Hazard and Risk Portal

With multiple agencies/entities, groups and task forces all working to find solutions for operational concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the need for a space to share information is apparent. This forum serves as a platform to ask questions, as well as to share ideas, information, and solutions.

Please refer to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's website regarding infectious disease guidance for wildland fire incidents, Emergency Medical Committee.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are now calling for research proposals in support of improved disaster resilience.

Natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and fires cause tremendous damage to communities across the U.S. every year. While these events cannot be prevented completely, their impacts can be dampened by disaster resilience measures such as policies, designs, codes and standards.

NIST and NSF plan to award a total of $3.1 million for scientific and engineering research into disaster-related phenomena that can significantly improve our nation’s defenses against natural hazards. The agencies will co-manage the Disaster Resilience Research Grants (DRRG) program and intend to make 8-12 awards of up to $400,000 each.

To apply, submit your letter of intent by Aug. 14, 2020. The deadline for full proposals is Sept. 15, 2020. NSF and NIST will host an informational webcast on Aug. 3, 2020.

A postdoctoral researcher is being sought to lead an effort to analyze the governance network around management of western fire-prone forests under climate change for the benefit of ecosystems and human communities. This position is part of new a multi-disciplinary working group that aims to improve scientific understanding of western forests as social-ecological systems (SES) undergoing change and develop strategies for managing forests to mitigate risk and improve ecosystem health and socio-economic well-being. The postdoctoral researcher will inventory, classify, and map, as part of a network, the key public and private actors concerned with fire-prone forests in the Rocky Mountain region. The work will involve primary data collection about actors’ goals, strategies, and interactions; quantitative descriptive and inferential network analysis; and writing scholarly manuscripts and grant proposals.