Following the series of major earthquakes that struck Northern California Thursday morning and triggered a tsunami warning along the California and Oregon coast, Rice University experts are available to offer insights into the associated risks, impacts and mitigation strategies.
Climate change and storm impacts
Jim Blackburn, co-director of Rice’s Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center, specializes in the effects of climate change on storm and flood risks. Blackburn, who is an expert in environmental law, can discuss equity issues in flood protection and sustainable mitigation strategies, including the role of nature-based solutions such as wetlands and carbon credits.
Emergency preparedness and policy
Robert M. Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, is an expert on public policy related to emergency preparedness and severe weather mitigation. Stein can provide insights into governmental and institutional responses to natural disasters and policy frameworks for risk reduction.
Extreme weather events
Sylvia Dee, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences and civil and environmental engineering, can provide expertise on extreme weather events and flooding. Dee also researches the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, the influence of El Niño/La Niña on hurricane frequency and public responses to severe weather events.