Chairman Carper Announces Call for Nominations for the 2014 Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience

WASHINGTON—Today, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del) announced an open call for nominations for the 2014 Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience is DHS’s national resilience award for superior leadership and innovation by a non-governmental individual or organization that exemplifies the qualities and achievements of Rick Rescorla. The award honors leadership in effective preparation, response, and recovery in the face of disasters.

The award was created in 2012 in memory of Richard “Rick” Rescorla, who, on September 11, 2001 led a massive evacuation of Morgan Stanley’s 2,700-person workforce located in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, saving the lives of many of his coworkers and sacrificing his own during the effort. Last year, St. Francis De Sales Parish, the New York Mets, and Walgreens received the Rescorla Award for their humanitarian efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

“In a moment of chaos and tragedy, Rick Rescorla’s courageous efforts saved thousands of lives and forever moved our nation,” said Chairman Carper. “Therefore, it is appropriate that we remember and honor his legacy by highlighting those individuals and organizations that demonstrate the same qualities of strength, resilience and preparedness during a disaster that he did on 9/11. I encourage anyone interested in nominating an individual or organization for this award to visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website for more information.”

For more information on the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience and how to nominate an individual or organization, visit www.dhs.gov/rrraward.  All nominations must be submitted by email to the following DHS email address: rescorlaaward@hq.dhs.gov. The nomination forms and supporting materials must be returned no later than July 17, 2014 in order to be considered for recognition in 2014.