Tip sheet: CSU offers expertise in disaster recovery, resiliency and rapid response

In recent weeks, hurricanes and floods have gripped the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S. An 8.1-magnitude earthquake destroyed swaths of Mexico, Guatemala and central America. Wildfires continue to burn in the western U.S., including Montana and Oregon.

Emergency response, and the long road to recovery from major disasters, are complex endeavors that involve engineers, civil servants, sociologists and economists. For reporters unraveling stories of recovery and resiliency from these and other events, Colorado State University experts can help frame the issues.

Assessing damage, increasing resiliency

John van de Lindt, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Community resilience, disaster planning, rapid recovery from hazards like flood or fire, reducing seismic risk in buildings, earthquake simulation and testing, tornado and hurricane damage. van de Lindt is co-director of CSU’s Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning. Read more about the team and their areas of expertise.
Media contact: Anne Manning, anne.manning@colostate.edu, (970) 491-7099

Increasing reliability of the electric grid

Siddharth “Sid” Suryanarayanan, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Tropical storms in the southern U.S. have wreaked havoc on the aging electrical system, and millions remain without power. Suryanarayanan is an expert in how the electric grid functions; he is working on ways to implement a new, more resilient, sustainable, “smart” grid.
Media contact: Anne Manning, anne.manning@colostate.edu, (970) 491-7099

Protecting animals

Ragan Adams, veterinarian in the Department of Clinical Sciences
Animal disaster response planning in the context of general emergency preparedness on personal and community levels. Read more about Adams’ approach to animal evacuation and safety in The Conversation.
Media contact: Mary Guiden, mary.guiden@colostate.edu, (970) 491-6892

Cultural values and disaster recovery

Kate Browne, professor in the Department of Anthropology
How cultural practices and values interact with disaster recovery and economic life. Browne conducted extensive studies into these issues in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Media contact: Jeff Dodge, jeff.dodge@colostate.edu, (970) 491-4251

Tropical meteorology and hurricanes

In the peak of hurricane season, storms are still raging in the Atlantic Ocean, including now-Tropical Storm Irma. CSU has expertise in tropical cyclones, meteorology and short- and long-range forecasting for the Atlantic Basin.
Contact Anne Manning for interviews with hurricane experts. anne.manning@colostate.edu, (970) 491-7099.

Phil Klotzbach, research scientist specializing in seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecasting. Lead author of CSU’s Tropical Meteorology Project Seasonal Hurricane Forecast.

Michael Bell, associate professor in atmospheric science, specializing in hurricane intensity and structural change. Co-author of the Tropical Meteorology Project Seasonal Hurricane Forecast.

Kate Musgrave, research scientist at CSU’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, specializing in hurricane modeling and intensity change.

Andrea Schumacher, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere research associate specializing in hurricane guidance development and estimating and communicating forecast uncertainty.

Chris Slocum, researcher in atmospheric science, studying tropical cyclone rapid intensification.

John Knaff, NOAA hurricane researcher co-located with CSU’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere. Knaff can address hurricane research and forecast application development.