A Clearinghouse for Natural Hazards Research and Applications Kathleen Tierney, Principal Investigator Natural Hazards Center, Institute of Behavioral Science University of Colorado Boulder
Every year, disasters cause numerous deaths and injuries and many economic losses in the U. S. The costs of disasters continue to rise, owing largely to growing population density in hazardous areas such as floodplains, coastal areas that are at risk from hurricane winds and storm surges, and parts of the country that are at risk from wildland fires. Disasters present complex and difficult recovery challenges for communities, businesses, and households and their psychological effects can linger long after disaster impact. The University of Colorado?s Natural Hazards Center seeks to prevent and reduce these negative impacts and enhance the disaster resilience of the nation through transferring knowledge on the social, economic, political, and psychosocial dimensions of disasters to decision makers, the emergency management community, and the general public, as well as through leadership and advocacy. To advance these goals, the Center provides a range of information products, including: 1) library and information services; 2) electronic newsletters and listservs (Natural Hazards Observer, DR, Disaster Grads) aimed at providing information to public officials, private entities, researchers, students, and the general public; 3) a web site that is the most widely-recognized in the hazards and disasters field, containing research reports, bibliographies, guidance documents, and links to many other centers and information sources; 4) publications on topics of special interest (Natural Hazards Informer and monographs); 5) information distribution through social media (e.g., on Twitter as HazCenter); and 6) an annual workshop that is attended by hundreds of participants from universities, government, and the private sector and that increasingly includes participation by international researchers and practitioners. To provide rapid information on disasters and their social impacts, the Center also sponsors quick-response research in the aftermath of major U. S. disasters. Information products, including quick-response research reports, are available free of charge, primarily through the Center web site, www.colorado.edu/hazards.
The intellectual merit of Center activities is based on its contributions to hazards and disaster theory and to the analysis of the causes and consequences of disasters. Center faculty and staff are actively engaged in research and in reporting research results in books (including textbooks), journal articles, and conference presentations. Principal investigator Tierney is widely recognized for her research on topics such as the social causes of risk and disaster losses, disaster vulnerability and resilience, and disaster recovery, as well as her work on improving multi-disciplinary collaboration for the in-depth study of hazards, disasters, and risk. The broader impacts of Center activities and NSF funding can be measured along a variety of dimensions, including visits to the Center web site, information requests handled by the Hazards Center Library, newsletter and listserv subscriptions, attendance at annual workshops, and the training of the next generation of disaster researchers and practitioners. The PI incorporates state-of-the art research findings into her undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Colorado Boulder and is frequently called upon to provide context and commentary on disaster-related issues for the media. Additionally, her publications and those of the Center are often included in graduate and undergraduate course syllabi around the country. Recently, she has served as a source or on-air participant for media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Associated Press, National Public Radio and local NPR stations, and HuffPost Live. Tierney speaks regularly at meetings of professional societies and at conferences for emergency management and disaster loss-reduction practitioners. She has also served on several National Academy of Sciences committees and panels focusing both on disasters and on climate change. NAS committee reports and activities are designed to provide guidance to various governmental agencies and programs on ways of addressing issues of national significance.
