Emergency planning 101 RIT researchers use Rochester to study
emergency-preparedness operations Follow Michelle Cometa on
Twitter Follow RITNEWS on Twitter Hurricane Irene closed the
subway in a city that never sleeps. Cracks were found along the
top of the Washington Monument after an earthquake. As swiftly
as weather overwhelms major cities, emergency-preparedness teams
need to move in to begin recovery efforts. New York, Washington
and other large cities have resources, staff and funding to
develop recovery plans and shore up communities after disasters.
But there are approximately 60 to 70 mid-size U.S. cities that
are just as vulnerable to natural or manmade disasters, yet have
limited resources for recovery assessment, planning and
implementation. They must compete for federal aid and show that
a landmark or regional area has national significance to warrant
priority resource allocations. “How do you rate significance?
How do you determine what the hazard is and the resulting risk
of having this capabil