US communities can protect infrastructure by better understanding risk and priorities

Flooding, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters are increasingly impacting US cities, with millions displaced and billions of dollars in damage. The types of disasters and their wide-ranging impacts are vast. As recovery costs rise, it’s more important than ever for our cities and communities to use resources efficiently and implement plans to protect their most vulnerable assets.

Rebecca Leitschuh – Resilient Infrastructure Design

Rebecca has lived through different ends of resilience—as an evacuee during Hurricane Katrina, and now leading Stantec’s Infrastructure Resilience practice. Currently, she is working with departments of transportation in multiple US states and military installations to assess vulnerabilities and identify where to make upgrades for more resilient infrastructure. Talk with Rebecca about:

• How to identify what infrastructure is most vulnerable to climate events
• How to plan for flooding on thousands of miles of roadways and bridges, and how to protect them
• How to make the most of available funding for resilience projects

Nadia Vogt – Urban Water, Environmental Justice

You might say Nadia was born to do this work, starting with her first river clean-up at the age of four. She works across various stakeholder groups to develop plans that protect infrastructure, make cities more resilient to climate-related hazards, and protect watersheds. Nadia can answer these questions and more:

• How can we take a system-wide approach to choose effective resilience projects?
• What needs to be done to coordinate across government and community groups?
• How do you know your resilience plan will actually work, and help create long-term value for the community?

You can get a sense of Nadia’s passion for her work and for finding solutions that work for communities in this video.