Acknowledgements
The Natural Hazards Center team is pleased to welcome you to the 46th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop. Although we will not be able to join in person again this year due to the pandemic, we are still so thankful that you are part of the diverse group of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers who participate in this meeting. It is our honor to convene the Workshop, and we offer much gratitude to each of you and appreciate the work you do.
Special Thanks
Natural Hazards Center Advisory Committee
The Natural Hazards Center team receives regular guidance from the following Advisory Committee members. Their wisdom, thoughtful advice, and ongoing support is gratefully acknowledged.
William Anderson
Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
David Applegate
U.S. Geological Survey
Lauren Alexander Augustine
Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Jason Averill
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Debra Ballen
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Chad Berginnis
Association of State Floodplain Managers
Michael Cohen
Renaissance Re
Leremy Colf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Aram Dobalian
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Chris Emrich
University of Central Florida
Gina Eosco
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Michael Grimm
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Thomas Hughes
Natural Hazard Mitigation Association
Russ Paulsen
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s
Roger Pulwarty
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Mark Roupas
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Nick Shufro
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Wendy Walsh
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Additional Supporters
In preparing for and planning this year’s Workshop, the Natural Hazards Center team has benefited from the generosity and assistance of many people and organizations. We would like to extend additional thanks to:
- Alece Birnbach of the Graphic Recording Studio who will again offer live recordings at this year’s Workshop.
- Rob Pudim—who has been helping Natural Hazards Center come to life since 1976—for his illustrations, including the art associated with this year’s Workshop theme.
In Memoriam
On January 31, 2021, we lost on a true giant in our field, Dennis Mileti. Dennis served as the Director of the Natural Hazards Center from 1994 - 2003. During his tenure as director, he led the second assessment of natural hazards research, which culminated in the publication of Disasters by Design. The work leveraged the knowledge of more than 130 of the nation’s disaster experts and established a framework for sustainable hazard mitigation in the United States. Dennis was also one of the world’s leading risk communication experts, as well as a powerful and inspiring speaker, mentor, colleague, and friend. May he rest in peace, and may we all honor his memory through continuing to champion evidence-informed risk communication and mitigation actions.
Funding Support
The Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop is made possible with funding support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) (Award #1635593) with supplemental support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Integrated Drought Information System (NOAA-NIDIS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Weather Program Office (NOAA-WPO), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (HHS-ASPR), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this meeting are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders. The support that has made this Workshop possible for so many years is, as always, gratefully acknowledged.