in the world. 

Federal, State, and local partners depend on USGS science to 

know how to prepare for hurricane hazards and reduce losses 

from future hurricanes. The USGS works closely with other 

bureaus within the Department of the Interior, the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Oceanic 

Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(USACE), the Environmental Protection Agency, and many State 

and local agencies to identify their information needs before, 

during, and after hurricanes.

Before and during Hurricane Sandy, USGS scientists 

from all over the country worked continuously to create and 

issue forecasts of coastal impacts, to deploy a large number of 

storm-tide sensors that recorded the height of the water surface 

along the coast and the inland movement of water, and to collect 

data documenting the impact of the storm to built and natural 

environments. The storm-tide data supplement the extensive 

network of the USGS real-time tide-gaging stations in the region, 

many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems, to 

provide the critical data needed for emergency response before, 

during, and after the storm.

Long Island, N.Y., including Fire Island, was impacted 

extensively. The USGS has a long-standing collaborative 

research program with the National Park Service (NPS) to 

understand the drivers of coastal change along Fire Island and to 

assess the vulnerability of the barrier system to storms, long-term 

erosion, and sea-level rise. In addition, the USGS and NPS maintain a long-term vegetation and surface monitoring site near the 

Old Inlet breach in Fire Island. Before Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, a USGS team surveyed the pre-storm state of the beaches 

and dunes, and the team remained nearby to conduct rapid poststorm surveys. The USGS also collected post-storm topographic 

data using airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors. 

Photos of Fire Island 2 to 4 days after Sandy made landfall. A, Leveled beaches 

and scarped dunes in central Fire Island. B, Houses undermined and destroyed 

at Davis Park. C, Leveled dunes and large overwash sheets near Fire Island 

Lighthouse. D, The island breach at Old Inlet.

A

B

C

D
Most oceanfront homes in the communities within Fire Island 

National Seashore were damaged or destroyed, and the island 

was breached in three locations. Measurements of dune and 

beach erosion indicate that 50 percent of the coastline of Fire 

Island was overwashed, and dunes were eroded landward by as 

much as 43 meters. Surveys of beach and dune volume indicate 

that more than 60 percent of pre-storm volume was lost, elevation decreased by as much as 5 meters, and stabilizing vegetation 

was damaged (Hapke and others, 2013). 

By using observations of beach changes and models of 

waves and storm surge, scientists can forecast how the coast will 

respond to hurricanes and can identify vulnerable areas. Following Hurricane Sandy, USGS predictions of vulnerable areas of 

the coast allowed limited resources to be targeted to areas most 

at risk. These vital datasets also can lead to a better understanding of hurricane impacts on coastal regions and can aid decisionmakers in their deliberations concerning restoration efforts.

According to NOAA’s Sandy Eslinger, who served as a temporary Field Coordinator for the Natural and Cultural Resources 

Recovery Support Function at FEMA’s New York Joint Field 

Office, “The coastal impact assessment products provided by the 

USGS have been a critical resource for us on the Federal team to 

help identify and prioritize impact-related data collection, issue 

identification and resource evaluation.” 

To provide scientific expertise in the post-Sandy recovery 

efforts in New York, a USGS coastal scientist was deployed to 

FEMA’s New York Joint Field Office. In this role, the USGS 

helped to coordinate recovery efforts and develop strategies, 

working closely with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of State; New York City 

Department of Planning and Department of Parks and Recreation; the USACE, NPS, and Fish and Wildlife Service; and local 

agencies and other stakeholders.

Following Hurricane Sandy, the USGS developed a science 

plan, which is presented in detail in, “Meeting the Science Needs 

of the Nation in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy—A U.S. Geological Survey Science Plan for Support of Restoration and Recovery,” (Buxton and others, 2013) to coordinate USGS science 

activities with other agencies and to guide continued data collection and analysis to ensure support for recovery and restoration 

efforts. Science activities are organized in five themes: coastal 

topography and bathymetry; impacts to coastal beaches and barriers; impacts of storm surge and estuarine and bay hydrology; 

impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant 

exposures; and impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish 

and wildlife. This science plan is a reminder that a clear vision 

leads to great accomplishments.

USGS Hurricane Sandy Science in New York

In response to Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received a total of $41.2 million in 

supplemental appropriations from the Department of 

the Interior (DOI) to support response, recovery, and 

rebuilding efforts. Some examples of New York projects 

include the following:

• Topographic lidar (airborne elevation mapping) is 

scheduled to be collected in late 2013 for the New 

York City area and north along the Hudson River 

to provide improved elevation information. Coastal 

elevation datasets with enhanced vertical accuracy 

will be created for New York City. This information is 

critical to improving the ability to predict flooding of 

urban areas. 

• The USGS is studying the impact of Hurricane 

Sandy on wetlands, marshes, and scrub forests on 

Fire Island, New York; the role vegetation may have 

played in the breach formation; and how the sand 

that is distributed around the breach may be further 

impacting vegetation and the stability of the island.

• Recent and historical USGS storm-surge data will 

assist resource managers with rebuilding infrastructure and with future storm response plans. The USGS 

will increase capacity to deploy storm-surge equipment in the northeast and develop a fixed-place storm 

monitoring network.

• The USGS will continue to assess the impacts to 

human health and aquatic organisms from failed and 

damaged infrastructure, such as wastewater treatment facilities, flooded tunnels, and combined sewer 

overflows. These results will help identify the coastal 

infrastructure of New York that is most vulnerable, 

with the goal of avoiding toxic releases in the future.

• The USGS is working with the City of New York 

Parks and Recreation to study and model the impact 

of Hurricane Sandy on the wetlands of Jamaica 

Bay. Wetlands are critical habitat areas and also can 

dampen the impact of coastal storms.

References Cited

Buxton, H.T., Andersen, M.E., Focazio, M.J., Haines, J.W., 

Hainly, R.A., Hippe, D.J., and Sugarbaker, L.J., 2013, Meeting the science needs of the Nation in the wake of Hurricane 

Sandy—A U.S. Geological Survey science plan for support 

of restoration and recovery: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

1390, 26 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1390/.

Hapke, C.J., Brenner, Owen, Hehre, Rachel, and Reynolds, B.J., 

2013, Coastal change from Hurricane Sandy and the 2012–13 

winter storm season—Fire Island, New York: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2013–1231, 37 p., http://pubs.usgs.

gov/of/2013/1231/.

For more information:

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hazard-events/sandy/