Recently Funded Research
The following is a list of forthcoming research projects from the Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Research Award Program. Within six months of award approval, researchers submit an abstract and 20 page double-spaced report detailing their preliminary findings. Completed reports are available on the Quick Response Reports page.
Quick Response Program Awardees
Making Sense of the Invisible Disaster: Extreme Heat and Community Resilience
Jovana Andelkovic, University of Texas at Austin
Date Awarded: August 5, 2025
Extreme heat is an increasingly deadly, yet often invisible, climate hazard. This study examines how communities in Austin, Texas—particularly those most vulnerable to heat risks— experience and manage uncertainty during extreme heat events. Using real-time observations of local government meetings and in-depth interviews with residents and community leaders, the project explores how communication and resilience emerge in the face of chronic climate risks. Findings will contribute to disaster and communication scholarship while providing actionable, equity-focused recommendations for improving local heat preparedness, organizational communication, and community resilience strategies.
Social-Wildfire Vulnerability Affecting Spanish-Speaking Populations in the Texas Wildland Urban Interface
Rodolfo Hernandez Perez, Texas Tech University
Raisa Marcela Ortiz Cardona, Texas Tech University
Kari Hines, Texas A&M Forest Service
Alexander Bregenzer, Spring Fire Department Harris County
Reilly Ruggiero, Texas Tech University
Date Awarded: October 24, 2024
This project aims to assess the increased vulnerability of Spanish-speaking and bilingual Hispanic-Latinx communities in Texas wildland-urban interfaces during a severe wildfire season. The study will use a bilingual survey to evaluate sociodemographic and cultural elements affecting wildfire preparedness, prevention, and mitigation within these communities. The survey is based on previous work funded by the Natural Hazards Center and integrates contemporary wildfire management, socioecological, and social vulnerability paradigms. This research will provide critical insights into wildfire risk and vulnerability to update community protection plans and bilingual resources for the Texas Forest Service.
California First Responders’ Perspective in the Response Phase of a Wildland Fire
Shih-Kai Huang, Jacksonville State University
Joseph Dunlap, Riverside County Sheriff's Office
Chan Wang, Jacksonville State University
Date Awarded: April 9, 2025
This exploratory research aims to understand the wildland fire crisis response system from the perspective of first responders during four incidents in Southern California between 2024 and 2025. The researchers will use mixed qualitative methods to gather and identify evidence and compare it with the existing wildland fire emergency management system. The findings will inform improvements within the crisis response and management systems and support future studies by publishing a survey question bank, interview guide, and labeled imagery dataset. Timely data collection will contribute to empirical knowledge in crisis response and management for first responders responding to wildland fires.
Palisades Fire Response: Malibu Community Brigade Integration
Steven Jensen, California State University at Long Beach
Sara O'Connor, California State University at Long Beach
Brent Woodworth, Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation
Shirley Feldmann-Jensen, California State University at Long Beach
Date Awarded: January 3, 2025
The January 2025 Palisades Fire in Malibu, California occurred just over six years after the Woolsey Fire devastated the same community, but the two showed demonstrably different impacts. The Palisades Fire offers an opportunity to understand how intentional resilience building processes have influenced the community’s interactions with wildfire risk. The study will focus on the Community Brigade pilot program and consider broader efforts to reduce risk at the wildland-urban interface. Of particular interest are the emergent improvements in cognition within the integrated response between emergency services, the community brigades, and the rest of the community.
Street View Imagery of Palisades and Eaton Fires’ Recovery
Maryia Markhvida, New York University
Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, New York University
Rodrigo Costa, University of Waterloo
Date Awarded: March 7, 2025
This study will use the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Network’s Natural Hazard and Disaster Reconnaissance Facility (RAPID) facility to capture 360° street view imagery of early recovery following the 2025 Southern California Wildfires in the Palisades and Eaton fire-affected areas. The collected data, which will be made accessible via DesignSafe-CI data depot, will enable the development of experiential simulations of post-wildfire environments and support immersive analytics for climate adaptation. Using a custom-built generative artificial intelligence framework, scalable across many high-risk locations, this approach will allow community members to virtually "walk" through their neighborhoods after a wildfire scenario using Google Street View. The outcomes of this research aim to inform preparedness and adaptation and foster lasting community engagement.
Supporting Safe Infant Feeding in Western North Carolina After Hurricane Helene
Stephanie Martin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Aunchalee Palmquist, Duke University
Heather Wasser, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Paris Laliberte, North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition
Catherine Sullivan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kathy Parry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Love Anderson, North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition
Date Awarded: March 11, 2025
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, and communities in Western North Carolina, leaving thousands of residents without access to potable water for weeks. In response, the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition launched the Support & Advocacy for Infant Feeding in Emergencies (SAFE) Team to help families safely feed their infants and young children. This study will use Ripple Effects Mapping to evaluate the SAFE Team’s response in Western North Carolina, examining the factors that facilitated their efforts, the challenges they encountered, and key recommendations for strengthening community preparedness, response, and recovery.
Impacts of the 2025 Southern California Wildfires on Children With Cancer: A Pilot Study
Judy Ou, University of Utah
Echo Warner, University of Utah
Nancy Daher, University of Utah
David Freyer, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
James VanDerslice, University of Utah
Anne Kirchhoff, University of Utah
Date Awarded: March 19, 2025
Children with cancer require specialized care, and their health complications may increase their susceptibility to wildfire smoke. This pilot study will gather primary data from children with cancer after the 2025 Southern California Wildfires. We will implement a mixed methods approach that leverages environmental sampling data alongside survey and qualitative data to describe wildfire smoke exposure in children with cancer, health symptoms, and caregivers’ perceptions of wildfire smoke as a health hazard. We will identify any missed cancer care appointments and use of emergency care. We will recruit 15-20 caregivers of children with cancer from Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
Assessing Impacts of Rapid-Onset Wildfires to Human-Farmed Animal Relationships in Urban Environments
Cameron Whitley, Western Washington University
Seven Mattes, Michigan State Unviersity
Beau Jay, Western Washington University
Kaitlin Barrailler, Western Washington University
Date Awarded: May 19, 2025
This study examines the impact of the 2025 Southern California Wildfires on urban farmed animals and their human caretakers, addressing a significant gap in disaster research. Using surveys and interviews, the research explores decision-making processes, resource access, and emotional impacts on both animals and their owners. Unlike companion animals, farmed animals receive limited disaster protection, despite their role in food security and climate resilience. The study aims to inform inclusive disaster preparedness policies, enhance community resilience, and offer new insights into human-farmed animal relationships in climate-related disasters, ultimately fostering better protections for both species in future emergencies.
Flood Risk Assessment for Program-Based Camps in Texas
Jiang Zheng, Texas A&M University
Galen Newman, Texas A&M University
Shannon Van Zandt, Texas A&M University
Michelle Meyer, Texas A&M University
Date Awarded: August 5, 2025
This project assesses flood risk at program-based camps in Texas, emphasizing vulnerabilities tied to rural settings, non-residential zoning, and limited hazard oversight. Using Camp Mystic—destroyed in the July 2025 Central Texas floods—as a case study, the research integrates perishable built environment data, spatial analysis, climate modeling, land use planning and research on child vulnerability. The study identifies at-risk camps and policy gaps, informing zoning, preparedness, and multi-hazard planning. Findings have broader implications for national camp safety and address a critical gap in disaster research, supporting more inclusive, data-driven strategies to protect vulnerable populations in under-regulated environments.
Quick Response Research Reports are based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF Award #1635593). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or the Natural Hazards Center.