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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff will dedicate the new National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC) at Sandia National Laboratories on Monday, Sept. 18, at 9 a.m.
Chertoff will be joined by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M). They will receive an overview of NISAC’s technical contributions to the nation’s homeland security efforts and demonstrations of several technologies.
NISAC is a partnership between Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia under the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Preparedness Directorate. It was established in 2000 to integrate the laboratories’ expertise in modeling and simulation of complex systems to examine both natural and man-made infrastructure national security issues.
Sandia is a National Nuclear Security Administration laboratory.
These capabilities aid decision makers in preparedness, consequence and risk analysis, policy analysis, investment and mitigation planning, education and training, and provide near real-time assistance to crisis-response organizations.
During the current 2006 hurricane season, NISAC has analyzed regions vulnerable to hurricane damage so that data on key population issues, impacts of infrastructure disruptions, and economic consequences could be quickly available to impacted communities in the event of an actual event. NISAC’s website at Sandia includes more information on NISAC and its work supporting homeland security.
NISAC is the first facility built at a Department of Energy site using DHS funding and illustrates the increasing importance of Sandia’s non-nuclear research and development. DHS is currently working with priority projects including radiological and nuclear countermeasures, explosives detection, chemical and biological sensors and facility protection efforts.
LANL is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA’s Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.
Members of the news media covering the event must arrive at the parking lot at the southeast corner of Louisiana and Gibson for escort into Sandia no later than 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 18.
To participate, members of the news media must call Stephanie Holinka at (505) 284-9227 no later than 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 18, to arrange for escort.