DRC Research

DRC has a well-established research tradition, built on a strong foundation in the social sciences; rich interdisciplinary research; a capacity for quick response field research; and a culture of collaboration between faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Building on this rich history, DRC continuously enhances its research activities.

DRC Research

DRC has a well-established research tradition, built on a strong foundation in the social sciences; rich interdisciplinary research; a capacity for quick response field research; and a culture of collaboration between faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Building on this rich history, DRC continuously enhances its research activities.

DRC Research

DRC has a well-established research tradition, built on a strong foundation in the social sciences; rich interdisciplinary research; a capacity for quick response field research; and a culture of collaboration between faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Building on this rich history, DRC continuously enhances its research activities.

DRC Research

DRC has a well-established research tradition, built on a strong foundation in the social sciences; rich interdisciplinary research; a capacity for quick response field research; and a culture of collaboration between faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Building on this rich history, DRC continuously enhances its research activities.

DRC Research 

DRC projects have been supported by diverse sources, including: National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant Program, Social Science Research Council (SSRC), and Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI).

DRC Director Tricia Wachtendorf presenting "Improvising Disaster" at the Resilient Calgary Symposium at Mount Royal University, in Calgary, Canada. (05/18/2017)
Research Spotlight

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Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic Prosperity and Resilience (CHEER)

DURATION: September 1, 2022 –
RESEARCHERS: Rachel Davidson, Sarah DeYoung, Joseph Trainor, A.R. Siders[/if 449]

FUNDING: National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The UD-led hub — Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic prosperity and Resilience (CHEER) — is one of five NSF-funded projects announced recently as part of the agency’s Coastlines and People program, which is concentrating its research efforts to protect the natural, social and economic resources of U.S. coasts, and to help create more resilient coastal communities.

This five-year project will be led by Rachel Davidson, a core DRC faculty member and UD professor of civil and environmental engineering. Co-principal investigators include Sarah DeYoung, core DRC faculty member and associate professor of sociology and criminal justice at UD; Linda Nozick, professor and director of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University; Brian Colle, professor and division head of atmospheric sciences at Stony Brook University; and Meghan Millea, professor of economics at East Carolina University.

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COVID-19: Community Impacts and Adaptation To Crisis: Delawareans Living With HIV/Aids

RESEARCHERS: Tricia Wachtendorf

FUNDING: Internally Funded, Delaware HIV Consortium

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The crisis surrounding COVID-19 impacted communities across the globe. Appreciating that disasters have differential impacts on those affected, this study examined the impact the crisis had on Delawareans living with HIV/AIDS. The study explored issues of preparedness, response, adaptation, and decision-making, among other social consequences, as well as challenges related to health, housing, finances, and support. Over 50 interviews were conducted with clients of the Delaware HIV Consortium to better understand their experiences and needs over the course of the pandemic.

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Research Projects

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TNC: Legal Tools for Floodplain Management

RESEARCHERS: A.R. Siders

FUNDING: The Nature Conservancy

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Climate change and development are exacerbating flood-risk across the United States. Numerous legal tools exist to help local governments minimize flood risk, and this project seeks to understand and address challenges that limit the ability of local governments to use these tools or shape the outcomes they are able to achieve. The team developed communication tools to facilitate conversations about managed retreat with government officials and members of the public. Interviews with officials who have administered floodplain property acquisition programs explore how federal policy shapes local decisions and how variations in local administration affect participant outcomes. Case studies of municipalities that have adopted progressive development regulations explore what factors enable the adoption and enforcement of progressive laws.

DRC RESEARCH PROJECTS: 11

FILTER BY RESEARCH AREA:
4 Climate Change | 5 Humanitarian Assistance | 6 Infrastructure Risk Management | 12 Protective Actions | 14 Public Health | 15 Response | 3 Social Vulnerability | 4 Warning and Risk Perception | CLEAR ALL

FILTER BY CLASSIFICATION:
11 Active Research | 19 Past Research | 5 Student Research | CLEAR ALL

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An Interdisciplinary Approach to Modeling Multiple Stakeholder Decision Making to Reduce Regional Natural Disaster Risk

RESEARCHERS: Rachel Davidson, Joseph Trainor

FUNDING: Department of Homeland Security, National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The project will result in a new framework of interacting mathematical models that can be used to better understand, design, and evaluate government natural disaster risk management policies, such as providing funds to help homeowners strengthen their homes or requiring homeowners to buy natural disaster insurance. By supporting improved design and evaluation of public policies, the project will help the country better manage its risk. By considering the individual, sometimes competing stakeholder points-of-view up front, as an integral part of the analysis, the new framework will make it easier to identify those win-win system-wide solutions that are most likely to be put into action and to be effective. Engaging representatives of the relevant government agencies, and insurance and home building industries as partners at the beginning of the project will help ensure that the research offers usable results that can be put into practice as quickly and effectively as possible.

Co-Principal Investigators: Jamie Kruse, East Carolina University; Linda Nozick, Cornell University

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Approaches to Coastal Adaptation in the United States

RESEARCHERS: A.R. Sider, Tess Doeffinger

FUNDING: National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Sustainable development along the United States’ coast is challenging for several reasons, including continual weathering and climatic shocks. These risks are expected to be exacerbated due to climate change. There are currently a wide range of coastal adaptation responses being employed across the United States. The purpose of this research is to develop a fundamental understanding of the variation in adaptation responses that directly impact households, how these responses were chosen, and also to determine whether the most vulnerable members of communities are benefiting from these responses. The knowledge gained from this research offers the ability to identify gaps in adaptation, track progress, and aid in future decision making.

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Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic Prosperity and Resilience (CHEER)

DURATION: September 1, 2022 –
RESEARCHERS: Rachel Davidson, Sarah DeYoung, Joseph Trainor, A.R. Siders[/if 449]

FUNDING: National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The UD-led hub — Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic prosperity and Resilience (CHEER) — is one of five NSF-funded projects announced recently as part of the agency’s Coastlines and People program, which is concentrating its research efforts to protect the natural, social and economic resources of U.S. coasts, and to help create more resilient coastal communities.

This five-year project will be led by Rachel Davidson, a core DRC faculty member and UD professor of civil and environmental engineering. Co-principal investigators include Sarah DeYoung, core DRC faculty member and associate professor of sociology and criminal justice at UD; Linda Nozick, professor and director of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University; Brian Colle, professor and division head of atmospheric sciences at Stony Brook University; and Meghan Millea, professor of economics at East Carolina University.

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COVID-19: Community Impacts and Adaptation To Crisis: Delawareans Living With HIV/Aids

RESEARCHERS: Tricia Wachtendorf

FUNDING: Internally Funded, Delaware HIV Consortium

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The crisis surrounding COVID-19 impacted communities across the globe. Appreciating that disasters have differential impacts on those affected, this study examined the impact the crisis had on Delawareans living with HIV/AIDS. The study explored issues of preparedness, response, adaptation, and decision-making, among other social consequences, as well as challenges related to health, housing, finances, and support. Over 50 interviews were conducted with clients of the Delaware HIV Consortium to better understand their experiences and needs over the course of the pandemic.

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DRC COVID-19: Community Impacts and Adaptation to Crisis

RESEARCHERS: Tricia Wachtendorf, James Kendra

FUNDING: Internally Funded

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The crisis surrounding COVID-19 impacted communities across the globe. This effort examined the impact of the crisis on community in the early stages of the pandemic, exploring issues of preparedness, response, adaptation, and decision-making, among other social consequences. A concentric approach to data collection began with the impact of the crisis on an institution of higher education – the University of Delaware and its population. The examination spanned outward to include others who have relationships with the institution (e.g. community members, businesses, faith-based organizations, agencies, among others). We then circle back to those involved with the community around the core institution, to examine in greater depth core questions around impact, decision-making, and adaptation under crisis. Several hundred in-depth interviews were conducted with people impacted by the crisis, with the potential to follow up with participants at a later date.

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Floodplain Management in the United States: Where, why, and how policies have shaped floodplain development

DURATION: September 1, 2021 –
RESEARCHERS: AR Siders, Logan Gerber-Chavez, Salvesila Tamima, Miyuki Hino[/if 449]
ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATOR: Katharine Mach, University of Miami
FUNDING: National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Managing infrastructure and housing development in hazardous areas is fundamental to limiting damages from extreme weather events.
But construction in hazardous places continues. This project, a collaboration between the University of Delaware, University of Miami, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, investigates how and why some communities are able to grow without developing housing and infrastructure in floodplains. We are generating lessons for broader climate risk management efforts. The project will (a) measure floodplain development by creating a systematic, national measurement of municipal floodplain development, (b) analyze patterns of contextual factors and floodplain development outcomes, and (c) use comparative case studies, interviews, and legal analysis to explore how local regulations have shaped floodplain outcomes. Our floodplain development measurements will be open access, so researchers, local officials, and citizen advocates can use and adapt the data for their own needs and provide feedback to refine the indices. Ongoing work with practitioners is supporting a peer-to-peer learning network to improve floodplain development management.

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Infrastructure System Damage Modeling with Data from the 2010-2011 Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquakes

RESEARCHERS: Rachel Davidson

FUNDING: Internally Funded

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The goal of this research is to develop new infrastructure system damage models using statistical methods that are new for this application. Specifically, we are analyzing a large, uniquely comprehensive dataset of water supply system damage from the 2010-2011 Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes. We are comparing generalized linear models, boosted regression trees, and random forest models to see which provide the best fit to the data and the best predictive power. The research aims to improve prediction of water supply system pipeline damage in future earthquakes and improve methods for modeling lifeline damage in extreme events in general. Co-Principal Investigators: Matthew Hughes (University of Canterbury) and Misko Cubrinovski (University of Canterbury)

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Justice and Evaluation of U.S. Managed Retreat

RESEARCHERS: A.R. Siders

FUNDING: Internally Funded

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Managed retreat – the purposeful movement of people and assets away from hazardous areas – is a controversial and potentially transformative climate adaptation strategy. A series of projects are exploring the environmental justice implications of managed retreat in practice and theory; the potential for managed retreat to promote transformative adaptation; how narratives of retreat in media affect public perceptions; and what lessons can be learned from historic examples.

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NSF HDBE: Collaborative Research: Leveraging Massive Smartphone Location Data to Improve Understanding and Prediction of Behavior in Hurricanes

DURATION: September 1, 2020 – August 31, 2023
RESEARCHERS: Rachel Davidson, Tricia Wachtendorf, Sarah DeYoung

FUNDING: National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
In this project, newly available anonymous smartphone location data will be used to dramatically improve understanding of how people behave during hurricanes (e.g., how many people will evacuate, when, how, from where, and to where). In this project, we will promote the progress of science by capitalizing on the availability of a new type of data—anonymous location information from smartphones—to make a leap forward in understanding and predicting the behavior of the population during hurricane evacuations. The project will advance national welfare and benefit society by substantially improving the ability to manage future evacuations. During a hurricane, officials make many highly consequential decisions, including issuing official evacuation orders, messaging the public, opening shelters, staging materials, and staff, implementing special traffic plans, executing support for vehicle-less populations, and preparing to undertake rescues. All of these depend directly on how many people are expected to evacuate, when, how, from where, and to where. By providing a more accurate and nuanced prediction of population behavior during hurricanes, this project will enable officials to make those decisions in a more informed and effective way. Our practitioner partners from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida and North Carolina state emergency management agencies will also help us share findings with the larger emergency management community. Combining the power of the new data with domain expertise based on traditional survey and interview data will advance the science.

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NSF LEAP HI: Embedding Regional Hurricane Risk Management in the Life of a Community: A Computational Framework

DURATION: September 1, 2018 – August 31, 2023
RESEARCHERS: Rachel Davidson, Joseph Trainor

FUNDING: Cornell University, East Carolina University, National Science Foundation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A breakthrough in disaster risk reduction will require an approach that views disasters not as abnormal events but as a regular part of a community’s evolution, and disaster risk management as inextricably interwoven with the normal activities of everyday life. In this project, a novel computational modeling framework will be developed using this approach to improve understanding of the underlying dynamics that lead to escalating regional natural disaster risk, and to support design and analysis of public policy interventions to address them. In a system-wide analysis, the Multistakeholder Disaster Risk Management (MDRM) framework will explicitly consider perspectives of and interactions among multiple key stakeholders (government, primary insurers, and homeowners), multiple diverse interventions (e.g., home strengthening, insurance, land use planning), and not just actions that are explicitly risk-focused but “risk-influential” actions as well. The MDRM computational framework will include seven interacting mathematical models representing physically-based simulation of damage, losses, and ways to strengthen homes; decision-making by each main stakeholder type including oligopolistic competition among insurers; and the changing building inventory and regional economy that provide the context. It will be developed with a full-scale application for hurricanes in North Carolina. This project promises improved understanding of the creation and management of regional natural disaster risk by, for the first time, uniting the conceptualization of disasters as part of the normal life of a community with the power of quantitative, dynamic engineering modeling of risk, decision-making, and economics. Principal Investigators: Linda Nozick, Cornell University, and Jamie Kruse, East Carolina University