USA: Extreme weather tough on transportation system

As extreme weather events, such as Superstorm Sandy take increasing tolls on the US transportation system, "there is a whole series of standards that are going to have to be revisited in light of the change in climate that is coming at us," said John Horsley, executive director of the Sustainable Transportation, Energy Infrastructure and Climate Solutions Steering Committee, as reported by the Huffington Post. Paula Hammond, head of the state's Department of Transportation, added that "The infrastructure of the nation is aging and it's at risk because, quite frankly, we're all not investing enough to take care of these facilities. And now we're facing extreme weather threats that cause us to need emergency response capabilities beyond what we've had in the past."

Fifty percent of the states have assessed their most critical vulnerabilities, however, less have actually implemented preparations. And although New York has prepared detailed assessments of the potential effects of climate change, recent flooding was worse than their worst-case scenario.