Location
NY + NJ
Client
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Services
Strategic Planning
Resilience Planning
Policy Analysis
Stakeholder Facilitation
Port Authority Resilience + Recovery Services
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), as owner and operator of much of the New York region’s transportation infrastructure, faces considerable risks related to climate change. Sam Schwartz has helped the Agency prepare for a more resilient future through initiatives which include:
Climate Resilience Plan Framework: Sam Schwartz developed a framework agency climate resilience plan that minimizes the impact of hazardous events on facilities and customers, while capitalizing on recovery efforts to rebuild faster and better. The plan promotes a long-term, sustainable vision for the Agency, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions.
SMRO Strategic Integration & Transition Plan + Operations Handbook: Sam Schwartz partnered with federal funding compliance firm Landmark Consulting to draft recommendations for integrating long-term resilience into PANYNJ’s workflow and grants management processes. The team produced two documents for the Storm Mitigation and Resilience Office (SMRO). The SITP recommends actions to ensure federal compliance for all grant programs, integrates SMRO processes and associated grant compliance requirements into PANYNJ’s existing workflows, and institutionalizes SMRO’s role in grants management and disaster recovery. The Operations Handbook facilitates standardization and establishes a quality management baseline for SMRO.
Superstorm Sandy Recovery and Resilience: Sam Schwartz created the first two Agency-wide Annual Reports documenting the effects of Superstorm Sandy and recovery/resilience plans on PANYNJ assets and facilities. As part of this effort, Sam Schwartz provided FTA and FEMA grant management, including articulating how grant money gets dispersed, how Priority Protective Measures (PPMs) have advanced, the application of Federal funding to PANYNJ resiliency projects including FTA Response and Recovery grants and FEMA 404 and 406 Mitigation programs.