The Catskill Chronicle

NEW YORK STATE (November 18, 2012) – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Thursday, the formation of three commissions charged with undertaking a comprehensive review and making specific recommendations to overhaul and improve New York State’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities, as well as examining how to improve the strength and resilience of the state’s infrastructure to better withstand major weather incidents.

The recent major storms to hit New York State, including Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee, have revealed major weaknesses in the state’s transportation, energy, communications, and health infrastructures. In addition, the storms have exposed needs in emergency response capabilities at all levels of government and in the preparedness of the energy, health care, transportation, water, fuel, communications and other sectors. The three commissions, established today through Executive Order by the Governor, will help prepare and equip New York State for future natural disasters.

“Over the past two years, New York State has been hit by some of the most destructive storms in our state’s history, causing untold damage and the tragic loss of many lives,” Governor Cuomo said. “Regardless of the cause of these storms, New York State must undertake major reforms to adapt to the reality that storms such as Sandy, Irene, and Lee can hit the state at any time. For this reason, I have charged these three commissions to seriously examine existing systems and present a comprehensive blueprint so we can bring our emergency preparedness and response capabilities into the 21^st century and ensure our infrastructure is built to survive major weather incidents.”

Each of the three commissions is outlined below:

NYS 2100 Commission
The NYS 2100 Commission is tasked with finding ways to improve the resilience and strength of the state’s infrastructure in the face of natural disasters and other emergencies. The Commission will be co-chaired by Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Felix G. Rohatyn, former Chairman of the Municipal Assistance Corporation.
Specific areas the Commission has been charged to review and make recommendations on include:

· Strategies to protect existing transportation, energy, environmental, and other infrastructure systems to withstand natural disasters and other emergencies;
· Priority projects to replace damaged infrastructure or to diversify or make more resilient our infrastructure;
· Long-term options for the use of physical storm barriers and natural protective systems;
· Opportunities to integrate infrastructure planning, protection and development into New York’s economic development strategies; and
· Reforms in the area of insurance and risk management related to natural disasters and other emergencies.

NYS Respond Commission
The NYS Respond Commission is tasked with finding ways to ensure that New York State is ready to respond to future weather-related disasters. The Commission will examine and make 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. The Commission will be co-chaired by Thad Allen, Senior Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, and Admiral (US Coast Guard, Retired), and Brad Penuel, Director of the Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response at New York University.
Specific areas the Commission has been charged to review and make recommendations on include ensuring that:

· sufficient trained personnel can be activated for emergency response and recovery efforts
· the health and safety of hospital patients and other vulnerable persons are protected during an emergency
· the public is provided with reliable and timely information
· every locality has planned and is prepared for a disaster
· emergency responses are effectively coordinated across all levels of government
· adverse events are rapidly responded to and post-emergency needs such as shelter, food, water, electricity and essential appliances are identified and met

NYS Ready Commission
The NYS Ready Commission is tasked with finding ways to ensure critical systems and services are prepared for future natural disasters and other emergencies. The Commission will be co-chaired by Ira M. Millstein, Senior Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, and Dr. Irwin Redlener, Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
Specific areas the Commission has been charged to review and make recommendations on include:

· addressing vulnerabilities in the State’s health care, energy, transportation, communications and other systems
· ensuring that new, modified and existing construction is resilient
· ensuring the availability of adequate equipment, fuel, food, water and other emergency supplies
· ensuring that first responders and other critical personnel are able to communicate efficiently and have access to adequate resources
· ensuring the availability of reliable real-time information for decision-makers
· ensuring that lines of authority are clear and officials have the authority to react rapidly to emergency situations.

All recommendations are due to the Governor by January 3, 2013.