As Hurricane Laura intensified into a Category 4 storm, public officials had to make decisions about evacuation during a time of sheltering in place. Researchers at Texas A&M University developed a risk index to guide decisionmaking processes.
Ali Mostafavi, associate professor of civil engineering, is working with a team of researchers at the Texas A&M University UrbanResilience.AI Lab to examine the relationship between "urban infrastructure and people and systems in disasters."
Mostafavi's recent article in The Conversation describes the team's research on compounding risk factors like COVID-19, wildfires in the West, and storm preparation and the potential need for evacuation in the South. The research aims to understand which areas are the most vulnerable to these commingling events through a compound hazard risk index.
The research and risk index are meant to help public officials make data-informed decisions about evacuation and hazard mitigation. "Our research shows that compound disasters have complex ramifications. At the intersection of a natural hazard and a pandemic is a decision process fraught with contradictions," writes Mostafavi.
Mostafavi continues by explaining that "using data on social vulnerability, pandemic risk and hazard probability, my lab created an interactive map that pinpoints sources of vulnerability. The goal is to enable disaster response managers and decision makers to recognize the compound risks posed by the confluence of the pandemic and any natural hazard."
As officials prepare for and respond to natural hazards, Mostafavi's team continues to contribute to the conversation and highlight the areas that are most at risk.
FULL STORY: Hurricanes and wildfires are colliding with the COVID-19 pandemic – and compounding the risks
Coronavirus a Major New Complication for Extreme Weather Events
Climate change might not allow the relief from the pandemic that many have been hoping for as the country enters the summer months, as evacuations during the hurricane, tornado, and fire seasons will take on new elements of risk.
Serpentine Maze: Pop-Up Parks in the Pandemic
If the combined effects of winter's cold and the pandemic has you bummed, check out this community-building exercise in the frozen North.
Five Actions to Combat COVID-19 in Hawaii
A data-driven approach is needed to figure out how the disease has spread in the islands and what can be done to contain it.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations
Bublr Bikes, one of the nation’s most successful, will add 500 new e-bikes to its system.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service