Research Methods Meeting for Hurricane Maria Technical Investigation

AGENDA

Hosted By:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) &

National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health (NCDMPH)

Held At:

Henry M. Jackson Foundation Headquarters

6720A Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20817

6-7 September 2018

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the state-of-the-practice in post-disaster field data collection 

methods including sampling methodologies across multiple disciplines.

Thursday, 6 September

Time Topic Discussion Leader

Opening Remarks

8:30 am – 8:40 am Introductions

Safety Briefing

Judith Mitrani-Reiser

Director, Disaster & Failure 

Studies Program

National Institute of Standards 

and Technology

8:40 am – 8:45 am Welcome

Opening Remarks 

Howard Harary

Director, Engineering 

Laboratory 

National Institute of Standards 

and Technology

8:45 am – 9:05 am Overview of Hurricane Maria’s Impact on Puerto 

Rico

Jennifer Santos-Hernández

Assistant Research Professor, 

Center for Social Research

University of Puerto Rico-Río 

Piedras

9:05 am – 9:20 am Introduction to NIST’s Disaster and Failure 

Studies and the National Construction Safety 

Team (NCST) Act

Judith Mitrani-Reiser
Thursday, 6 September

Time Topic Discussion Leader

9:20 am – 9:25 am Hurricane Maria Investigation and Studies 

Introduction

Erica Kuligowski

Team Lead, Hurricane Maria 

NCST

National Institute of Standards 

and Technology

Goals of the Hurricane Maria NCST Investigation

9:25 am – 9:45 am Scope of the NCST Investigation

• Goal 1: the wind environment and 

technical conditions associated with 

deaths and injuries

• Goal 2: the performance of 

representative critical buildings, and 

designated safe areas in those buildings, 

including their dependence on lifelines

• Goal 3: the performance of emergency 

communications systems and the 

public’s response to such 

communications

Erica Kuligowski

9:45 am – 10:15 am Moderated Q&A on Hurricane Maria NCST 

Investigation

Thomas Kirsch

Director, National Center of 

Disaster Medicine and Public 

Health (NCDMPH)

Uniformed Services University

10:15 am – 10:45 am BREAK
Thursday, 6 September

Time Topic Discussion Leader

Hurricane Maria Projects and NIST Methods Overview

10:45 am – 11:45 am Sampling Needs for Hurricane Maria Projects

• Wind Hazard Characterization

• Critical Buildings Performance

• Distributed Infrastructure

• Emergency Communications

• Deaths and Injuries

• Recovery of Social Functions

• Recovery of Business and Supply Chain

NCST Members:

Joseph Main

Joseph Main

Kenneth Harrison

Erica Kuligowski

Judith Mitrani-Reiser

Maria Dillard

Jennifer Helgeson

11:45 am – 12:15 pm Moderated Q&A on Sampling Methods Walt Peacock

Professor, Urban Planning

Texas A&M University

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm Lunch 

Methods Expert Panel

1:15 pm – 1:20 pm Methods Expert Panel Introduction Thomas Kirsch

1:20 pm – 1:40 pm Epidemiology Methods Satchit Balsari

Professor, Harvard Medical 

School and Beth Israel 

Deaconess Medical Center

1:40 pm – 2:00 pm Social Science Methods Joseph Trainor

Associate Professor, Public 

Policy and Administration

University of Delaware

2:00 pm – 2:20 pm Wind/Structural Engineering Methods David Prevatt

Associate Professor, Civil and 

Coastal Engineering

University of Florida
Thursday, 6 September

Time Topic Discussion Leader

2:20 pm – 2:50 pm Moderated Q&A on Multidisciplinary Methods Tricia Wachtendorf

Director, Disaster Research 

Center

University of Delaware

2:50 pm – 3:20 pm BREAK

Discussions on Scales Required in Disaster Field Studies

3:20 pm – 4:10 pm Discussion on Geographical Unit of Analysis Pablo Méndez-Lázaro

Associate Professor, 

Environmental Health

University of Puerto RicoMedical Sciences Campus

Kurt Gurley

Associate Professor, Civil and 

Coastal Engineering

University of Florida

4:10 pm – 5:00 pm Discussion on Building Unit of Analysis John van de Lindt

Professor, Civil and 

Environmental Engineering

Colorado State University

Luis Aponte-Bermúdez

Professor, Civil Engineering

University of Puerto RicoMayagüez

5:00 pm ADJOURN
Friday, 7 September

Time Topic Discussion Leader

8:30 am – 8:35 am Welcome Judith Mitrani-Reiser

8:35 am – 9:25 am Discussion on Organizational Unit of Analysis Malgosia Madajewicz

Associate Research Scientist,

Center for Climate Systems 

Research

Columbia University

Vankita Brown

Social Scientist

National Oceanographic and 

Atmospheric Administration

9:25 am – 10:15 am Discussion on Population Unit of Analysis Carlos Santos-Burgoa

Professor, Global Health

George Washington University

Rebecca Noe

Epidemiologist

Centers for Disease Control

10:15 am – 10:45 am BREAK

10:45 am – 12:00 pm Wrap-up Thomas Kirsch & 

Judith Mitrani-Reiser

12:00pm ADJOURN