Virginia Tech has a team of coastal and policy experts available to talk with reporters as Hurricane Michael moves onshore along the Florida coast.

Below are some of the Virginia Tech researchers whose knowledge could add meaning and proactive insights to news coverage of hurricanes, flash flooding, storm surge, sea-level rise and other natural disasters.

Patrick Roberts says that response and recovery efforts could be challenged by the fact that many FEMA reserve and leadership positions remain vacant. His research focuses on the government’s evolving role in emergency management and building resilience, as well as how bureaucrats speak back to politicians. Roberts is an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and is based at Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region in Alexandria, Va.

Robert Weiss examines the impact of coastal hazards in the geologic past, today and in the future. His work analyzes how climate change and sea-level rise could change the nature and impacts of coastal hazards in coming years. He develops computer models and uses data analytics to translate the geologic record of coastal hazards into insights that improve the understanding of coastal hazards in the past and today.Weiss is an associate professor of natural hazards in the Department of Geosciences.

Jennifer Irish studies coastal flooding and engineering solutions to minimize its impacts. Her work emphasizes the characterization of storm surge likelihood, barrier-island response to coastal storms, mitigation potential of coastal forest and wetlands, and the influence of sea-level rise. Irish is a professor of coastal engineering in the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Anamaria Bukvic researches coastal hazards and disasters, adaptation, resilience, and population relocation. She studies the impacts of climate change on migration dynamic and displacement in coastal settings, as well as the policy and planning mechanisms that would improve the relocation process as a viable adaptation response to sea level rise and chronic flooding. Bukvic is a research assistant professor in the Department of Geography.

Schedule an interview

To arrange an interview, contact Bill Foy in the Media Relations office at 540-998-0288. 

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