A group of University of Washington researchers recently published findings that indicate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken minimal action to include Tribal governments in their holistic approach towards disaster resilience and recovery. The findings were published in the PLOS Climate journal and involved analyzing policy documents derived from the Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program to assess whether FEMA has taken steps to include Tribal governments in its “Whole Community approach.” American Indians and Alaska Native communities are…
Center updates
UW researchers assist in discovery of segmented Cascadia Subduction Zone map
New research from the University of Washington in Science Advances provided a detailed map of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, finding the megathrust fault to be divided into four segments and its future movement to be potentially insulated against the movements of other segments. UW researchers played a significant role in this multi-institutional effort, with co-authors Harold Tobin and Madeleine Lucas contributing to the study’s findings. The research team collected data offshore with a team of researchers in a 41-day cruise…
CDRC launches the Northwest Center for Evidence-Based Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
The Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, in partnership with the University of Washington’s Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, was awarded funding to launch the new Northwest Center for Evidence-Based Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The award, which includes $978,000 in funding for the first year of work, will serve Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon as part of a national network of 10 regional centers designed to help communities prepare…
UW RAPID Center receives $1.5 million NIH grant, enables greater research on disaster relief
The University of Washington Natural Hazard and Disaster Reconnaissance Facility (RAPID) received an annual $1.5 million grant by the National Institutes of Health that allows for an expansion of staffing, equipment upgrades and greater research on the long-term health outcomes for communities affected by natural disasters. Joseph Wartman, UW Civil & Environmental Engineering professor and the director of RAPID, expressed great enthusiasm about the grant and emphasized its ability to shift our understanding of the impacts of natural disasters on…
Center for Disaster Resilient Communities announces initial cohort of applied learning fellows
The Center for Disaster Resilient Communities has selected its inaugural cohort of applied learning fellows for its program, Increasing Diversity in and Equitable Access to Applied Learning in Disaster Research Response: IDEAAL DR2. IDEAAL DR2, which is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, offers training in environmental and public health disaster research methods and skills for up to 25 advanced graduate students and early career hazards and disaster researchers a year from across the United States. This…
Equity challenges persist when it comes to accessing disaster research funding
Researchers in the space of disaster science strive to address the repercussions of hazards. It is thus critical to prioritize research and researchers whose backgrounds align with the communities most vulnerable to these effects. However, underrepresented groups such as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and women continue to encounter exclusion from critical research funding due to systemic disparities and obstacles. New research from the University of Washington delves into these experiences through 13 key informant interviews…
Optimizing communication and mobilization methods following disasters
A new interdisciplinary $2 million National Science Foundation effort at the University of Washington is examining networks and communication under emergencies. Professor Cynthia Chen, interim chair of the UW’s Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE), is leading the research team that includes UW professors Dan Abramson (Urban Design & Planning), Kurtis Heimerl (Computer Science & Engineering), Tyler McCormick (Sociology and Statistics) and Shuai Huang (ISE). Chen and the team will first gather insights into current local sharing and social ties that…
UW supports neighborhoods in the Duwamish Valley to build climate resilience
The Seattle neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown, situated in the Duwamish Valley, have traditionally experienced environmental injustice and suffer from poor health outcomes, both of which are exacerbated by the effects of climate change. In Fall 2022, a team of researchers from the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, the Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC), the City of Seattle and the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences surveyed households in these neighborhoods to gather individual perspectives on…
Building disaster resilience in Westport, Washington with UW support
The Seattle Times profiled the efforts of Westport, Washington to prepare for a megathrust quake and subsequent tsunami hit. These preparatory efforts, elements of which have been supported by the University of Washington, are being furthered by a $15.2 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to construct a vertical evacuation structure to help protect people in the low-lying area from a tsunami wave. Situated on the coast, a tsunami from a Cascadia earthquake could arrive within 15 minutes…
University of Washington is a key partner in a new NSF-funded seismic research facility
The University of Washington is a lead partner for the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT), a $15 million, multi-institution earthquake research facility based at the University of Oregon. CRESCENT draws researchers from 16 U.S. institutions and is dedicated to studying the Cascadia subduction zone, strengthening earthquake preparedness and fostering community partnerships. Harold Tobin, a professor of Earth and space sciences at the UW and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, leads the UW portion of the effort. “The…