 "Photo: Louis DeLuca / The Dallas Morning News")
By Tuesday night, Hurricane Katrina had already caused nearly 70 deaths and billions of dollars in property damage. Those numbers are expected to rise during the next few days.
In the aftermath of one of the largest hurricanes in U.S. history, a group of USC geography graduate students gather around a television screen to watch the destruction on CNN. These students form part of the Hazards Research Lab, the only major geographic hazards research facility in the nation.
"The role of the Hazards Research Lab is to facilitate the training and use of geographic information sciences for the analysis and management of environmental hazards, whether they be human-induced or natural," said researcher Bryan Boruff.
Students and professors combine traditional means of data collection, such as interviewing people affected by a disaster, with more advanced technological tools. Chris Emrich, geography Ph.D. candidate and Hazards Research Manager, said the HRL makes frequent use of remotely sensed data (satellite images and aerial photographs) and geographic information systems, which analyze and display digital information spatially.
Funding for this research comes from a variety of sources, including NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the S.C. Emergency Management Division of FEMA.
Emrich said most hurricane deaths result from non-evacuation storm-surge drownings. This ties into one of the main focuses of HRL researchers - the study of vulnerable populations. This involves understanding the characteristics of a population and locating where those people most at risk live. When emergency managers know this information, preventative steps can be taken during an evacuation to save lives.
The HRL studies hazards caused by nature and humans. For example, the HRL was chosen earlier this year by the Department of Homeland Security to be part of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. Under the direction of Susan Cutter, professors and students study the origins of terrorism and how to better prepare the U.S. to resist terrorism attempts.
Other current research projects include assessing tsunami vulnerability in the Pacific Northwest, examining the human responses to the Graniteville chlorine spill and creating flood risk maps for South Carolina.
In addition to the usual motivation among academics to publish research, the HRL hopes to see the results of their research help in future disasters.
"Hopefully, policy and decision makers will take our results into consideration when planning for and responding to disasters," Emrich said.
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