NEW YORK CITY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Established in 1996, the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) works to plan and prepare for emergencies; educate the public about preparedness; coordinate emergency response and recovery; collect and disseminate critical emergency information; and seek funding opportunities to support the overall preparedness of the City of New York.

Ready New York is the City's educational campaign to encourage New York City residents to prepare for all types of emergencies. Ready New York takes an all-hazards approach to preparing, based on three guiding principles: knowing the hazards in New York City, making a household disaster plan, and stocking emergency supplies. Ready New York's resources now include eight multilingual publications, numerous public service announcements, multimedia advertising campaigns, extensive web content, a speakers' bureau, a reprinting program, corporate partnerships, and continuous community outreach.

Read an invitation letter from OEM Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno

OEM received support and guidance from many public and private groups during the preparation of this competition. The Rockefeller Foundation provided generous financial support and Architecture for Humanity New York provided consultation and outreach.

THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
The Rockefeller Foundation was established in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller, Sr., to "promote the well-being" of humanity by addressing the root causes of serious problems. The foundation works around the world to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and to help ensure that globalization's benefits are more widely shared. With assets of more than $3.5 billion, it is one of the few institutions to conduct such work both within the United States and internationally.

ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY NEW YORK
Architecture for Humanity New York (AFHny) is the New York City affiliate of Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit organization created to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. AFHny creates opportunities for architects and designers to partner with city agencies and non-profit organizations based in New York City to carry out projects that contribute to community development at all scales. AFHny advocates for innovative, multidisciplinary, and socially conscious approaches to design. AFHny's involvement in this competition follows AFH's sponsorship of three design competitions that focused on urgent social issues; one for refugee housing in Kosovo, and two related to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in South Africa.