Recruitment Letter

MONTH, XX YEAR

CONTACT NAME
POSITION
HOSPITAL/SCHOOL NAME
ADDRESS
Dear CONTACT NAME:
I am writing to request your cooperation with my agency, the U.S. National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), as we assess the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico.
The goal of our work is to consider and recommend improvements in building codes, standards
and practices to make communities across the United States more resilient to hurricanes and
other disasters.
NIST has a long history of studying disasters – including hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and
fires – which has led to recommendations and changes to keep people safer. NIST has statutory
authority to study these disasters and to make recommendations, but it has no regulatory
authority to require its recommendations to be followed. Rather, NIST works cooperatively with
government agencies at all levels as well as with the private sector and academia. As we examine
the impacts of Hurricane Maria, we have been working closely with many Puerto Rico
departments and agencies, including the Departments of Health and Education, which has been
very helpful. More information about our efforts is available at:
https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria
In Puerto Rico, NIST is being assisted by Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., an engineering
consulting firm, and by the Horsley Witten Group, Inc., an environmental engineering and
planning firm that is supporting the social science data collection being conducted in Puerto
Rico. Stantec has organized a team of engineering experts based in Puerto Rico to aid us in
gathering data and understanding the effects of the hurricane on critical buildings, including
hospitals, schools, and shelters. Horsley Witten has organized a team of social science experts to
aid us in gathering data and understanding the event’s impact on the loss and recovery of social
functions, including the services provided by hospitals and schools.
NIST has selected HOSPITAL/SCHOOL NAME to include in our survey of social institutions.
Your staff could significantly advance our efforts – thereby improving future public safety – by
cooperating with Stantec and the Horsley Witten Group. On behalf of NIST, Horsley Witten will
be interested in identifying appropriate staff to provide information (via surveys or interviews)
on the loss and recovery of services following the hurricane.
Major findings and recommendations of our study will be published widely. However, we do not
share all information that is gathered as part of our effort – especially security-sensitive,
proprietary, or personally identifiable information.
We earnestly hope that you will be able to cooperate with NIST, Stantec, and the Horsley Witten
team. The results of our work can go a long way to improving public safety in Puerto Rico and
more broadly in the future. The results will certainly be relevant to your particular facility, and

we will ensure that you are provided with that information directly. If you have any questions or
concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at maria.dillard@nist.gov or 202-2810908.
Also, please consider Dr. Domingo J. Marqués the point of contact for the Horsley Witten team.
Dr. Marqués can be reached at dmarques@albizu.edu or 787-725-6500, ext. 1999. Dr. Juan
Carlos Virella Crespo is the point of contact for the Stantec Team and may be reached at
NISTstudyPuertoRico@stantec.com and jcvirella@yahoo.com or 787-453-8600.
Sincerely,

Maria Dillard, Ph.D.
NIST Hurricane Maria Team Associate Lead
cc:
Dr. Joseph Main, NIST Hurricane Maria Team Lead
Dr. Juan Carlos Virella Crespo, Stantec Team member
Dr. Domingo Marqués, Horsley Witten Team member, Albizu University