AMS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FORUM 2009 NAS/NRC hazards work – a sampling William H. Hooke AMS Policy Program

The Disasters Roundtable's mission is to facilitate and enhance communication and the exchange of ideas among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers in order to identify urgent and important issues related to the understanding and mitigation of natural disasters, technological disasters, and other disasters.

Upcoming Workshops 25: Children, Youth and Disasters Thursday, June 25, 2009 Washington, DC Past Workshop Agendas and Presentations25: Children, Youth and Disasters 24: Cascading Disasters: How Disasters Unfold - Irvine, CA24: Cascading Disasters: How Disasters Unfold - Irvine, CA 23: Making the World Safer from Disasters: The U.S. Role23: Making the World Safer from Disasters: The U.S. Role 22: Disaster Risk Management in an Age of Climate Change22: Disaster Risk Management in an Age of Climate Change 21: Disaster Recovery 20: Creating and Using Multi-Hazards Knowledge and Strategies20: Creating and Using Multi-Hazards Knowledge and Strategies 19: Protecting Lives and Property at our Coastlines19: Protecting Lives and Property at our Coastlines 18: Citizen Engagement in Emergency Planning for a Flu Pandemic18: Citizen Engagement in Emergency Planning for a Flu Pandemic 17: Rebuilding for Health, Sustainability, and Disaster Preparedness in the Gulf Coast Region17: Rebuilding for Health, Sustainability, and Disaster Preparedness in the Gulf Coast Region 16: Community Disaster Resilience 15: Law, Science, and Disaster 14: The Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster: Implications for U.S. and Global Disaster Reduction and Preparedness14: The Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster: Implications for U.S. and Global Disaster Reduction and Preparedness 13: Lessons Learned Between Hurricanes: From Hugo to Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jean13: Lessons Learned Between Hurricanes: From Hugo to Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jean 12: Creating a Disaster Resilient America: Grand Challenges in Science and Technology12: Creating a Disaster Resilient America: Grand Challenges in Science and Technology 11: Public Health Risks of Disasters: Building Capacity to Respond11: Public Health Risks of Disasters: Building Capacity to Respond 10: Reducing Future Flood Losses: The Role of Human Actions10: Reducing Future Flood Losses: The Role of Human Actions 9: Hazards Watch: Reducing Disaster Losses Through Improved Earth Observations9: Hazards Watch: Reducing Disaster Losses Through Improved Earth Observations 8: The Emergency Manager of the Future 7: The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program at Twenty-Five Years: Accomplishments and Challenges7: The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program at Twenty-Five Years: Accomplishments and Challenges 6: Alerting America: Effective Risk Communication6: Alerting America: Effective Risk Communication 5: From Climate to Weather: Impacts on Society and Economy5: From Climate to Weather: Impacts on Society and Economy 4: Countering Terrorism: Lessons Learned from Natural and Technological Disasters4: Countering Terrorism: Lessons Learned from Natural and Technological Disasters 3: Sea Level Rise and Coastal Disasters 2: Natural Disasters and Energy Policy 1: Urban/Wildland Fire Interface

ICSU-IRDR Why, despite the fact we know so much more about the natural and social causes of disasters, do losses continue to mount?

The answer… Population increase Migration to more hazardous areas Growth in wealth over time (Pielke, Jr., R. A., Gratz, J., Landsea, C. W., Collins, D., Saunders, M., and Musulin, R., Normalized Hurricane Damages in the United States: Natural Hazards Review, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp )Normalized Hurricane Damages in the United States:

White, Kates, and Burton 2001 * we haven't learned as much as we think knowledge is available but unused knowledge is used ineffectively, and/or growth in costs may reflect a time lag between the acquisition of new understanding and when it can be put into practice. *White, GF, et al. (2001), ‘Knowing better and losing even more: the use of knowledge in hazards management,’ Environmental Hazards, (3)

…learning from experience… continued

Case studies-demonstration projects independent investigation trained staff broad scope full stakeholder participation recommendations, not regulations public findings, broadly disseminated

ICSU-IRDR Characterization of hazards, vulnerability, and risk Understanding decision-making in complex and changing risk contexts Reducing risks and curbing losses through knowledge- based actions _________________ Capacity-building Case studies and demonstration projects Assessment, data management, and monitoring

NAS-NRC Committee on private- public sector collaboration to enhance community disaster resilience

Private sector role? Outlooks, forecasts, warnings Victim Vector Critical infrastructure provider Insurer Emergency responder Recovery Strategic planning partner? Marketer?

An aside…on the potential for a larger DoC role NOAA NIST EDA ESA Census…

So, summing up, we can reduce losses due to natural disasters, if we will only… improve communication learn from experience, engage the private sector, (…and get the associated policy bits right…)