News

STUDY FINDS THAT HIGHWAY DELAYS CAN CAUSE ECONOMIC LOSSES OF $8 MILLION TO $250 MILLION IN A SINGLE DAY

Embargoed for Release Until December 8, 2021 Researchers analyze the economic cost of disruptions to a critical transportation network in Virginia, including a hurricane evacuation The shutdown of the Colonial gas pipeline in May 2021 had a disastrous impact on many sectors of the U.S. economy, particularly those dependent on the country’s transportation infrastructure. The […]

MICROGRIDS AND SOLAR REDUCE RISK OF POWER OUTAGES

Embargoed for Release Until December 7, 2021 New research on microgrids and solar backup systems, and a wildfire outage vulnerability map for the state of California Climate change is fueling more floods, droughts, wildfires, and extreme storms across the United States. As a result, aging power grids are being pushed beyond their limits, sometimes with […]

THE HUMAN AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF COVID-19

Embargoed for Release Until December 7, 2021 New research reveals the economic costs of behavioral responses to the pandemic in the U.S. Throughout its unsteady course, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the behavior of businesses and households.  Those behavioral changes, intensified by government actions like mandatory closures, have had a reverberating impact on the U.S. […]

SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS RELEASES RISK ANALYSIS QUALITY TEST

The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) has launched a Risk Analysis Quality Test (RAQT), a battery of many one-question tests, as an innovative approach to evaluate the quality of risk analyses supporting risk management decisions. SRA encourages risk analysists, decision makers, experts and non-experts, to apply this battery of tests to evaluate all aspects of […]

NEW RESEARCH ANALYZES MILLIONS OF TWITTER POSTS DURING HURRICANES TO UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE COMMUNICATE IN A DISASTER

The study suggests that monitoring social media during hurricanes could help communities better plan for and mitigate the impacts of climate change  In the face of a potentially disastrous storm like Hurricane Ida, people take to Twitter and other social media sites to communicate vital information. New research published in the journal Risk Analysis suggests that monitoring and analyzing this social media “chatter” during a natural disaster could help decision makers learn how to plan for and […]

STUDY FINDS AN OIL SPILL IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC COULD BE DEVASTATING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

As melting sea ice brings more ships through the Northwest Passage, new research shows that Canada must prepare for the costs and consequences of an Arctic oil spill The growing rate of ice melt in the Arctic due to rising global temperatures has opened up the Northwest Passage (NWP) to more ship traffic, increasing the […]

AFTER THE BIG STORM: HOW TO SUPPLY EMERGENCY POWER TO RESIDENTS OF RURAL AND SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES DURING MULTI-DAY OUTAGES

New research suggests that cooperative strategies for sharing emergency power among households can be 10 to 40 times less costly than running individual gas-powered generators As demand for electricity rises and climate change brings more frequent and extreme storms, residents in rural and suburban communities must have access to the minimal electricity they need to […]

SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Shows Depth and Breadth of Global Systemic Risk and Resilience Herndon, Va. (May 20, 2021) – The international journal Risk Analysis has published a timely special issue for May 2021, “Global Systemic Risk and Resilience for Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19.” Featuring 11 papers written for this issue over the past year, the collection represents a […]

WHAT MOTIVATES NATURAL RESOURCE POLICYMAKERS IN AFRICA TO TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE?

New research finds that social norms and experience with extreme weather events influence professional action on climate change in East Africa Climate services are vital tools for decision makers addressing climate change in developing countries. Science-based seasonal forecasts and accompanying materials can support climate risk management in agriculture, health, water management, energy, and disaster risk […]

HOW COULD RISING SEA LEVEL IMPACT THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM?

Experts analyze the impact of sea level rise on flood insurance for a New York City neighborhood Insurance policy premiums from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) allow policyholders to maintain a lower, grandfathered rate even when the risk escalates. But as coastal flooding increases due to rising sea level and more intense storms, new […]