Evaluation Support to the US Department of the Interior Strategic Sciences Working Group

PI: Liesel Ritchie
Funding Period: 2013
Funder: U.S. Geological Survey

The Department of the Interior (DOI) Strategic Sciences Group (SSG) is an innovative approach to conducting science during crisis. Created by Secretarial Order in 2012, the mission of the SSG is to conduct interdisciplinary science-based assessments of environmental crises and build scenarios of the consequences for use by decision makers. Scenarios varied in spatial and temporal scope and examined impacts on the ecology, economy, and people of the affected region. The purpose of OGS is to help inform the federal, state, and local response to rebuilding and restoring the US East Coast in the aftermath of one of the largest storms to ever impact the region.

In January 2013, the SSG engaged the Natural Hazards Center to conduct an evaluation of the SSG process for Hurricane Sandy. Findings of this evaluation research provided data regarding five keys to successful implementation of the SSG approach.