A Clearinghouse on Natural Hazards Research and Applications

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ABSTRACTThe Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder (NHRAIC/Center), founded in 1976, works to strengthen communication between researchers who study hazards and disasters and users of research, including policymakers and practitioners. NHRAIC, which is affiliated with the CU-Boulder Institute of Behavioral Science, accomplishes its work through four major activities: information dissemination, an annual workshop, library and information services, and the sponsorship and conduct of research. The Center's goal is to facilitate knowledge transfer and improve hazard mitigation and emergency management programs and practices. Key Center objectives include (1) the collection and sharing of research and experience related to disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; (2) the development of networks and partnerships that foster capacity building and best practices for disaster loss reduction; and (3) the conduct of original research on extreme events. In addition to funding from NSF, the Center receives support from a consortium of agencies, including FEMA, NOAA and the National Weather Service, NASA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CDC, the U.S. Forest Service, and related private sector organizations. More than a quarter century of facilitating communication and knowledge transfer among loss-reduction stakeholders has placed the NHRAIC center stage in the national and global hazards communities. Through its varied activities, the NHRAIC advocates for sustainable hazard reduction, interdisciplinary partnerships, and an all-hazards approach to the management of extreme events. Through its Quick Response program, the NHRAIC makes funds available for field work and the collection of perishable disaster-related data. The Center's extensive publication series includes Beyond September 11: An Account of Post-Disaster Research (2003), a compilation of quick-response research conducted after the 9-11 terrorist attacks.The Center's newsletter, the Natural Hazards Observer, is published six times a year and is available in hard copy and electronic form. The NHRAIC web site, http://www.colorado.edu/hazards, is among the most widely used information portals in the field of extreme events. With the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Center co-sponsors the interdisciplinary journal, the Natural Hazards. Other important Center products include Disasters by Design, by former NHRAIC director Dennis Mileti, as well as other books and publications produced as part of the Center-directed "Second Assessment of Research on Natural Hazards." The second assessment, which produced a five-volume set of books published by the Joseph Henry Press, summarizes the state of knowledge in fields such as hazard insurance, land use planning for hazard mitigation, disaster preparedness and response, and the spatial dimensions of hazard vulnerability. The Center is also active on issues such as curriculum development for interdisciplinary hazards education. With funding from NSF and the Public Entity Risk Institute, the NHRAIC also offers dissertation enrichment fellowships for students engaged in research on extreme events.