On 2 January, Shaun Donovan, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, visited Deltares.
He was accompanied by Henk Ovink, the deputy Director-General for space and water at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Chargé d’Affaires Edwin R. Nolan and William Echols, the economics officer with the American Embassy in the Netherlands.
Secretary Donovan is interested in water management in the Netherlands. His interest was sparked by hurricane Sandy, which lashed the East Coast of the United States last year. After the hurricane, President Obama promised federal aid for the areas affected both in the immediate aftermath and long-term. President Obama asked Secretary Donovan to coordinate the long-term effort and to manage the recovery of the areas affected.
Dutch expertise could be important here. Secretary Donovan had discussions with, among others, Jaap Kwadijk, the Deltares Scientific Director.
[mappress]
Press Release, January 3, 2013