The Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), from its predecessors, has a long-standing programme activity relating to the provision of expert technical advice on the modeling, analysis and forecasting of storm surges, to assist national agencies in fulfilling their service obligations. In this context, JCOMM organized the first international Scientific and Technical Symposium on Storm Surges, hosted by the Korean Government. This symposium was the first such scientific event devoted solely to storm surges in at least the past 3 decades. It aimed to support the development of marine multi-hazard warning systems, by 1) providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information related to storm surge modelling, forecasting and hindcasting; 2) coordinating ongoing and planning future R&D initiatives in these fields; and 3) providing guidance/technical support for National Meteorological Services and other national agencies providing storm surge forecasting and warning services. Results from the Symposium are to contribute to the JCOMM Guide to Storm Surge Forecasting which was under finalization. It will set the stage for advances in forecasting of these events and reduction of their impacts. Overall, the symposium was a great success, and all participants were appreciative of this initiative at the present time. The quality of the presentations was excellent, which would facilitate the selection of a subset of them for peer review and publication in the planned special edition of the journal “Natural Hazards – Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards” (Springer). This same subset would also form the “dynamic” part of the new Guide to Storm Surge Forecasting. A key component of the symposium was the panel discussion session on the last day, designed to draw conclusions and point the way forward in storm surge modelling and forecasting. The agreed set of recommendations and actions are addressed to researchers, WMO/IOC/JCOMM, and Member States( see here ). Full papers and Presentations are downloadable at: http://www.SurgeSymposium.org