Natural Hazards Observer
| January 2006 | Volume XXX | Number 3 |
Below are brief descriptions of a sampling of recent publications on hazards and disasters received by the Natural Hazards Center. Information on how to obtain copies is included.
All Hazards • Hurricanes and Coastal Management •
Earthquakes and Landslides •
Climate Change • Health •
Terrorism • GAO Reports
All Hazards
The Resilient City: How Modern Cities Recover from Disaster. Lawrence J. Vale and Thomas J. Campanella, editors. ISBN 0-19-517583-2. 2005. 392 pp. $24.95. Available from Oxford University Press, 2001 Evans Road, Cary, NC 27513; (919) 677-0977, (800) 451-7556; e-mail: custserv.us@oup.com; http://www.oup.com/. For as long as they have existed, cities have been destroyed—sacked, shaken, burnt, bombed, flooded, starved, irradiated, and pillaged—in almost every case they have risen again. Rarely in modern times has a city not been rebuilt following destruction, be it natural or otherwise. This book explores urban disasters from around the globe and the ongoing restoration of urban life. It examines why cities are rebuilt, how a vision for the future gets incorporated into a new urban landscape, and how disasters have been interpreted and commemorated in built form. Featured disasters include the Oklahoma City bombing, the Chicago Fire, San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake, Mexico City’s 1985 earthquake, China’s Tangshan earthquake, and more.
Mitigation of Natural Hazards and Disasters. C. Emdad Haque, editor. ISBN 1-4020-3112-2. 2005. 240 pp. $99.00. Available from Springer New York, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013; (212) 460-1500; e-mail: service-ny@springer-sbm.com; http://www.springeronline.com/. Written for researchers and policy makers in natural hazards studies, this book examines aspects of prevention, mitigation, and management of environmental hazards and disasters from an international perspective. In light of the recent debate on climate change and the possible effects of such a change upon increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme environmental events, this publication reviews various policy and response discourses. Several case studies from various countries and world regions depicting recent experience in mitigation policy and program development and implementation and establishing links between vulnerability and mitigation are presented to provide further insights.
The Role of Science in Physical Natural Hazard Assessment: Report to the UK Government by the Natural Hazard Working Group. 2005. 44 pp. Available free online from the Office of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, UK; 020 7215 3910; http://www.ost.gov.uk/policy/bodies/nhwg/. The Natural Hazard Working Group was established following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami as an ad hoc advisory group to advise the prime minister on the mechanisms that could and should be established for the detection and early warning of physical natural hazards. The group’s report makes three recommendations: establish an International Science Panel for Natural Hazard Assessment, explore the possibility of extending the World Meteorological Organization early warning system to cover other natural hazards; and increase commitment at the national and international level to prioritize national capacity building for natural hazard assessment.
Standing Together: An Emergency Planning Guide for America’s Communities. 2005. 114 pp. Available free online from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; (630) 792-5000; http://www.jcaho.org/about+us/public+policy+initiatives/planning_guide.pdf. This planning guide provides expert guidance on the emergency management planning process that is applicable to small, rural, and suburban communities. Its goal is to remove readiness barriers by providing all communities with strategies, processes, and tools for coordinated emergency management planning. The target audience is local leaders, including elected and appointed officials, health care providers and practitioners, public health leaders, and others who are responsible for initiating and coordinating the emergency management planning effort in towns, suburbs, and rural areas throughout the United States. Based on two expert roundtable sessions that included representatives from federal, state, and local agencies; emergency responders; emergency preparedness planners; and public health and hospital community leaders, among others, the guide outlines 13 essential components of an effective community-based emergency management planning process and provides multiple planning strategies addressing each component.
Emergency Evacuation of People with Physical Disabilities from Buildings: 2004 Conference Proceedings. 2005. 72 pp. Published by the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street SW, Room 6050, Washington, DC 20202; (202) 245-7386. Available free online from the Interagency Committee on Disability Research; http://www.icdr.us/pubs.html. The result of an October 2004 conference, this report highlights research recommendations to improve available data, building and life safety codes, evacuation technologies, and evacuation practices for people with physical disabilities. It includes panel discussion summaries as well as breakout group recommendations and next steps.
Public Transportation Emergency Mobilization and Emergency Operations Guide. Transit Cooperative Research Program. ISBN 0-309-08833-8. 2005. 124 pp. $25.00. Available free online from the Transportation Research Board, Lockbox 289, Washington, DC 20055; (202) 334-3213; http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5259. This report examines activities that may be taken by public transportation agencies working with their local communities to promote the early recognition of emergency events, expedite response to emergency events, establish multiagency coordination, and ensure that public transportation resources are available to support the response to an emergency event. Written for transit general managers; transit emergency response, law enforcement, and security officials; and operations, training, and human resources staffs, it may also be of interest to federal, state, and local emergency response and emergency management representatives.
World Conference on Disaster Reduction 18-22 January 2005, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan: Proceedings of the Conference; Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. 2005. 147 pp. Available free online from the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Palais des Nations, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; e-mail: isdr@un.org; http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr/thematic-sessions/WCDR-proceedings-of-the-Conference.pdf. The purpose of this publication is to provide participants of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction and other interested readers with an easily accessible compendium of the main documents prepared for and agreed to by the conference. It includes a compilation of the main preparatory and outcome documents, as well as a succinct summary on the thematic segment.
Intended to complement each other, the following emergency and disaster management textbooks were written by Irmak Renda-Tanali and Claire B. Rubin for students, newcomers, and practitioners. They are available from Pearson Custom Publishing, 75 Arlington Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116; (800) 428-4466; http://www.pearsoncustom.com/.
Managing Change through Post-Event Evaluations. ISBN 0-536-94156-4. 2005. 344 pp. ~$50.00.
This textbook introduces the concepts of emergency and disaster management by looking at the history, definitions, and select past events that affected policy and planning for future disasters in the United States. The focus is on human-induced disasters and terrorism. Topics include types of hazards/threats/disasters—understanding risk; terrorism; transportation-related targets; critical infrastructure incidents; cyber and telecommunication security concerns; biological incidents; public, private, and nonprofit organizations response and preparedness activities; planning for future disasters; and recovery from disaster.Catastrophic Event Prevention Planning. ISBN 0-536-94155-6. 2005. 404 pp. ~$50.00.
This textbook introduces the concepts of emergency and disaster management by using examples of major and catastrophic disaster scenarios and measures to mitigate and plan for them. The focus is on natural disasters. Topics include types of hazards/threats/disasters—understanding risks; risk assessment/risk communication; risk management/risk mitigation; the four phases of emergency management; evaluating mitigation alternatives using cost benefit analysis; governmental, private, and nonprofit organizations response and preparedness activities; disaster scenario exercises; and recovery from disaster.
Sharing and Reducing the Financial Risks of Future “Mega-Catastrophes.” Robert E. Litan. Working Paper. 2005. 45 pp. Available free online from The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 797-6000; e-mail: escomment@brookings.edu; http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/litan/20051111.htm. Written in response to the devastating hurricane season of 2005, this essay examines two fundamental questions relating to how society should prepare for and pay for future natural disasters: how can the government best prevent or mitigate losses from future natural mega-catastrophes in a cost-effective manner and given that catastrophes, especially megacatastrophes, will continue to occur, who should pay for the damage, how, and when? The author argues that with the right policies, more can be done to minimize future losses to efficiently and fairly distribute the costs of those events. He concludes with a plan for addressing these issues by formalizing the current de facto federal disaster insurance program.
Community Leadership in a Risky World. 2005. CD-ROM. $25.00. Available from the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), 11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 210, Fairfax, VA 22030; (703) 352-1846; http://www.riskinstitute.org/. Produced and distributed by PERI and the National Center for Small Communities, this CD-ROM provides training tools and information to help small communities and local governments initiate effective risk management programs by simplifying and better directing developmental efforts. The tools are ready for use by trainers of leaders of small communities and include case studies, PowerPoint slides, background material, classroom activities, and manuals. A starter kit can be downloaded for free at http://www.riskinstitute.org/test.php?pid=pubs&tid=1129.
Final Report for the Northeastern Local, Regional, and State RS/GIT Outreach Workshop. Lisa Warnecke, Kevin Neimond, Robert Brower, Matthew Mercurio, and Elizabeth Miller. 2005. 178 pp. Available free online from the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College, James T. Walsh Regional Economic Center, 199 Franklin Street, Suite 300, Auburn, NY 13021; (315) 252-8669; e-mail: info@iagt.org; http://www.iagt.org/pdf/NEAF_04_Final_Report.pdf. In 2004, selected local and state leaders from 14 northeastern states participated in a federally funded workshop to discuss remote sensing (RS) and other geographic/geospatial information technology (GIT). A key conclusion was that intergovernmental GIT coordination and outreach must be elevated as a critical component of federal programs to leverage and maximize GIT investments, opportunities, and results across all levels of government to better serve the public. Discussions included water and natural resources management, planning and community growth management, and homeland security and disaster/emergency management. These findings provide a foundation for leaders to develop and implement action plans that advocate improved GIT outreach and intergovernmental collaboration and for federal and other GIT outreach providers to apply in evaluating current programs and designing future efforts.
Hurricanes and Coastal Management
EMAC After-Action Report, 2004: Hurricane Response. Emergency Assistance Management Compact (EMAC). 2005. 88 pp. Available free online from the National Emergency Management Association, PO Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578; (859) 244-8000; e-mail: nemaadmin@csg.org; http://www.emacweb.org/. The purpose of this report was to research the effectiveness of assistance obtained by states that requested aid through EMAC in response to the hurricanes of 2004. The report comprises two principle annexes: the first presents the views of representatives from thestates that asked for assistance, and the second describes the perspective of the states that rendered assistance when it was requested. The principle annexes describe the roles and responsibilities of the subject organizations and the general nature of their engagement during response and recovery operations and discuss positive accomplishments and issues for improvement along with related recommendations organized under five categories: executing deployment, command and control, logistics, field operations, and mobilization and demobilization. A third annex offers a brief summary of federal emergency response activities as well as EMAC-related issues and recommendations.
Hurricane Katrina: Profile of a Super Cat; Lessons and Implications for Catastrophe Risk Management. 2005. 31 pp. Available free online from Risk Management Solutions (RMS), 7015 Gateway Boulevard, Newark, CA 94560; (510) 505-2500; e-mail: info@rms.com; http://www.rms.com/Publications/KatrinaReport_LessonsandImplications.pdf. One month after Hurricane Katrina and the Great New Orleans Flood, RMS released this special report summarizing these two events in the context of the insurance industry. It discusses the storm’s impacts, modeling losses, and lessons learned. Additionally, it profiles a super catastrophe and outlines the consequences for risk management as a result of the great storm.
Environmentally Friendly Coastal Protection. Claus Zimmermann, Robert G. Dean, Valeri Penchev, and Henk Jan Verhagen, editors. ISBN 1-4020-3300-1. 2005. 276 pp. $74.95. Available from Springer New York, PO Box 2485, Secaucus, NJ 07094-2485; (212) 460-1500, (800) 777-4643; e-mail: service-ny@springer-sbm.com; http://www.springeronline.com/. This book is the result of the Advanced Research Workshop on Environmentally Friendly Coastal Structures. The objectives of the conference were to contribute to the critical assessment of existing knowledge in the field of coastal and environmental protection, identify directions for future research in that area, and promote close working relationships between scientists from different countries and with different professional experience. Written for civil engineers, environmental activists, and coastal zone managers, this book features the latest trends in research in coastal and environmental protection summarized in 17 papers that attempt to cover as completely as possible the many components associated with coastal protection—the coasts, engineering structures, water, sediments, and ecosystems—and their complicated interactions.
An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature. Craig E. Colten. ISBN 0-8071-2977-1. 2005. 245 pp. $39.95. Available from the Louisiana State University Press, PO Box 25053, Baton Rouge, LA 70894-5053; (225) 578-8271, (800) 861-3477; e-mail: lsupressorders@lsu.edu; http://www.lsu.edu/lsupress/. Particularly relevant in the post-Katrina world, this book traces engineered modifications to New Orleans’ natural environment over the past two centuries. Before the city could swell in size and commercial importance as its nineteenth-century boosters envisioned, builders had to wrest it from its waterlogged site, protect it from floods, expel disease, and supply basic services using local resources. The author shows how every manipulation of the environment made an impact on the city’s social geography as well—often with unequal, adverse consequences for minorities—and how each still requires maintenance and improvement today.
Earthquakes and Landslides
Learning from Earthquakes: The EERI Learning from Earthquakes Program: A Brief Synopsis of Major Contributions. 2005. 31 pp. Free. Available from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612; (510) 451-0905; e-mail: eeri@eeri.org; http://www.eeri.org/lfe/pdf/Report_LFE_Contributions.pdf. EERI’s Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) program has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 1973. At the heart of this program are the multidisciplinary reconnaissance teams that conduct field research in the wake of damaging earthquakes around the world and bring back observations and lessons for the profession. In these 30+ years, many important advances in engineering, earth sciences, public policy, and the social sciences have resulted from initial observations made by these reconnaissance teams. The information in this report, provided by a broad group of researchers and practitioners representing the many disciplines in the LFE program, summarizes some of the LFE program’s recent contributions and addresses its broader impacts.
Landslide Hazards and Planning. James C. Schwab, Paula L. Gori, and Sanjay Jeer, editors. Planning Advisory Service Report Number 533/534. ISBN 1-932364-12-9. 2005. 175 pp. $60.00. Available from the Planners Book Service, American Planning Association, 122 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603; (312) 786-6344; e-mail: bookservice@planning.org; http://www.planning.org/bookservice/. Landslides occur primarily in mountainous regions, but flatter parts of the country are not immune. Landslides often occur with other natural disasters such as wildfires and floods, making them an important consideration in hazard mitigation planning and comprehensive plans. The intent of this report is to help planners minimize the risk landslides pose to life and property. It describes best practices that can mitigate losses, explaining remedial tactics for landslide areas where development already exists and regulatory tools for preventing development or ensuring the safest possible development.
Landslide Hazard and Risk. Thomas Glade, Malcom Anderson, and Michael J. Crozier, editors. ISBN 0-471-48633-9. 2005. 824 pp. $225.00. Available from John Wiley & Son, Inc., Customer Care Center, Consumer Accounts, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256; (877) 762-2974; http://www.wiley.com/. With the increasing need to take a holistic view of landslide hazard and risk, this book provides an overview of the concept of risk research and addresses the sociological and psychological issues resulting from landslides. Its integrated approach offers understanding and ability for concerned organizations, landowners, land managers, insurance companies, and researchers to develop risk management solutions. Global case studies illustrate a variety of integrated approaches, and a concluding section provides specifications and contexts for the next generation of process models.
Climate Change
Climate Change Futures: Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions. Paul R. Epstein and Evan Mills, editors. 2005. 142 pp. Available free online from Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Second Floor East, Boston, MA 02215; (617) 384-8530, e-mail: chge@hms.harvard.edu; http://www.climatechangefutures.org/. The Climate Change Futures project was developed from the concerns of three institutions, the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, Swiss Re, and the United Nations Development Programme. The study, which shows that climate change will significantly affect the health of humans and ecosystems and that these impacts will have economic consequences, is comprised of three primary elements: trends, case studies, and scenarios, which detail and analyze current climate change related consequences.
Health
Writing a Disaster Plan: A Guide for Health Departments. 2005. 103 pp. Available free from the University of California at Los Angeles, Center for Public Health and Disasters, 145 Gayley Avenue, Suite 304, Los Angeles, CA 90024; (310) 794-0864; e-mail: cphdr@ucla.edu; http://www.cphd.ucla.edu/. This guide was developed to help emergency and public health planners design all-hazards disaster plans. It is organized into five sections: Staff Preparedness, Preparing to Write Your Plan, Components of a Disaster Plan, Preparing to Implement Your Disaster Plan, and Glossary of Acronyms. After reviewing this guide, readers should be able to understand the importance of an all-hazards approach to plan development, identify and prioritize the hazards affecting their community, gather appropriate personnel to write a disaster plan, develop a working draft, and evaluate the effectiveness of their plan through structured exercises and the incorporation of necessary changes.
On the Ground after September 11: Mental Health Responses and Practical Knowledge Gained. Yael Danieli and Robert L. Dingman, editors. ISBN 0-7890-2907-3. 2005. 672 pp. $69.95. Available from The Haworth Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904; (607) 722-5857, (800) 429-6784; e-mail: orders@haworthpress.com; http://www.haworthpress.com/. This book is a compilation of over one hundred personal and professional first-hand accounts of September 11, 2001, from the moment the first plane struck to the months that mental health professionals worked to ease the pain and trauma of others, even while they themselves were traumatized. It provides insight into the damage the attack had on U.S. society, the failures and victories of the response systems, and the path of healing that mental health workers need to travel to be of service to their clients. These personal accounts reveal the broad range of responses to the event and illuminate how mental health services can most effectively be delivered. Recommendations describe ways to better finance assistance, adapt the training of mental health professionals, and modify organizations’ response to the needs of victims in future events.
Terrorism and Other Public Health Emergencies: A Reference Guide for Media. 2005. 269 pp. Free. Available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201; (240) 629-3161; http://www.hhs.gov/emergency/mediaguide/PDF/ (the online version will be updated as new information arises). This media guide is intended to provide information about how the public health system is preparing for and will respond to previously unthinkable events, such as September 11. More specifically, it aims to offer the best possible information about worst-case scenarios. Through this effort, the HHS intends to provide the best available and most essential up-to-date health-related facts and background information that will be needed in the event of a terrorist attack or public health emergency. Topics include preparation and response in public health; biological, chemical, and radiological weapons; terrorism and the food supply; the role of the federal government; self-care for the media; the range of public reactions; risk communications; and the history of biological, chemical, and radiation emergencies.
Terrorism
Estimating Terrorism Risk. Henry H. Willis, Andrew R. Morral, Terrence K. Kelly, and Jamison Jo Medby. ISBN 0-8330-3834-6. 2005. 90 pp. $20.00. Available free online from the RAND Corporation, Customer Service, PO Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138; (310) 451-7002, (877) 584-8642; e-mail: order@rand.org; http://www.rand.org/publications/MG/MG388/. To help federal officials determine how to distribute billions of dollars in homeland security grants each year, this report examines how best to estimate terrorism risk in cities that receive funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Areas Security Initiative. The initiative provides grants to help cities prepare for, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and most of its funds are currently allocated based on a formula that combines rough indicators of the risk of terrorism, such as population size. This report offers a practical definition of terrorism risk and a method for estimating it that addresses inherent uncertainties. It also demonstrates a framework for evaluating alternative risk estimates. Finally, it makes five recommendations for improving resource allocation.
GAO Reports
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports provide background information and insight into key issues and concerns of the U.S. Congress. The office frequently publishes studies regarding hazards and disaster policy. Some recent GAO reports and testimonies that might interest Observer readers are listed below. Summaries and full text are available on the Web at http://www.gao.gov/. Printed copies are also available. The first copy is free. Additional copies are $2.00 each. To order, contact the GAO, 441 G Street NW, Room LM, Washington, DC 20548; (202) 512-6000; TDD: (202) 512-2537; http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/ordtab.pl.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Improvements Needed to Enhance Oversight and Management of the National Flood Insurance Program. GAO-06-119. 2005. 52 pp.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Challenges Facing the National Flood Insurance Program. GAO-06-174T. 2005. 18 pp.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Oversight and Management of the National Flood Insurance Program. GAO-06-183T. 2005. 22 pp.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Preliminary Observations on Contracting for Response and Recovery Efforts. GAO-06-246T. 2005. 10 pp.
Army Corps of Engineers: History of the Lake Ponchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection Project. GAO-06-244T. 2005. 13 pp.
PERI Small Entity
Scholarship Program
The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) will award $1,000 scholarships to up to 40 individuals to attend the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) Annual Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 11-14, 2006. The conference will bring together employees and local officials, vendors, and suppliers interested in improving risk management in the public sector.
PERI’s Small Entity Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to help staff and officials of small public jurisdictions and community nonprofit organizations attend the PRIMA conference. Scholarship recipients will receive $1,000 that can be used for any conference expense (air, hotel, registration, meals, etc.). The program is open to employees and elected officials of local governments and schools and staff and board members of a small community of nonprofit organizations.
Only one individual per organization may receive a scholarship in a single year. Eligibility is based on the size or operating budget of the organization and the scope of the applicant’s risk management responsibilities. Applications must be postmarked no later than February 24, 2006, and sent via mail, e-mail, or fax. Applications should be sent to Small Entity Scholarship Program, Attention: Audre Hoffman, PERI, 11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 210, Fairfax, VA 22030; fax: (703) 352-6339; e-mail: ahoffman@riskinstitute.org. For eligibility guidelines and application procedures, visit http://www.riskinstitute.org/test.php?pid=news&tid=1559.
IBHS and ACSP Scholarship in
Planning and Natural Hazards
The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) are requesting submissions for the annual scholarship award in planning and natural hazards.
Papers should address land use or other types of planning that incorporate natural hazards, including, but not limited to, flooding, coastal erosion, land subsidence, earthquakes, or other geologic or meteorological hazards whose risks can be minimized through community, regional, and state planning. Undergraduate, graduate, and joint faculty/student papers are eligible. For joint faculty/student papers, the student must be the first author and designated presenter of the paper.
Submit abstracts directly to the ACSP conference organizers between January 10 and February 28, 2006. Only papers accepted for presentation at the conference in Fort Worth, Texas, November 9-12, 2006, will be eligible for the award. Authors whose abstracts are accepted for presentation will be notified and expected to submit final papers, not to exceed 20 pages, electronically to the ACSP-IBHS committee chair by June 30, 2006. Final papers will be reviewed during the summer of 2006 with notification in September. One $500 prize will be presented at the ACSP conference. The winner will agree to first publication rights by IBHS in its quarterly publication Disaster Safety Review.
Abstract submission procedures can be found at http://www.acsp.org/. Abstracts must be submitted directly to the ACSP conference organizers and to the ACSP-IBHS committee chair. For more information, contact Diana McClure at dmcclure@ibhs.org or Ann-Margaret Esnard at aesnard@fau.edu.
Graduate Research Assistant
Earns Commerce Medals
Erica Kuligowski, a graduate research assistant at the Natural Hazards Center, is being recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce with two prestigious awards: a bronze and a gold medal. The bronze medal recognizes the extraordinary support demonstrated by Erica and three of her colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Fire Research Division to ensure the accuracy and quality of the analysis, simulations, final report, and recommendations of the investigation of the Station Nightclub Fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Erica is also a member of a team of 37 individuals awarded a gold medal for scientific and engineering achievement and administrative and technical support in conducting the three-year, $16 million investigation of the World Trade Center disaster (see pp. 1-3 of this Observer), recognized to be the most complex and sophisticated building failure investigation in U.S. history. Final reports documenting both of these projects are available on the NIST Web site at http://www.nist.gov/. Congratulations Erica!