The Center for Disaster Resilient Communities is offering ENVH 408, “Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience and Population Health,” during spring quarter 2026. This one-credit course will be graded credit/no credit and will meet on Wednesdays from 12:30 – 1:20 p.m. in Health Sciences Education Building Room 145 on the University of Washington Seattle campus. This seminar series will examine current research, policy and practice issues related to disaster risk reduction and resilience. Through a series of guest lectures by leading experts,…
Tag: School of Public Health
Outstanding PhD student studies how to keep low-income renters safe during and after disasters
Amber Khan, the University of Washington 2025 Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences’ Outstanding PhD Student, focuses her studies on protecting low-income renters during and after disasters. Her research specifically addresses the intersection of the housing and climate crises, particularly how public housing residents are often overlooked in emergency planning. Khan partnered with the National Low Income Housing Coalition to assess state emergency plans and found they largely neglect the needs of low-income renters. Her dissertation offers a roadmap…
Understanding extreme heat preparedness and response across the United States
Extreme heat events (EHEs) are the deadliest weather hazards in the U.S., and local health jurisdictions (LHJs) play a critical role in responding to them. A new study from the University of Washington used focus groups with LHJ representatives to identify key factors influencing EHE preparedness and response. The research team identified four major influences: local conditions, community engagement and tailored strategies, partnerships and available resources. Participants emphasized the need for scalable resources, improved data access and stronger collaboration across…
New study explores how public housing authorities implement disaster risk
New research examines how the United States is facing a dual crisis: a growing shortage of affordable housing and an increase in climate-driven disasters. The team, which was led by University of Washington researchers, found that disasters disproportionately affect extremely low-income renters living in federally subsidized housing managed by Public Housing Authorities (PHAs). A national survey revealed that PHA characteristics – such as size, urban location, political context and perceived hazard risk – significantly influence their disaster risk management (DRM)…
UW researchers design a new emergency preparedness tool
University of Washington researchers from the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities have developed a new digital tool to standardize emergency preparedness assessments for Washington’s 35 local health jurisdictions. The Health and Hazards Risk Decision Support Tool (H2azaRDS) aims to assist counties in assessing their readiness for natural disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires and tsunamis. Led by Nicole Errett, an associate professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, the team created the tool at the…
Migration and housing quality identified as risk factors for earthquake deaths
New University of Washington research spotlights an often overlooked factor in earthquake fatality research: migration. The research team, led by Tzu-Hsin Karen Chen, an assistant professor in both the University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, found that deaths in major earthquakes were often concentrated in suburban areas as opposed to city centers. The research team included many collaborators across Taiwan as well, using the country’s Chi-Chi Earthquake (1999)…
May 20 event: What Washington can learn from California’s wildfires
In January 2025, wildfires broke out in several neighborhoods across Los Angeles. The fires burned for almost a month, killing 30 people and devastating the city. Now, disaster preparedness experts in California and around the country are dissecting what went wrong, and what we can do to help prevent and mitigate future disasters. The University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment and the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities are hosting a hybrid event at 12 p.m. on…
UW student leads pilot project aimed at building climate resilience in Seattle’s Duwamish Valley
Maja Jeranko, a postdoctoral scholar with the National Science Foundation’s Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub (Cascadia CoPes Hub) and the University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, helped initiate a UW Population Health Initiative-funded project titled, “Living with Water: Co-developing strategies to protect health while adapting to sea level rise in the Duwamish Valley.” The project began August 1, 2024, and addresses three aims: to identify potential flood adaptation strategies for the Duwamish Valley and evaluate their…
UW research finds Tribal governments lack sufficient inclusion from FEMA
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…
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…