The James and Marilyn Lovell Center for Environmental Geography and Hazards Research, and the International Flash Flood Laboratory welcome our workshop registrants, who represent the following entities: Army Corps of Engineers – Fort Worth District: Hydrology and Hydraulics Section Bexar County: Infrastructure Services Capital Area Council of Governments: Homeland Security City of Llano: Building and Code Enforcement City of New Braunfels City of San Antonio: Fire/EMS, and the Office of Emergency Management Civil Air Patrol Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies and University of Oklahoma: Social Science Woven Into Meteorology David Ford Consulting Engineers Fayette County: Office of Emergency Management Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority: Engineering Halff Associates, Inc. Harris County: Flood Control District Hays County: Offices of Environmental Health and Emergency Management, and Dept. of Resource Protection, Transportation, & Planning High Sierra Electronics, Inc. KTBC-TV FOX 7-Austin: News Lower Colorado River Authority National Center for Atmospheric Research: Institute for the Study of Society and Environment National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: National Weather Service--Austin-San Antonio, Houston/Galveston, News8Austin: News West Gulf River Forecast Center, Weather Forecast Office (Fort Worth), Southern Region Headquarters; National Geodetic Survey Stephen F. Austin State University: Department of Social and Cultural Analysis Sutron Corporation Texas A&M University: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, & the Conrad Blucher Institute’s Texas Spatial Reference Center Texas Association of Counties: Information Technology, & the County Information Project Texas Department of State Health Services: Environmental and Injury Epidemiology & Toxicology Unit Texas Floodplain Management Association: Executive Office Texas State University-San Marcos: Departments of Anthropology, Geography, & the School of Journalism & Mass Communication University of Texas-San Antonio: Civil and Environmental Engineering Texas Water Development Board: National Flood Insurance Program Williamson County: Office of Emergency Management
Hydro- socio- meteoro- logy: Essential elements for flash flood mitigation and research Dr. Eve Gruntfest International Flash Flood Laboratory 11 th Annual Lovell Distinguished Lecture October 19, 2009 San Marcos, TX
Background - applied geographer Social scientist in world of engineers and physical scientists Geography professor at University of Colorado Colorado Springs for 27 years Research on flash floods and warning systems International Flash Flood Laboratory
The Big Thompson Flood in Colorado 140 died July 31, 1976 • Who lived? • Who died? • Studied the behaviors that night • Career – “socio/hydro/ meteoro - logist” International Flash Flood Laboratory
International Flash Flood Laboratory Integrates academic, professional and governmental efforts to reduce the impacts of flash floods Jack Lee age 6-8 1st place 2009 Today's presentation – Four part mosaic International Flash Flood Laboratory
Four parts 1. Examples of hydro-socio-meteor-ology at work Emphasis on social science and recent flash floods Programs and People in Action: WAS * IS, SSWIM, Isabelle Ruin Institutional collaborators from outside / inside Texas 2. Results from recent flash flood research: Warning Project, YouTube study 3. Necessity of hybrid approach 4. Looking ahead to our workshop and our work International Flash Flood Laboratory
WAS*IS WAS*IS WAS*IS WAS*IS CULTURE CHANGE CULTURE CHANGE weather & society * integrated studies weather & society * integrated studies wate ter www.sip.ucar.edu/wasis/ www.sip.ucar.edu/wasis/ Sponsored by the NCAR Societal Impacts Program Sponsored by the NCAR Societal Impacts Program
Why WAS * IS? As an “add on social scientist” always a few people would say after a talk --- “I want to do work that integrates meteorology and societal impacts BUT… – I don’t know how, and… – I don’t know anyone else who does this kind of work” WAS*IS vision To change the weather enterprise by comprehensively and sustainably integrating social science into meteorological and hydrological research and practice International Flash Flood Laboratory
WAS*IS mission – building hydro-socio- meterology capacity 1. Build an interdisciplinary community of practitioners, researchers and stakeholders — from the grassroots up — dedicated to the integration of meteorology and hydrology and social science 2. Provide opportunities to learn and examine ideas, methods, and examples related to integrated weather- society work- including flash floods • Tools – qualitative methods, surveys, interviews • Concepts – speaking the same language, problem definition • Topics – intros to social sciences, vulnerability and resilience, roles of technology, communication and use of weather information International Flash Flood Laboratory International Flash Flood Laboratory
Social Science Woven Into Meteorology (SSWIM) The National Weather Center – Norman, OK Funded by University of Oklahoma and NOAA www.sswim.org Collaborate with International Flash Flood Laboratory International Flash Flood Laboratory
SSWIM’s three goals 1. To weave social science into the activities of the National Weather Center and elsewhere – not an “add –on” 2. To earn a reputation as a center of social science research and practice in weather and climate work 3. To revolutionize the research to operations equation – so it’s no longer top -down and all partners play equal roles – decision-makers, forecasters, product designers and researchers International Flash Flood Laboratory
SSWIM’s objectives are innovative research and capacity building • … by increasing the appreciation of the value of qualitative as well as quantitative approaches including archival, ethnographic, and participatory methods • … through partnerships with public, private, and academic sectors, including students, practitioners, and policymakers across the spectrum of stakeholders International Flash Flood Laboratory
Social scientists use methods that are rigorous quantitative and qualitative ways to collect data and are appropriate to the discipline, research questions and study populations • Interviews – protocols & questionnaires • Structured • Semi-structured • Open interviews - i.e. stories • Surveys – systematically administered to a defined sample • Direct observations – researcher is embedded with group • Participatory activities – researcher participates with group • Focus groups – guided activities in group • Text analysis – breakdown of verbal or written texts • Others… International Flash Flood Laboratory
International Flash Flood Laboratory collaborators Laboratoire d'étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement Grenoble, France HYMeX Hydrologic cycle in Mediterranean Experiment High impact weather events and relation to climate change impacts in the Mediterranean region European and US project International Flash Flood Laboratory
International Flash Flood Laboratory collaborators - Director Konstantine P. Georgakakos KGeorgakakos@hrc-lab.org University of California San Diego Hydrologic Research Center working with the World Meteorological Organization http://www.hrc-lab.org/index.php Real-Time Data for Central America Flash Flood Threat Index International Flash Flood Laboratory
International Flash Flood Laboratory collaborators • SHAVE Project – (Severe Hail Verification Experiment) National Severe Storms Laboratory – bringing in social science – social and physical verification • National Weather Service Integrated Warning Team gatherings – Kansas City, Omaha 2009 • Meteorologists • News Media • Hydrologists • Emergency Managers • Social Scientists International Flash Flood Laboratory
International Flash Flood Laboratory collaborators International Hydrometeorology Analysis and Forecasting Course 7-27 June 2008 Boulder, CO 21 days *****2 hours social science***** National Weather Service (international activities office) World Meteorological Organization NOAA FLASH FLOOD WORKSHOP 2006 March 13-17 San José, Costa Rica http://www.nws.noaa.gov/iao/iao_FFW.php Presentations on line International Flash Flood Laboratory
US flash flood challenges Post-wildfire flash floods – California Collaborations between local governments, US Geological Survey, National Weather Service • Debris flow warnings F. Orr LA Times 9/16 R.Gauthier LA Times R. Gauthier 9/14 International Flash Flood Laboratory
Warnings – Do these maps help? International Flash Flood Laboratory
Mapped low water crossings in Austin, TX www.ci.austin.tx.us/disasterready/lowwater.htm (are these making a difference?) International Flash Flood Laboratory
Extreme Atlanta flooding September 24-26, 2009 >15 inches of rain in some places, problems with extreme rainfall, creeks cresting feet above historical record highs 10 deaths Calls to action - were they severe enough? Do they matter? International Flash Flood Laboratory
How do we address nuisance events vs catastrophic events? Height of the 1997 Fort Collins, CO flash flood International Flash Flood Laboratory
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