Lindell quoted in New York Times about earthquake trial in Italy

Michael Lindell, professor of urban planning at Texas A&M, was quoted a New York Times’ Oct. 3, 2011 [article] (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/science/04quake.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210) examining scientists’ role in warning the public of possible hazards.

Lindell told the Times’ Henry Fountain that, in general, scientists should advise emergency managers about the likelihood of events, then managers should make yes-or-no decisions about whether to order an evacuation or urge the public to make other, simpler preparations.

The article was about a 2009 earthquake that killed more than 300 residents of L’Aquila, Italy.

Six seismologists and a government official are being tried on manslaughter charges in the central Italian city stemming from what the authorities say was a failure to warn the population; before the quake, an government official who was not a seismologist said there was no danger from quakes despite recent seismic activity in the region.

Lindell, whose research focuses on environmental hazards and emergency management, is a senior scholar and senior faculty fellow at the [Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center] (http://archone.tamu.edu/hrrc/) .