Dr. Matthew C. Cordaro, Director of the Center for Management Analysis, to
Recommend Creation of a NYS Disaster Command Center on Long Island

Recommendation will come in remarks before New York State Assembly
December 13 public hearing on disaster preparedness

On Tuesday, December 13, 2005 Dr. Matthew C. Cordaro, Director of the Center for Management Analysis at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and Associate Dean of the campus’ College of Management, will discuss Long Island’s disaster preparedness at a public hearing of the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Local Governments and the NYS Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Operations. The hearing will be an examination of the readiness of local governments to respond to disasters.

Dr. Cordaro’s testimony will include a recommendation that a New York State Disaster Command Center be established on Long Island.

He will explain why – with two major counties and a portion of New York City located on the Island – there exists an urgent need for a single command and control center to coordinate region-wide responses to major disasters. Dr. Cordaro will discuss how such a centralized approach to crisis management can prevent the type of confusion and disorganization seen in New Orleans following the devastation by Hurricane Katrina.

Dr. Cordaro will suggest that, as in other states, this new center should be headed up by the State’s Office of Emergency Management or Homeland Security. He will point out that the new State Disaster Command Center must be designed and equipped to deal with many different disaster possibilities – not just hurricanes. In addition, he will address the fact that other county and utility emergency response centers will continue to play their critical roles in responding to major crises, but that the involvement of the state with clear overall authority to manage emergency recovery operations by coordinating the functions of all responders, including the federal government, would be a significant improvement over what now exists.

Dr. Cordaro is a 40-year veteran of the energy industry and has extensive experience in dealing with major emergencies. He has led several major disaster recovery efforts at utilities nationwide and was responsible for an overhaul of LILCO's emergency restoration operations following Hurricane Gloria during his tenure there (1966 to 1988, when he resigned as Senior Vice President of Electric and Gas Operations, Engineering and Construction).

Many experts agree that Long Island will likely be challenged at some point with a natural disaster on par with those that recently struck the Gulf Coast region. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, recently told a Senate subcommittee that we are currently in a period of heightened hurricane activity that could last another decade or two.

Cordaro says, “Long Islanders must ask themselves, Will we be ready? And will our government and industry be prepared with an efficient and effective plan, and the organizational structure to carry it out?”

The Assembly hearing will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning December 13 at the H. Lee Dennison Building located at 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge. For additional information, call the C.W. Post Office of Public Relations at (516) 299-2332.