Since September 13, 2001, DRC has been conducting field work 

and using other data-collection methods to document and analyze 

the communitywide organizational response to the World Trade 

Center attack in New York City. The Center is seeking to identify 

lessons learned that can help other cities better prepare for and 

respond to catastrophic and near-catastrophic events, including 

both those caused by  intentional acts of terrorism and those 

caused by natural and technological disasters.  DRC's ongoing 

research program on the World Trade Center disaster is being 

carried out with funding from the National Science Foundation, the 

Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research at

the State University of New York at Buffalo, and the Public Entity 

Risk Institute. Preliminary findings from DRC's initial World Trade 

Center research  can be found on this web site, and new items will 

be added as they become available.
 

Our nation has learned much as a result of September 11 and its 

aftermath.  Among those lessons is the need to enhance the 

capacity of communities to prepare for and respond to major 

community crises, regardless of their causes.  This has been a focus

of DRC's work for four decades, and we thank the disaster 

victims, public and private officials, and scholars who have 

provided and who continue to provide important insights on how to

better manage hazards and disasters.

Research Update

News Release