Inaugural Symposium:
Making Communities More Resilient to Extreme Flooding
Wednesday, October 30 ? Thursday, October 31
USRA Headquarters
7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, Maryland
Opening Remarks:
Senator Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senate (D-MD)
Dr. Jeffrey Isaacson, President and CEO, USRA
Dr. Miguel Román, Founding Director, USRA/EfSI
Session 1
Preliminary Agenda
8:00 AM Registration ? Continental Breakfast
EfSI Opening Ceremony and Welcome8:30 AM
Break10:15 AM
Day 1: Wednesday, October 30
Dr. Miguel Román
Founding Director
Earth from Space Institute
Dr. Jeffrey Isaacson
President and CEO
Universities Space Research
Association
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Senator Chris Van Hollen
U.S. Senator for Maryland
Keynote Speaker
Session 1 (Plenary)9:15 AM
Building Resiliency in the State of Maryland: Catalyzing
Community-Based Flood Mitigation and Adaptation
Programs
Moderator:
Dr. Calvin Ball, County Executive, Howard County
In Maryland, several recent flood events have raised public awareness
of the costs and threats posed by coastal and flash flooding.
Achieving community-level resilience requires coordinated
flood-preparedness activities at the local, county, and state levels.
Panelists will share diverse perspectives on the topics of flood
disaster risk management, and delve into the innovative policies and
programs being pioneered to ensure safe communities and thriving
local economies for years to come.
The Earth from Space Institute presents
Session 2 (Plenary)10:30 AM
Monitoring Flood Dynamics Using Next Generation
Satellite Data
Moderator:
Dr. Chris Aubrecht, European Space Agency
Advances in remote sensing technologies? including shorter satellite
repeat cycles, increased spatial resolution, and new instrument
capabilities? are expected to transform how agencies utilize satellite
data for disaster response and mitigation. However, with terabytes of
new data being produced each day, data availability does not always
equal accessibility. This session will focus on the challenges and
opportunities that data providers and risk managers face when
exploiting these richly complex datasets. Session panelists will also
address current research, infrastructure, and knowledge gaps in
satellite-based flood monitoring.
Break11:30 AM
Plenary Speaker 111:40 AM
State-of-the-Art in Flood Prediction
Professor Rick Luettich, University of North Carolina
Lunch at USRA Headquarters12:30 PM
Session 3 (Plenary)1:45 PM
Compound Flooding: Use Cases, Methods, and Challenges
Moderator:
Ms. Jen Schwartz, Scientific American
Multiple flood mechanisms can often occur simultaneously or in
quick succession, resulting in a phenomenon known as compound
flooding. The combined effects of fluvial (riverine), coastal (tidal or
storm surge), and pluvial (rainfall triggered) mechanisms can
dramatically exacerbate flood impacts, yet approaches that delineate
these interactive and multiplicative effects are only partially
complete. As a result, no comprehensive nationwide estimate of
household-level exposure resulting from compounding flood drivers
currently exists. Session panelists will discuss current monitoring and
statistical frameworks that seek to explore the evolving risks of
compound flooding, with an emphasis on how they can be
incorporated into national flood insurance and mitigation efforts.
Break2:45 PM
Prof. Rick Luettich
Professor of Marine Sciences
and Environmental Engineering
University of North Carolina
Breakout Session 5 (Board Room)3:00 PM
Understanding the Relationship Between Extreme
Precipitation and Flood Risk
Moderator:
Professor Ana Barros, Duke University
The long-term costs of inland flooding have risen in recent years,
impacting communities existing well outside coastal zones. As flood
hazards increase, so does the need for the data and analytical tools
required to monitor intense precipitation. Effective flood modeling
must begin with accurate rain and snowfall estimates, as river
gauge-based modeling isn?t equipped to handle extreme peaks in
precipitation intensity. Session panelists will reflect on recent
flooding events across the U.S. Midwest (where in some areas, a
large proportion of affected homes and businesses were nowhere
near a river or floodplain). Special emphasis will be placed on
effective monitoring and prediction strategies to ensure that
potential flood losses are well understood and managed
appropriately.
Break4:00 PM
Breakout Session 6 (Plenary Room)4:15 PM
Flood Risk Communications: What Information Do Users
Need?
Moderator:
Ms. Ada Monzón, EcoExploratorio
Floods are complex and dynamic threats that require rapid
dissemination of information to various users (e.g., local
governments, policymakers, and the public). Communicating flood
risk has thus become an increasingly central part of strengthening
resilience. Efforts to improve national risk communication have not
resulted in a corresponding increase in public awareness, enhanced
perception, or improved responses to floods and their associated
uncertainties. There is an urgent national need to develop
community engagement programs designed to increase flood literacy,
and to serve as a catalyst for conversation around sustainable
development solutions. Session panelists will discuss how agencies
and stakeholder groups tasked with communicating flood risks are
streamlining current approaches by targeting frontline communities
suffering from chronic flooding.
Breakout Session 7 (Board Room)
Flood Forecasting from Local to National Scales
Moderator:
Professor Dapeng Yu, Loughborough University
Early warning systems are one of the most effective risk
management strategies to minimize the negative impacts of major
floods. Recent advances in high- resolution nowcasting have
enabled longer lead times for flood warnings. However, the capacity
of governments? from local to national levels? to monitor and
assess flood scenarios at near-real time scales varies, and gaps in
forecasting and storm warning services remain. This session will
cover the state-of-the-art in flood forecasting and early warning
systems at scales at which risk management decisions are made.
Session panelists will discuss current status and gaps in flood
forecasting and early warning systems and present strategies to
foster institutional coordination and information exchange.
Breakout Session 4 (Plenary Room)
Geospatial Data Analytics: Helping Bridge Flood
Insurance, Building Codes and Flood Zoning
Moderator:
Ms. Catherine Bohn, Dewberry
Geospatial data analytics have become a critical resource for
providing rapid damage assessments to FEMA and other
decision-makers following major flood disasters. Such analyses help
decision-makers understand where the greatest concentration of
damage is and expedite Federal declarations for funding, leading to
more efficient distribution of resources. Geospatial analyses also
help to mitigate risk prior to a disaster by helping communities
define more realistic flood zoning and by informing flood insurance
and building codes. A panel of experts in geospatial data analytics
and the insurance industry will discuss the growing value of
geospatial data in the context of flood insurance and pre- and
post-disaster scenarios.
Adjourn | Reception at USRA Headquarters5:30 PM
9:15 AM |
Session 1
8:30 AM Morning Debrief (Plenary)
9:00 AM
Break10:00 AM
Day 2: Thursday, October 31
Recap Wednesday's Action Items, Reports from Session Rapporteurs,
and Plans for Thursday
Plenary Speaker 2
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Coastal Risk Reduction and
Resilience Activities: Lessons Learned and the Path
Forward
Mr. José E. Sánchez, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Breakout Session 9 (Board Room)10:15 AM
Coastal Risk Reduction and Resilience
Moderator:
Dr. Julie Rosati, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to flood hazards.
Efforts to reduce vulnerability to these hazards are complicated by the
deep uncertainties in future sea level, storm surge, and coastal storm
intensity projections. As such, many communities are turning to
integrated flood management plans to improve resilience to uncertain
futures. These integrated approaches often contain a suite of
projects, including natural or nature-based features (e.g., wetlands
and dunes), nonstructural interventions (e.g., new policies, updated
building codes, or emergency response systems like early warning
and evacuation plans), and structural interventions (e.g., seawalls and
breakwaters). Implementing an integrated approach to coastal flood
mitigation requires a collaborative, shared responsibility framework
between the public and federal, state, and local agencies. Panelists
will discuss strategies for designing integrated flood risk
management plans that improve community resilience and reduce
vulnerability, as well as the challenges inherent when implementing
them.
Breakout Session 8 (Plenary Room)
Visualizing Flood Risk & Uncertainty
Moderator:
Professor Gerik Scheuermann, University of Leipzig
Through the exploration and dissemination of flood risk information
(e.g., online maps, videos, and interactive content), mitigation plans
can be developed to impact outcomes. This session will explore the
topic of data visualization to effectively convey information on flood
risk and uncertainty. A multidisciplinary group of panelists, from
decision-makers to scientific visualization experts, will discuss and
share the latest advances in flood-risk visualization and risk mapping
capabilities.
Mr. José E. Sánchez
Deputy Director of Research
and Development
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
11:15 AM Break
8:00 AM Continental Breakfast
Session 1
Session 10 (Plenary Room)11:30 AM
What Does Resilience Mean in the Flood Policy Context?
Moderator:
Professor Rick Luettich, University of North Carolina
Resilience is an important concept in natural hazards planning, that
seeks to limit the impacts of hazard events on human and natural
systems and lessen the time and effort required to recover following
their occurrence. In many cases US flood policy, largely effected via
the National Flood Insurance Program, has increased risk and made
society less resilient by offering a false sense of security for residents
living in potentially flood prone areas. This session will explore flood
policy options that increase resilience and therefore enable better
choices regarding living with water.
Lunch at USRA Headquarters12:20 PM
Session 1
1:30 PM Breakout Session 12 (Board Room)
Nature-Based Solutions as a Component of Flood Risk
Management
Moderator:
Dr. Raha Hakimdavar, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Recent reports have emphasized the need for significant investments in
floodplain risk management and planning. Doing so will ensure that
inhabited regions can adapt to both the gradual and extreme
consequences of future flood events. Floodplain risk management
plans commonly rely on "hard" infrastructure systems like levees,
channels, drainage systems, or seawalls. While these conventional
engineering approaches provide protection from some flood hazards,
they are often costly to implement, have long-term effects on the
surrounding environment, and in some cases do not address the root
causes of flood risks. "Nature-based solutions," which utilize natural
processes and ecosystem services, have been advocated as a more
sustainable alternative? or complement? to traditional infrastructure
protection. Session participants will discuss how solutions like
reforestation, coastal wetlands, reefs, or urban green spaces can
contribute to a more comprehensive floodplain risk management plan.
Breakout Session 11 (Plenary Room)
The Role of Newsrooms and Data Journalism in
Improving Perceptions of Flood Risk
Moderator:
Ms. Helen-Nicole Kostis, GESTAR
News stories can reach audiences through many diverse channels
(e.g., digital distribution, media outlets, and social media), and play an
enormous role in shaping perceptions on flood risk. In order to better
educate the public and combat misinformation, it is critical that
stories focusing on flooding come from trusted sources and are
supported by scientifically accurate information. A large part of these
efforts include the gathering, filtering, and visualizing of data to
produce compelling narratives about complex phenomena. Flood
events are increasingly striking areas with little or no flood history and
are impacting communities in unprecedented ways. This session will
bring together experts from newsrooms and media outlets to share
their efforts and illuminate gaps in improving flood risk perception,
before, during and after such events.
Break2:30 PM
Session 1
Breakout Session 13 (Plenary Room)2:45 PM
Flood Resiliency in Practice: How Corporate
Responsibility and Charity Can Pivot to Sustainable
Disaster Philanthropy
Moderator:
Ms. Katie Taylor, Pan American Development Foundation
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster event, many foundations and
individuals respond enthusiastically to provide financial relief to
impacted communities. As the intensity of flood-related disasters
continues to rise? as well as the corresponding cost? some
philanthropists are thinking more strategically about their
disaster-related investments. Charitable funds may go farther, for
example, when used on communities that take an integrated
approach to mitigating future flood events. Such approaches could
include the USACE risk reduction measures discussed earlier in the
symposium, or implementing more realistic flood zoning and
corresponding revisions to flood insurance and building codes also
discussed earlier. Panelists will discuss the most recent state of
disaster philanthropy, and how individual donors and philanthropic
organizations can work with communities to make them more
resilient to future flood events.
Break3:45 PM
4:00 PM Plenary Speaker 3
Hurricane Maria: Two Years Later
Ms. Ada Monzón, EcoExploratorio
Ms. Ada Monzón
Founder and President
EcoExploratorio: Science
Museum of Puerto Rico
Symposium Wrap-up5:00 PM
Breakout Session 14 (Board Room)
Flood Risk Management in Rapidly Urbanized Areas
Moderator:
Dr. Fabio Cian, The World Bank
Rapid urbanization and outward expansion are higher in
lower-income cities that have weak systems of land governance and
less mature financial markets. In the face of these challenges,
decision-makers have focused on resilience thinking as a way to
mitigate flood risks while providing co-benefits like improved water
quality and socio-economic returns to communities. This session
will provide an overview of current strategies for urban flood hazard
prediction, exposure, and vulnerability analysis. Panelists will explore
how flood impacts might spread across the global system of cities,
and discuss the mechanisms required to mitigate risks to ensure
more equitable and productive communities.
Adjourn | Reception at USRA Headquarters5:30 PM
Current Attendees
(Updated October 24, 2019)
Ana Barros Duke University
Rick Bissell University of Maryland Baltimore County
Peter Boucher University of Massachusetts Boston
Anthony Campbell Yale University
Arthur Elmes University of Massachusetts Boston
Celso Ferreira George Mason University
Namrah Habib University of Arizona
Charles Ichoku Howard University
Carolyn Kousky University of Pennsylvania, Wharton
Andrew Kruczkiewicz Columbia University IRI
Rick Luettich University of North Carolina
Elodie Macorps University of South Florida
Lace Padilla University of California Merced
Christina Parsons Syracuse University
Ana Prados University of Maryland Baltimore County
Maryam Rahnemoonfar University of Maryland Baltimore County
Meredith Reba Yale University
Allison Reilly University of Maryland
Tirthankar Roy University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Gerik Scheuermann University of Leipzig
Karen Seto Yale University
Wanyun Shao University of Alabama
Eleanor Stokes University of Maryland
Donglian Sun George Mason University
Sara Via University of Maryland
Thomas Wahl University of Central Florida
Zhuosen Wang University of Maryland
Matthew Wilson Geospatial Research Institute Toi Hangarau
Dapeng Yu Loughborough University
Academic
Institutions
Giriraj Amarnath International Water Management Institute
Fabio Cian World Bank Group
MarÃa Concepción Oxfam America
Shannon Cunniff Environmental Defense Fund
Alex Hatoum Inifinitum Humanitarian Systems (IHS)
Cathy Hudson
Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute for the
Environment
MinJeong Jo Universities Space Research Association GESTAR
Lynn Knight The Institute for Sustainable Development
Helen-Nicole Kostis Universities Space Research Association GESTAR
Laura Lightbody Pew Charitable Trusts
Ada Monzón EcoExploratorio
Not-for-Profit
Organizations
Wendy Alberg HoLLIE
Giriraj Amarnath International Water Management Institute
Jennifer Brady Climate Central
Se Jong Cho World Resources Institute
Fabio Cian World Bank Group
Jim Cimaglio HoLLIE
MarÃa Concepción Oxfam America
Shannon Cunniff Environmental Defense Fund
Bekah Curtis-Heald Clinton Global Initiative
Kimberlee Drake HoLLIE
Alex Hatoum Inifinitum Humanitarian Systems (IHS)
Cathy Hudson HoLLIE
MinJeong Jo Universities Space Research Association GESTAR
Lynn Knight The Institute for Sustainable Development
Helen-Nicole Kostis Universities Space Research Association GESTAR
Tim Lattimer
Columbia Association Climate Change and
Sustainability Advisory Committee
Lance Leverenz Pan American Development Foundation
Laura Lightbody Pew Charitable Trusts
Terry Matthews HoLLIE
Ada Monzón EcoExploratorio
Perry Oddo Universities Space Research Association GESTAR
Suzanne Ozment World Resources Institute
Hogeun Park World Bank Group
Cecile Rousseaux Universities Space Research Association GESTAR
Barbara Schmeckpeper HoLLIE
Brendan Shane Trust of Public Land
Hilary Stevens Restore America's Estuaries
Katie Taylor Pan American Development Foundation
Aaron Van Alstine Pan American Development Foundation
Thomas Frank E&E News
Rebecca Hersher NPR
Miri Marshall CBS WUSA9 Weather
Joseph MartÃnez Telemundo DC
Jason Samenow Washington Post
Jen Schwartz Scientific American
Journalists/
Press
Catherine Bohn Dewberry
Damon Coppola Shoreline Risk
Marangelly
Cordero-Fuentes
Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
Winfield Decker Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
Corey Froese BCG Engineering Inc.
Patrick Grover BGC Engineering Inc.
Alexis Hoffman Jupiter Intelligence
Dave Jones StormCenter Communications, Inc.
Sandra Knight WaterWonks, LLC
Peter Kokopeli Climate Decision, LLC
Andrew Lauland RAND Corp
Dag Lohmann KatRisk, LLC
Frank Losada DHL
Necolle Maccherone Michael Baker International
Marion McFadden Enterprise Community Partners
Ryan Miller Critical Functions, LLC
Richard Murnane Kinetic Analysis Corporation
Kumar Navulur Maxar
Ron Peters Peters Bodyshop
Phetmano Phannavong Atkins Global
Susanna Pho Forerunner
Dan Pilone Element 84
Mary Roman AECOM
Baris Sal DHL
Guy Seeley Atmospheric and Environmental Research
Edil Sepulveda Carlo Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
Ranjay Shrestha Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
Rebecca Starosta AECOM
Katrina Tavanlar Booz Allen Hamilton
Michael Taylor DHL
Andrew Ulmer Capella Space
Lutz Venhofen DHL
Mark Vessely BCG Engineering Inc.
Private/
Commercial
Entities
David Alexander Department of Homeland Security
Christoph Aubrecht European Space Agency
Calvin Ball Howard County Executive
Louis Barbier NASA Headquarters
Ovidio Bartolomei National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
John Bolten NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Edward Clark National Weather Service
Brian Cleary Howard County Government
Michael Cosh U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mark Deluca Howard County Government
Chas Eby Maryland Emergency Management Agency
Fernando Echavarria U.S. State Department
Antonia Gambacorta NOAA
Thomas Graziano National Weather Service
Jason Haga AIST Japan
Raha Hakimdavar U.S. Forest Service
Shaina Hernandez Howard County Government
Mike Hinson Howard County Office of Emergency Management
James Irons NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jim Irvin Howard County Government
Virginia Kalb NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Bandana Kar Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jason Kessler EarthRise Alliance
Dalia Kirschbaum NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sarah Mazur U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Will McNamara Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Mark Miller Howard County Government
David Novak National Weather Service
Julia O'Brien FEMA Region 2
Batu Osmanoglu NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Christa Peters-Lidard NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Scott Peterson Howard County Government
Julie Rosati U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
José Sánchez U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Lori Schultz NASA
Brian Sheavly Howard County Economic Development Authority
Jane Smith U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Government
Entities
William Sweet NOAA National Ocean Service
JaLeesa Tate State Hazard Mitigation Officer
Ahmad Tavakoly U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Vernon Thompson Howard County Economic Development Authority
Larry Twele Howard County Economic Development Authority
Stephanie Uz NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Chris Van Hollen U.S. Senate
Pat Varga Carroll County Government
Chris Vaughan FEMA
Kevin Wagner University of Arizona
Xiwu Zhan NESDIS/STAR
Government
Entities
(cont.)
