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Two MCEER Investigators Appointed to NYS Commissions Formed to Strengthen State's Response to Future Disasters

Adel Sadek

Adel Sadek

Chris Renschler

Chris Renschler

MCEER investigators Chris Renschler, Associate Professor of Geography, and Adel Sadek, Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, both from the University at Buffalo, have been tapped to serve on New York State commissions formed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo following Hurricane Sandy. The charge of the commissions is to strengthen NYS’s response to future natural disasters and other emergencies.

Renschler serves on the NYS Respond Commission, which is tasked with finding ways to ensure that New York State is ready to respond to future weather-related disasters. Since its start in mid-November, the Commission examines and makes recommendations to improve the planning, training and resource commitment that must occur before the next major weather event in order for the appropriate deployment of people and resources to take place during and after the emergency or disaster occurs. Renschler, who is Director of UB’s Landscape-Based Environmental System Analysis and Modeling Lab (LESAM), will contribute his expertise in communication of extreme events information and providing emergency responders, the public and various other decision-makers with rapid post-disaster damage assessments.

Sadek will serve on a SUNY Expert Team to support the work of the NYS 2100 Commission. Sadek, who is the Director of UB’s Transportation Systems Engineering Lab and UB2020’s Strategic Strength in Extreme Events, will join other experts from SUNY campuses around New York State to review existing literature related to the state’s infrastructure, find knowledge gaps that need to be addressed, and make recommendations that will improve bridges, tunnels, roads and other infrastructure throughout the state. Sadek will contribute his expertise in transportation systems modeling and simulation, decision science, emergency transportation operations, adaptive traffic control and dynamic route guidance. The Expert Team was assembled by NYS 2100 Commission member Dr. Timothy Killeen, SUNY Vice Chancellor for Research, and President of the SUNY Research Foundation.

The Commissions are conducting a comprehensive review and will make specific recommendations to overhaul and improve New York State’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities, as well as examine how to improve the strength and resilience of the state’s infrastructure and other services to better withstand major weather incidents. Preliminary recommendations are due January 3, 2013.

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