| Purdue Experts on Hurricane Sandy-related Issues Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:55 PM PDT Makarand Hastak, professor of civil engineering, head of construction engineering and management Researchers at Purdue University specialize in systems that predict how a disaster's impact on critical infrastructure would affect a city's social and economic fabric, a potential tool to help reduce the severity of impacts, manage the aftermath of catastrophe and fortify infrastructure against future disasters. The model simulates how a disaster affects elements such as bridges, roads, municipal water and wastewater treatment services, along with vital economic and social components such as employers, hospitals, schools and churches. The research includes work to determine the resilience and capacity of a community, debris management and alternate financing strategies for disaster risk mitigation, particularly for a developing nation. The work is led by Makarand Hastak, professor of civil engineering and head of construction engineering and management at Purdue University, and doctoral student Abhijeet Deshmukh. CONTACTS: Makarand Hastak, 765-494-0641, hastak@purdue.edu Abhijeet Deshmukh, adeshmuk@purdue.edu Daniel Aldrich, associate professor of political science, Disaster recovery expert Aldrich can talk about the role neighbors and community relationships play when recovering from a disaster. His research shows that people who have stronger individual friendships, community connections and civic involvement are more likely to have access to resources and information during and after a disaster. Aldrich is author of the new book "Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery," and he has studied evacuation, disaster recovery and community rebuilding following Hurricane Katrina, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, the 1923 earthquake in Tokyo and the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan. Personal homepage: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~daldrich/ CONTACT: Daniel P. Aldrich, daniel.aldrich@gmail.com Julio Ramirez, chief officer of NEES, professor of civil engineering Researchers who are part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) focus on earthquake effects but also have occasionally studied questions related to the potential effects of high winds on high-rise buildings, storm surge on levees and other critical structures affected by hurricanes. "In some cases earthquakes demand flexibility, whereas wind demands stiffness," said Julio Ramirez, chief officer of NEES and a professor of civil engineering at Purdue. "So they offer competing design challenges." Through NEES, researchers are developing tools to learn how earthquakes impact the buildings, bridges, utility systems and other critical components of today's society. The same tools, however, help to safeguard structures against the forces exerted on structures by high winds. Nearly 400 NEES projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation, other government agencies and industry have been completed or are in progress since 2002. In 2009, Purdue entered into a five-year Cooperative Agreement with the NSF to lead NEES and its experimental facilities located at universities across the country. NEES is made up of 14 university partners from around the nation and Purdue University, home of the headquarters for operations, deployment of cyberinfrastructure education, training and outreach activities CONTACT: Julio Ramirez, 765-494-2716, Ramirez@purdue.edu Steve Cain, Purdue Extension Disaster Education Network The best way for people to help victims of Hurricane Sandy this week is by donating cash that would go directly to meet specific needs in flooded areas, a Purdue University disaster education specialist said. "Cash is best," said Steve Cain, Purdue Extension Disaster Education Network homeland security project director. "It is better to donate cash instead of goods because local responders can more readily convert that into what's needed." Cain, who also is president of the national disaster-aid relief group Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, of which Purdue Extension is a member, and serves on the board of the National VOAD, said people wanting to help can donate cash through the group's website at http://www.nvoad.org/donate. Donations will go toward specific needs in affected areas. Donations such as clothing and household items can become difficult for disaster responders to handle and might not be needed in some areas. Cain suggests that individuals and organizations with goods they want to donate might be more effective if they sell those items at a garage sale and donate the money raised. CONTACT: Steve Cain, 765-583-3348, cain@purdue.edu Eugene C. Spafford, executive director of CERIAS - Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security Spafford can speak about best practices to know that you are donating to a legitimate relief effort or if a website seeking donations is a scam. Spafford is a foremost figure in the cybersecurity field for his leadership in foundational research in security technology, his leading role in the development of influential educational programs, and his longtime advocacy and public service in information security. He has worked with the government, law enforcement, corporate and academic officials, two U.S. presidents, the FBI, the departments of Justice and Energy, the U.S. Air Force, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop Grumman, and the National Science Foundation. He has testified before Congress many times on cybersecurity and has received numerous professional recognitions and distinctions. Personal homepage: http://spaf.cerias.purdue.edu/ CONTACT: Eugene C. Spafford, 765-494-7825 Note to Journalists: The Purdue University experts below can talk about certain topics related to Hurricane Sandy. Source contact information is listed below. Media contacts are Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu, James Schenke, broadcast media liaison, (Office) 765-494-6262, (Mobile) 765-237-7296, jschenke@purdue.edu, and Amy Patterson Neubert. 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu |
| Tips to Avoid Being Scammed in Donating to Hurricane Sandy victims Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:53 PM PDT WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The many pictures and news reports of massive destruction and loss of life and property from Hurricane Sandy is triggering an urge for people to help. But it's important that donors know where their money is actually going, says a Purdue University cybersecurity expert. "We've seen it time and again, and con artists and scammers are continually coming up with advanced methods to take people's money through contributions - often online," says Eugene H. Spafford, professor and executive director of CERIAS - Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security. Researchers at CERIAS know that criminals will take advantage of the most tragic of circumstances, counting on people's sense of urgency to "do something" to overcome their normal caution, Spafford says. "Be alert to fraudulent but sincere-sounding appeals for aid from hurricane victims or from what appear to be charities," he says. "These solicitations may be sent as email to you or a group to which you belong, as postings or messages on a social newsgroup such as Facebook or Twitter, as a phone call from someone soliciting donations, or as a website to which you are directed or that pops up when visiting a site." Some of these fraudulent appeals will sound convincing, and the associated websites will appear official and legitimate. Here are some tips from CERIAS on how to avoid being scammed, now and at other times: Do not enter any information at a Web page that pops up unexpectedly when you visit some other site. Never click on a website address in email sent to you; it may look official, but most will be pointers to fraud or attack sites. Don't assume that every Web address returned by a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing) is a legitimate organization. Do not respond to emails requesting donations or making a special offer (such as asking you to hold their assets). Do not reveal any personal or financial information during a phone call you did not dial yourself. If a friend forwards a URL, phone number or email, don't trust it until you check its validity. Your friend may have been scammed first. Spafford recommends the American Red Cross, available online at http://www.redcross.org, as a reliable charity for domestic disaster relief. CERIAS is the nation's premier interdisciplinary academic center for research and education. For more information, contact Spafford at 765-494-7825, or visit the CERIAS website at http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/ Writer: Jim Bush, 765-494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu Source: Eugene Spafford, 765-494-7825, spaf@purdue.edu |
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