Just more than one year after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today the New York State Resiliency Institute for Storms & Emergencies, which brings together with several organizations, including Cornell University, to help New York better prepare for, and respond to, future natural disasters.
This “applied think tank,” known as RISE, is charged with developing a rapid response plan to protect against future climate-induced storms; creating proposals to further harden New York’s infrastructure; identifying areas of vulnerability to extreme weather events; and long-term planning for storm risk from climate change. (The NYS release is available here)
Two Cornell researchers directly involved with the consortium comment on their roles with RISE and the current state of disaster preparedness in New York.
Keith Tidball will lead research efforts within RISE dealing with communications and public outreach, and will coordinate activities to determine evidence-based, best management practices in disaster and emergency preparedness and response. He is also the New York State Coordinator for the NY Extension Disaster Education Network.
Tidball says:
“Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension are pleased to be a part of the NYS RISE consortium. Our Extension Disaster Education Network will be an important foundation of preparedness and response communication and information sharing, before, during and after disasters.
“We are making great strides in risk communication since Sandy, but as this past summer's floods in the Mohawk River basin and elsewhere in upstate New York illustrated, there is much more to learn and do."
Bio: http://dnr.cornell.edu/people/faculty.cfm?netId=kgt2
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Thomas O’Rourke will be a research partner with RISE, examining infrastructure preparedness. O’Rourke has served on consulting boards of many large underground construction projects such as New York City’s Third Water Tunnel, the Second Avenue Subway and the Fulton Street Transit Center. He was a member of the U.S. National Academies Committee on New Orleans Regional Hurricane Protection Projects, assessing the sources and solutions for flood protection in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
O’Rourke says:
“The NYC and NYS plans for Hurricane Sandy recovery may well set a national standard for building resilient communities. The state, by engaging NY universities in a research consortium known as the Resiliency Institute for Storms and Emergencies, is engaging its academic experts to ensure strong engineering and science fundamentals coupled with local community needs. This is a prospectus for success.”
Bio: http://www.cee.cornell.edu/people/profile.cfm?netid=tdo1
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