NEW YORK CITY-Brad Gair, a key federal executive directly involved in helping New York City recover after 9/11, has been appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as director of housing recovery operations to respond to the needs of New Yorkers after super-storm Sandy walloped the five boroughs, especially the Rockaways, Staten Island and south Brooklyn.

In his new role, Gair – a Brooklyn resident with 20 years of experience in post-disaster recovery – will develop and implement a comprehensive plan to house New Yorkers displaced by Sandy.

As a senior official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency – FEMA – from 1999 through 2006, he managed long-term hurricane recovery efforts in Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina. From 2006 through 2009, he was deputy commissioner for operations at the city’s Office of Emergency Management.