This will be a panel discussion on the lessons learned from the emergency response to Hurricane Helene, with a particular focus on how destruction of transportation infrastructure impacted emergency response and the role that resilience should play in recovery construction to assist emergency response going forward. Resilience in the rebuilding phase will be critically important, because the emergency response is significantly hampered when transportation systems fail (as happened particularly in western North Carolina). However, resilience must be considered in the context of sustainability, in the sense that simply spending large sums of money does not result in a sustainable solution. Clearly, there is a link between the cost of a rebuilding project and the degree of resilience in the rebuilt infrastructure, but that infrastructure must be maintained for the resilience to be fully realized, and societal needs (both locally and more broadly) must be considered as well. This is a complex issue that is not easily addressed, and the panel will explore these complexities and other matters.
After this session, participants will be better able to:
• Detail the various lessons learned about the emergency response to Hurricane Helene.
• Discuss the importance of resilience in the rebuilding phase of the Hurricane Helene event, especially with respect to transportation infrastructure.
• Describe the complexities involved in balancing the desire for resilience in infrastructure with the need for sustainability, in the context of recovery from natural disasters.
Contributor/Source
Angel Cobb Project Manager, Chuck Denson Public Works Director, Jessica Foster- Solid Waste Manager, Keith Pugh-Government Innovation Liaison, Tyler Hill-Infrastructure Project Manager
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Introductory
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Mastery of basic concepts associated with an area has been obtained. Focuses on understanding nuances, advanced concepts, and intricacies with implementation within knowledge area. Strong understanding of how the concept impacts other factors or areas of operations.
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CLL
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