Resilient Futures Podcast

Disasters are affecting more people and property than ever before. Since 1980, the U.S. has experienced 400+ weather-related "billion dollar" disasters, $3 trillion in economic impacts, and thousands of lives and livelihoods. In the effort to build our disaster resilience as a society, what's the role of insurance?In this episode, our hosts are joined by Carolyn Kousky, Insurance for Good, and Marc Ragin, University of Georgia Terry College of Business. This month's guests discuss a question at the heart of disaster insurance: what's the best way to incentivize risk reduction for both insurance companies and customers?If you're curious about how disaster insurance works, options for making insurance better suited for new risks, or why premiums are getting so darn high, this is the episode for you.Marc's Haiku:High insurance ratesWe need collective actionTake your vitaminsCarolyn's Haiku, written by Matsuo Bashō (translated from Japanese):As they begin to rise again Chrysanthemums faintly smellafter the flooding rainLearn more about UGA and Duke's CIRCAD partnership: https://circad.org/Carolyn's book: https://islandpress.org/books/understanding-disaster-insurance#descCarolyn's nonprofit, Insurance for Good: https://www.insuranceforgood.org/

What did you do during the COVID-19 social distancing era? Some of us learned to make sourdough, some of us perfected a viral whipped coffee, plenty of us did a whole lot of nothing- but this NYC subculture was busy taking notes.Anna Bounds, a Professor of Sociology at Queens College, has felt called to teach, write, and tell stories for a long time. She's particularly passionate about urban policies that make cities better, stronger and more vibrant.As a sociologist–but also as a New Yorker–she began attending meetings of NYC's "prepper" community: a group of people dedicated to preparing for disasters the government may not be equipped to help with, whether it's a pandemic, terrorist attack or natural disaster.Anna clarifies: they aren't preparing for the end of the world- just whatever kind of day tomorrow might be. She's spent years (including before the pandemic) researching these groups while also learning countless skills for emergency preparation and response."All sorts of interesting people [were] coming together to figure out how to help each other in crisis- and it paid off."So forget viral food trends! This episode pairs best with assembling your emergency kit (and yes, Anna has suggestions for it).Anna's Haiku* ("A Love Letter to the City"):Smoke clings to the skyHands meet through sirens and headlinesLove that doesn't flinch(*With special thanks to Anna's 7th grade teacher)Links:Anna's book, Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City: Class, Resilience, and Sheltering in Place: https://www.annamariabounds.org/urban-preppersAnna's first book, Bracing for the Apocalypse: An Ethnographic Study of New York City's Urban Prepper Subculture: https://www.annamariabounds.org/book/apocalypse

California relies on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as a hub for water, biodiversity, agriculture, recreation, and more. How can we make sure that management actions are working as intended? Returning guest Stephen Elser is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the Delta Stewardship Council, which works to advance California's coequal goals: a more reliable water supply and a resilient Delta ecosystem. Broadly, Stephen's team is tasked with supporting the use of adaptive management to enhance conservation and sustainable use of the Delta.Adaptive management is a flexible approach to managing natural resources that allows for continuous learning, resulting in management decisions based on what was learned rather than simply implementing without regard for scientific feedback or monitoring. Management actions can be viewed as hypotheses to be tested, with the goal of continuous improvement while reducing uncertainty. Stephen explains the process of adaptive management, and why it's so important in complex ecosystems like the Delta.Stephen's Haiku:Uncertain futuresBut we know a lot, let's actLearning as we go -Read more about the Delta Stewardship Council at their website.-Follow this link to learn more about the Council's adaptive management work, and to find resources on developing adaptive management plans.-The 2025 Adaptive Management Forum will be held on October 14-15! Follow this link to learn more about this free event and to register to attend either in-person or online. 

Have you ever asked your garbage truck where it's going?Sybil Derrible is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, focusing on urban engineering- studying large systems of power and movement inspired by the tiny island he calls his hometown. Living in a tight community (and with parents that owned a hardware store), Sybil grew up knowing where his water and energy came from- and now, he wants you to learn about yours too.In this episode, Sybil joins us to discuss his new book, aptly titled The Infrastructure Book. He chose to write this book because he felt that his work needed to be communicated to the public. He feels that people need to understand how their infrastructure works: not just roads and bridges, but the energy systems, water distribution, telecommunications, waste disposal and more that happen behind the scenes.Sybil's Haiku:It breathes not, but livesIt makes it all possibleInfrastructure rocks!Links: Check out The Infrastructure Book here: https://csun.uic.edu/the-infrastructure-book/ Learn more about Sybil's work: https://sybilderrible.com/ 

This month, we’re proud to introduce an in-house effort at the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems: the Georgia Statewide Resilience Assessment.Commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts and conducted by the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems at UGA, this report brings together insight from across the sectors, stakeholders and systems of Georgia. The outcome: a review of our hazards and challenges, as well as some opportunities, exemplary projects, and recommendations for creating a more resilient Georgia.The research process for this report involved holding in-person and virtual discussions across the state to gain a wide array of perspectives. In this episode, we bring you a few of the people who were present at some of those meetings to discuss the project and state resilience planning as a whole.Featuring: Kristiane Huber, Officer, US Conservation, The Pew Charitable TrustsLynn Abdouni, Associate Research Scientist, Institute for Resilient Infrastructure SystemsSummer Modelfino, Deputy Chief Resilience Officer, Maryland Office of ResilienceAlan Robertson, AWR Strategic Consulting, Tybee Island, GeorgiaAnd yes, Alan brought a haiku!Recover, adaptAlways planning for a more Resilient futureLinks:Read the report here: https://iris.uga.edu/resilience-planning-for-the-state-of-georgia/Watch the webinar on state resilience planning here: https://iris.uga.edu/resilience-planning-for-the-state-of-georgia/ Learn more about the Maryland Office of Resilience: https://resilientmaryland.com/ Learn more about resilience efforts in Tybee Island: https://resilienttybee.com/