New York Taps NIST's Sunder for Post-Sandy Review of Critical Systems and Services

S. Shyam Sunder, director of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has agreed to serve on the New York State Ready Commission, formed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to recommend ways to ensure critical systems and services are prepared for future natural disasters and other emergencies. The expert commission is one of three that Cuomo launched in the aftermath of recent major storms, including Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, that devastated parts of the state and revealed weaknesses in New York’s transportation, energy, communications and health infrastructures. The Ready Commission will review critical systems and services and recommend measures to prepare for future natural disasters and other emergencies.

It also will advise the governor on ways to ensure:

• new, modified and existing construction is resilient;
• adequate equipment, fuel, food, water and other emergency supplies are available;
• first responders and other critical personnel can communicate efficiently and have access to adequate resources;
• reliable, real-time information is available for decision makers; and
• lines of authority are clear and officials have the authority to react rapidly to emergency situations.