Colleagues,
 
We have all been touched by the tragedy and humanitarian crises, which are unfolding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  As a natural “laboratory”, Hurricane Katrina affords an opportunity to examine all aspects of both natural ecosystems and human communities.  Making communities more resilient to the impacts of natural technological and willful disasters is an important national goal, and one that we at the USC Office of Research and Health Sciences have taken to heart.  In our Coastal Resiliency Information Systems Initiative for the Southeast (CRISIS), we have committed to support research that will facilitate the Hurricane Katrina relief effort and assist in future crises as well.

 

To accomplish this goal, we have awarded nearly $400,000 in internal grants to fund 18 research projects on the societal and environmental impact of Hurricane Katrina.   The grants will give USC researchers an opportunity to investigate the disaster of Hurricane Katrina and capture perishable data in order to understand all aspects of coastal resiliency.  The studies also will examine recovery of natural processes and ecosystems, as well as the societal changes that will occur with the relocation of residents and the rebuilding of communities.

 

We are interested in finding out if anyone else has implemented similar projects.  If you know of anyone else doing this, please send a brief description to Wanda Hutto (xxxxxx@gwm.sc.edu) or Danielle McElwain (xxxxxx@gwm.sc.edu).