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Full-Text Articles in Emergency and Disaster Management

Drones In Wildfire Airspace Management: Developing A Scalable Framework For Mid-Sized Cities, Victoria Denise Tanner Williamson Aug 2026

Drones In Wildfire Airspace Management: Developing A Scalable Framework For Mid-Sized Cities, Victoria Denise Tanner Williamson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, creating growing risks for mid-sized communities with limited emergency response resources. The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires—which burned more than 57,000 acres and destroyed over 18,000 structures—underscore the urgent need to strengthen wildfire response strategies through the integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) (Hardy, 2025).

This study develops a scalable framework for drone-assisted wildfire response in resource-constrained environments. Using the city of Waynesboro, Virginia, as a case study, the research examines how mid-sized jurisdictions can integrate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to improve preparedness, response, and recovery. A three-round, mixed-methods Delphi study engages emergency …


Assessing The Possibilities And Speculations Of Blended Teaching-Learning (Btl) Based On The Online Teaching-Learning (Otl) Experience During Covid-19 In Bangladesh, Nazmun Chaitee Jan 2026

Assessing The Possibilities And Speculations Of Blended Teaching-Learning (Btl) Based On The Online Teaching-Learning (Otl) Experience During Covid-19 In Bangladesh, Nazmun Chaitee

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This research paper investigates the potential and viability of implementing Blended Teaching Learning (BTL) in Bangladesh, drawing on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 Online Teaching Learning (OTL) practice experiences. The study specifically focuses on examining the advantages and challenges encountered by teachers and students in online classes during the pandemic. Through a mixed-methods approach, including questionnaire surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs), data was collected from secondary-level teachers and students in Bangladesh. The findings highlight the dedicated efforts made by educators and students in embracing and adapting to online education during the COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, the study identifies …


Yk-4-250, A Synthetic Telmisartan-Tempol Conjugate: Crystal Structure Of A Stabilized Free Radical Containing An Angiotensin At₁ Receptor Inhibitor, Simon Friedrich, Yali Kong, Faik N. Musayev, Milton L. Brown, B. Frank Gupton Jan 2026

Yk-4-250, A Synthetic Telmisartan-Tempol Conjugate: Crystal Structure Of A Stabilized Free Radical Containing An Angiotensin At₁ Receptor Inhibitor, Simon Friedrich, Yali Kong, Faik N. Musayev, Milton L. Brown, B. Frank Gupton

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the first crystal structure of the telmisartan-tempol conjugate 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-(λ'-oxidaneyl)piperidin-4-yl 4'-[(1,7'-dimethyl-2'-propyl-1H,3'H-[2,5'-bibenzo[d]imidazol]-3'-yl)methyl]-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-carboxylate free radical (YK-4-250, C₄₂H₄₆N₅O₃), a dual-function inhibitor designed to target both the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT₁R) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Structural analysis reveals a unique crystal architecture in which the nitroxide radical is stabilized within a sterically protected environment while preserving the telmisartan pharmacophore essential for high-affinity receptor antagonism. YK-4-250 is a novel small-molecule conjugate of telmisartan and tempol that incorporates a catalytic stabilized nitroxide radical and was rationally designed to mitigate gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI-ARS).


Results Of The Second Ice Shelf-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (Isomip+), Claire K. Yung, Xylar S. Asay-Davis, Alistair Adcroft, Christopher Y. S. Bull, Jan De Rydt, Michael S. Dinniman, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Daniel Goldberg, David E. Gwyther, Robert Hallberg, Matthew Harrison, Tore Hattermann, David M. Holland, Denise Holland, Paul R. Holland, James R. Jordan, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Kazuya Kusahara, Gustavo Marques, Pierre Mathiot, Adele K. Morrison, Yoshihiro Nakayama, Olga Sergienko, Robin S. Smith, Alon Stern, Ralph Timmermann, Qin Zhou Jan 2026

Results Of The Second Ice Shelf-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (Isomip+), Claire K. Yung, Xylar S. Asay-Davis, Alistair Adcroft, Christopher Y. S. Bull, Jan De Rydt, Michael S. Dinniman, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Daniel Goldberg, David E. Gwyther, Robert Hallberg, Matthew Harrison, Tore Hattermann, David M. Holland, Denise Holland, Paul R. Holland, James R. Jordan, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Kazuya Kusahara, Gustavo Marques, Pierre Mathiot, Adele K. Morrison, Yoshihiro Nakayama, Olga Sergienko, Robin S. Smith, Alon Stern, Ralph Timmermann, Qin Zhou

CCPO Publications

Ocean-driven basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves plays an important role in the mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Ice shelf cavity-resolving ocean models are a valuable tool for understanding ice shelf-ocean interactions and for simulating projections of ice shelf and ocean states under future climate. Designed to assess the current state of ice shelf–ocean modelling, the second Ice Shelf–Ocean Model Intercomparison Project, ISOMIP+, consists of 12 ocean model configurations submitted with a common, idealised experimental setup. Here, we focus on the experiments Ocean0–2 (Asay-Davis et al., 2016), which are ocean models with idealised, static ice …


Statewide Corridor Evacuation Response And Re-Entry Behaviors In Florida During Hurricane Irma, Xin Wang, Yuan Zhu, Hong Yang, Kun Xie Jan 2026

Statewide Corridor Evacuation Response And Re-Entry Behaviors In Florida During Hurricane Irma, Xin Wang, Yuan Zhu, Hong Yang, Kun Xie

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Hurricane Irma stands as one of the most destructive tropical storms to make landfall in the United States, particularly impacting the State of Florida, where it prompted the largest evacuation in history with approximately 7 million residents. The profound consequences of mass evacuation underscore the critical need to understand travel behaviors during hurricane evacuation and the recovery process. This research analyzes statewide evacuation and re-entry patterns, leveraging diverse datasets, including TTMS data from main corridors and GIS data. A statewide corridor-based empirical analysis framework is constructed to characterize evacuation and re-entry response patterns using sensor-based traffic observations. The results show …


We-Making Through Technology: Social Cohesion And Virtual Adaptation In Community Arts Organizations For Artists With Idd During Covid-19 Pandemic, Yumi Shirai, Michelle Boulanger Thompson, Tamara Shetron Jan 2026

We-Making Through Technology: Social Cohesion And Virtual Adaptation In Community Arts Organizations For Artists With Idd During Covid-19 Pandemic, Yumi Shirai, Michelle Boulanger Thompson, Tamara Shetron

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

COVID-19 public health restrictions disrupted in-person arts participation, increasing risks of social isolation and reduced community access. Prior research shows that many people engaged in home-based arts and cultural activities during lockdown, supporting emotional regulation, a sense of belonging, and social connection; however, little is known about how these shifts affected community arts organizations that serve artists with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), a population disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and longstanding inequities. We examined how community-based arts organizations adapted programming for artists with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic, including barriers and unanticipated outcomes relevant to equitable access and participation …


Physics-Based Multi-Hazard Fragility Modeling Of Low-Rise Wood-Frame Buildings Under Hurricane-Induced Wind And Surge, Mumtasirun Nahar, Abdullah M. Braik, Mohammad Syed, Maria Koliou, Petros Sideris Jan 2026

Physics-Based Multi-Hazard Fragility Modeling Of Low-Rise Wood-Frame Buildings Under Hurricane-Induced Wind And Surge, Mumtasirun Nahar, Abdullah M. Braik, Mohammad Syed, Maria Koliou, Petros Sideris

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Coastal buildings are exposed to concurrent hurricane-induced wind and storm surge, yet their vulnerability is commonly assessed using separate single-hazard models that neglect hazard interaction. This study developed a physics-based finite element framework to evaluate the performance of a low-rise light wood-frame building under simultaneous wind and surge-wave loading. A detailed three-dimensional model was constructed using a sub-assembly strategy that explicitly represented framing members, sheathing systems, and critical connections. Structural response was evaluated across a hazard space defined by wind speed, still-water depth, and flow velocity, and component- and system-level fragility functions were derived using Monte Carlo simulation and generalized …


Applying Transfer Learning For Street-Scale Nuisance Flood Forecasting In Coastal-Urban Environments, Binata Roy, Jonathan L. Goodall, Diana Mcspadden, Chetan Kumar, Steven Goldenberg, Yidi Wang, Malachi Schram Jan 2026

Applying Transfer Learning For Street-Scale Nuisance Flood Forecasting In Coastal-Urban Environments, Binata Roy, Jonathan L. Goodall, Diana Mcspadden, Chetan Kumar, Steven Goldenberg, Yidi Wang, Malachi Schram

Data Science Faculty Publications

An important challenge with Machine Learning (ML) is its transferability; that is, whether an ML model trained on one set of data can be applied to a second set of data without requiring full retraining of the model. Transfer Learning (TL) addresses this challenge by transferring knowledge learned in the source domain (the data it was trained on) to the target domain (a second set of data that is statistically different but related, which the model was not trained on). This study investigates the use of TL for street-scale nuisance flood forecasting by exploring whether an ML model trained for …


A Two-Stage Changepoint-Copula Framework For Non-Stationary Count Time Series: Application To Tropical Cyclones, Md Iqbal Hossain, Norou Diawara Jan 2026

A Two-Stage Changepoint-Copula Framework For Non-Stationary Count Time Series: Application To Tropical Cyclones, Md Iqbal Hossain, Norou Diawara

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Cross-basin tropical cyclone variability may exhibit complex, non-linear dependence structures influenced by large-scale climate modes and potential regime shifts. Reliance on traditional linear correlation measures without accounting for structural changes can therefore lead to misleading interpretations of global storm relationships. This study investigates the regional dependence structures of tropical cyclone counts across six major ocean basins (NA, ENP, WNP, NI, SI, and SP) from 1980 to 2024. We adopt a two-stage analytical framework integrating changepoint detection and copula modeling to address non-stationarity in both marginal distributions and dependence structures. First, we identify a significant structural break in the year 2000 …


The Fox Versus The Hedgehog: Firm Survival During Unprecedented Crises, Sheng Fang, Shaomin Li, Liu Wang Jan 2026

The Fox Versus The Hedgehog: Firm Survival During Unprecedented Crises, Sheng Fang, Shaomin Li, Liu Wang

Management Faculty Publications

This paper examines how sales channel diversification influences firm resilience during the COVID crisis. Drawing on a series of logit regressions analyzing 11,662 firms across 31 developing countries, we find that firms embodying an open mind-set and a diverse array of sales channels, akin to foxes, are more likely to survive, as compared to their hedgehog counterparts, which focus on one particular task. Our mediation analysis suggests that this is mainly due to their faster growth in sales and exports. Moreover, we find that the impact of fox-like traits on firm survival is moderated by female leadership and corporate innovation.


The Influence Of Scale In Modeling Social Vulnerability And Disaster Assistance, Sina Razzaghi Asl, Oronde Drakes, Eric Tate, Samuel Brody, Wesley Highfield, Kayode Atoba Jan 2026

The Influence Of Scale In Modeling Social Vulnerability And Disaster Assistance, Sina Razzaghi Asl, Oronde Drakes, Eric Tate, Samuel Brody, Wesley Highfield, Kayode Atoba

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Understanding how social vulnerability relates to disaster impacts is critical for addressing social equity, yet the role of spatial scale in this relationship is often overlooked. Most studies use aggregated data, risking ecological fallacy-misinterpreting individual outcomes from group-level data. This study examines how spatial scale influences the relationship between social vulnerability and federal disaster assistance after Hurricane Harvey. Using spatial econometric models at both household and census tract levels, we assessed the strength of key vulnerability indicators in explaining disaster assistance. Results show that disability, housing tenure, household size, and income predict assistance at the household level, but their influence …


Evidence-Based Policymaking And Global Governance: An Examination Of The Role Of The Policy Studies Organization And Ecosoc, Chick Edmond Jan 2026

Evidence-Based Policymaking And Global Governance: An Examination Of The Role Of The Policy Studies Organization And Ecosoc, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Transnational challenges, such as climate change, global inequality, pandemics, digital governance, and institutional legitimacy crises, are becoming increasingly complex, therefore, the demand for evidence-based decision-making has become an important developing normative and practical issue in the area of global governance. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the principal organ of the UN responsible for coordinating policy processes across all areas of economic, social and development issues. However, despite ECOSOC’s ability to make decisions concerning how the world addresses these problems, it has been widely criticized for being unable to translate expert knowledge into tangible policy outcomes. Therefore, this paper …


Technological Interventions For Reducing Climate Change Impacts On Health: An Overview Of Future Possibilities, Sujatha Alla, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Bawa Singh Jan 2026

Technological Interventions For Reducing Climate Change Impacts On Health: An Overview Of Future Possibilities, Sujatha Alla, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Bawa Singh

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Globally, over five million deaths annually are attributed to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change, such as heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods, which create health crises and economic losses. The 2015 Paris Declaration emphasized climate technology mechanisms, including research and development, to enhance resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biotechnological advancements have mitigated about 20% of economic losses since the 1960s, highlighting technology’s potential to address climate-induced health risks.


Performance Assessment And Design Improvements For An Urban Coastal Detention Basin Under Intensifying Rainfall Extremes, Imiya Mudiyanselage Chathuranika, Agyare Asante, Faeghe Borhani, Xixi Wang, Mujde Erten-Unal, Dalya Ismael Jan 2026

Performance Assessment And Design Improvements For An Urban Coastal Detention Basin Under Intensifying Rainfall Extremes, Imiya Mudiyanselage Chathuranika, Agyare Asante, Faeghe Borhani, Xixi Wang, Mujde Erten-Unal, Dalya Ismael

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Coastal urban areas are increasingly exposed to flooding driven by more frequent and intense rainfall events, rising sea levels, and expanding impervious surfaces. Norfolk, Virginia, a low-lying coastal city with aging stormwater infrastructure, faces heightened vulnerability to these hydrologic pressures. This study evaluates the hydraulic performance of an existing urban detention basin within the Edgewater–Larchmont catchment under 10-, 50-, and 100-year, 2-h design storms using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Simulations were conducted for both pre- and post-development conditions to assess changes in peak discharge, storage capacity, and water level dynamics. Results show that urbanization, …


The Association Between Food Benefit Online Ordering And Redemptions: Evidence From The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children, Junzhou Zhang, Chuanyi Tang, Kayoung Park, Qi Zhang Jan 2025

The Association Between Food Benefit Online Ordering And Redemptions: Evidence From The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children, Junzhou Zhang, Chuanyi Tang, Kayoung Park, Qi Zhang

Marketing Faculty Publications

Objective:

To examine how the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) online food benefit ordering could influence WIC benefit redemptions.

Design:

A cross-sectional study. We compare the average redemption rates between online ordering early adopters and non-adopters among WIC customers before and after implementing WIC online ordering. A propensity score-weighted difference-in-difference model was used to estimate the coefficients.

Setting:

The Oklahoma WIC programme and a grocery store chain in Oklahoma.

Participants:

12743 Oklahoma WIC households that had redeemed their food benefits at the grocery store chain in 2020.

Results:

WIC online ordering significantly positively affected redemption …


Enhancing Risk And Crisis Communication With Computational Methods: A Systematic Literature Review, Madison H. Munro, Ross J. Gore, Christopher J. Lynch, Yvette D. Hastings, Ann Marie Reinhold Jan 2025

Enhancing Risk And Crisis Communication With Computational Methods: A Systematic Literature Review, Madison H. Munro, Ross J. Gore, Christopher J. Lynch, Yvette D. Hastings, Ann Marie Reinhold

VMASC Publications

Recent developments in risk and crisis communication (RCC) research combine social science theory and data science tools to construct effective risk messages efficiently. However, current systematic literature reviews (SLRs) on RCC primarily focus on computationally assessing message efficacy as opposed to message efficiency. We conduct an SLR to highlight any current computational methods that improve message construction efficacy and efficiency. We found that most RCC research focuses on using theoretical frameworks and computational methods to analyze or classify message elements that improve efficacy. For improving message efficiency, computational and manual methods are only used in message classification. Specifying the computational …


Understanding And Helping International Students Cope When Catastrophes Strike In Their Home Countries: A Qualitative Study, Zubeyde Akpakir, Radha J. Horton-Parker Jan 2025

Understanding And Helping International Students Cope When Catastrophes Strike In Their Home Countries: A Qualitative Study, Zubeyde Akpakir, Radha J. Horton-Parker

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This study explores the experiences of international students in the United States who come from countries that have been, or are being, affected by catastrophic events. The aim of the study is to understand the challenges such students face and to formulate supportive strategies that address these challenges. Utilizing the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study delves into the lived experiences of five international PhD students from Turkey, Ukraine, and Iran—nations that have recently experienced significant disasters or unrest. The study highlights the need for the development of effective personalized support from academic institutions, faculty, and peers. Through offering critical …


Match Accuracy Of Burned Teeth: A Pilot Study Of Allied Dental Professionals, Brenda T. Bradshaw, Marsha A. Voelker, Samantha C. Vest, Sinjini Sikdar Jan 2025

Match Accuracy Of Burned Teeth: A Pilot Study Of Allied Dental Professionals, Brenda T. Bradshaw, Marsha A. Voelker, Samantha C. Vest, Sinjini Sikdar

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess allied dental professionals' match accuracy of burned teeth; a skill required by disaster victim identification (DVI) team members.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of registered dental hygienists (RDH) (n=15) and dental assistants (DA) (n=15) to assess their match accuracy of burned teeth with simulated antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) images. Fifteen human teeth were heated at 400°C for 15 minutes. Prior to and following heat alteration, each tooth was photographed and radiographed. Images were presented to participants in randomized order, and they were instructed to correctly match …


Emergency Action Plan Adoption Across Athletic Training Practice Settings, Samantha E. Scarneo-Miller, Rebecca L. Stearns, Christianne M. Eason, Alicia M. Pike Lacy, Rebecca M. Lopez, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Rebecca M. Hirschhorn, Susan W. Yeargin Jan 2025

Emergency Action Plan Adoption Across Athletic Training Practice Settings, Samantha E. Scarneo-Miller, Rebecca L. Stearns, Christianne M. Eason, Alicia M. Pike Lacy, Rebecca M. Lopez, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Rebecca M. Hirschhorn, Susan W. Yeargin

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context:

The 2024 NATA Position Statement provides updated recommendations for EAP adoption. Past research on the 2002 statement showed limited adoption by ATs. Assessing current adoption across practice settings offers a clearer picture of the EAP implementation landscape.

Objectives:

To examine ATs' adoption of new EAP best-practice recommendations across practice settings.

Design:

Cross-Sectional study.

Setting:

Online questionnaire.

Patients or Other Participants:

Clinically active ATs (n=614) working in any practice setting (Youth, Secondary School, Division 1 Power 4, Collegiate athletics – Not Power 4, Non-Major Professional Sports, Professional Sports, Non-Sideline).

Main Outcome Measures:

Prevalence of an EAP, adoption of recommendations, and …


Empirical Vulnerability Function Development Based On The Damage Caused By The 2014 Chiang Rai Earthquake, Thailand, Patcharavadee Hong, Masashi Matsuoka Jan 2025

Empirical Vulnerability Function Development Based On The Damage Caused By The 2014 Chiang Rai Earthquake, Thailand, Patcharavadee Hong, Masashi Matsuoka

Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Publications

Seismic hazards in Thailand are frequently overlooked in disaster management planning, leading to insufficient research and significant economic losses during earthquake events. The 2014 Chiang Rai earthquake exposed critical vulnerabilities in Thailand's building practices due to widespread non-compliance with building codes and limited preparedness. This exposure prompted the development of empirical vulnerability functions using loss data from 15,031 damaged residences. The study analyzed government compensation records, which were standardized using replacement cost metrics. Three distinct models were developed through probabilistic and possibilistic modeling approaches. Residual analysis demonstrated the superior performance of the possibilistic approach, with the Possibilistic-based Vulnerability Function achieving …


Improving Understanding And Connections For Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, And Recovery For Tornado And Straight-Line Wind Events In Virginia: Summary Of The Inaugural Virginia Tornado And Straight-Line Wind Summit, Wie Yusuf, Monica Arul, Joshua Behr, Kaleen Lawsure, An Huy Pham, Henry Attivor Jan 2025

Improving Understanding And Connections For Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, And Recovery For Tornado And Straight-Line Wind Events In Virginia: Summary Of The Inaugural Virginia Tornado And Straight-Line Wind Summit, Wie Yusuf, Monica Arul, Joshua Behr, Kaleen Lawsure, An Huy Pham, Henry Attivor

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Background

The Virginia Tornado and Straight-Line Wind Summit, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth, was held on October 15, 2025 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The Summit had several goals, including:

  • Understanding Virginia’s wind risk and learning the science behind it.
  • Hearing lessons learned from emergency managers who have experienced extreme wind events.
  • Learning about practical steps to prepare, mitigate, and respond to severe wind events.
  • Learning best practices for timely and actionable communication with the public before and after events.
  • Strengthening interagency coordination and connecting with others to share resources, align priorities, and coordinate resilience planning. …


Family Stress Processes Underlying Covid-19-Related Economic Insecurity For Mothers And Fathers And Children's Internalizing Behavior Problems, Joyce Y. Lee, Shawna J. Lee, Sehun Oh, Amy Xu, Angelise Radney, Christina M. Rodriguez Jan 2025

Family Stress Processes Underlying Covid-19-Related Economic Insecurity For Mothers And Fathers And Children's Internalizing Behavior Problems, Joyce Y. Lee, Shawna J. Lee, Sehun Oh, Amy Xu, Angelise Radney, Christina M. Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

COVID‐19 and its economic fallout have resulted in unprecedented financial insecurity and material hardship for many American families, with a disproportionately negative impact on children and families from socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts. The current study applied the family stress model to examine the family processes underlying pandemic‐related economic insecurity and children's internalizing behaviours. Online survey data from an economically diverse sample of mothers and fathers, who experienced at least one type of pandemic‐related economic insecurity in the United States (N = 259), were collected across two longitudinal time points in the early weeks of COVID‐19: (1) 14 April and (2) 30 …


Social Susceptibility-Driven Longitudinal Tornado Reconnaissance Methodology: 2021 Midwest Quad-State Tornado Outbreak, John W. Van De Lindt, Wanting "Lisa" Wang, Blythe Johnston, P. Shane Crawford, Guirong Yan, Thang Dao, Trung Do, Katie Skakel, Mojtaba Harati, Tu Nguyen, Robinson Umeike, Silvana Croope Jan 2025

Social Susceptibility-Driven Longitudinal Tornado Reconnaissance Methodology: 2021 Midwest Quad-State Tornado Outbreak, John W. Van De Lindt, Wanting "Lisa" Wang, Blythe Johnston, P. Shane Crawford, Guirong Yan, Thang Dao, Trung Do, Katie Skakel, Mojtaba Harati, Tu Nguyen, Robinson Umeike, Silvana Croope

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

With the impact of climate change, the intensity and frequency of tornado events have been increasing. Enhancing tornado reconnaissance methods can comprehensively capture building damage and recovery data following tornado events and outbreaks, thereby strengthening community resilience against the threat of future tornado events. Advancements in tornado data reconnaissance research have embraced remote sensing techniques to assess building damage after tornado events, supplanting traditional reconnaissance methods relying on handheld cameras with GIS mapping. Community resilience research offers a groundbreaking perspective, stressing the importance of assessing buildings throughout their recovery cycle-from damage and functionality to recovery-and considering their socioeconomic stability in …


Multi-Centennial Spatial Coherency Among Atlantic Tropical Cyclones From Simulated And Reconstructed Storm Records, Richard M. Sullivan, Elizabeth Wallace, Sylvia Dee, Gabiel A. Vecchi, Wenchang Yang, Kerry Emanuel Jan 2025

Multi-Centennial Spatial Coherency Among Atlantic Tropical Cyclones From Simulated And Reconstructed Storm Records, Richard M. Sullivan, Elizabeth Wallace, Sylvia Dee, Gabiel A. Vecchi, Wenchang Yang, Kerry Emanuel

OES Faculty Publications

Proxy-based reconstructions of long-term Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) variability reveal low-frequency oscillations in regional TC landfalls over the Common Era. However, the limited spatial coverage and increased uncertainty of the proxy records complicates assessments of this feature. Here we present a new multi-ensemble set of synthetic TCs downscaled from the Last Millennium Reanalysis project, which is based on sea surface temperatures that more accurately reflect past conditions. Throughout ensemble members, there are coherent multi-centennial shifts in landfalls with persistent intervals of increased (decreased) occurrence along the eastern US concurrent with inverse activity in the southwest Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, …


Yucatan Hurricane Activity Highlights Common Era Tropical Cyclone Dipole, Richard M. Sullivan, Peter J. Van Hengstum, Elizabeth J. Wallace, Sloan Coats, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, Robert Korty, Shawna N. Little, Martin G. Maas Vargas, Luis Mejia-Ortiz, Eduard G. Reinhardt, Courtney Schumacher, Anne E. Tamalavage, Tyler S. Winkler Jan 2025

Yucatan Hurricane Activity Highlights Common Era Tropical Cyclone Dipole, Richard M. Sullivan, Peter J. Van Hengstum, Elizabeth J. Wallace, Sloan Coats, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, Robert Korty, Shawna N. Little, Martin G. Maas Vargas, Luis Mejia-Ortiz, Eduard G. Reinhardt, Courtney Schumacher, Anne E. Tamalavage, Tyler S. Winkler

OES Faculty Publications

Tropical cyclone (TC) impacts along the western Atlantic and Caribbean margin are not spatially uniform. Proxy based reconstructions of Common Era TC activity highlight this non-uniform distribution at centennial-millennial timescales. However, the sparse geographic scope of these reconstructions impedes our assessment of TC landfalls across broader spatial domains. This work presents a compilation of new and existing TC reconstructions from the Yucatan Peninsula for comparison with a contemporaneous compilation from New England, showing that these regions occupy distal nodes of a low-frequency TC dipole. Increased Yucatan (New England) storminess is closely linked to intervals of Northern Hemisphere warming (cooling) and …


Analyzing The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Mortality Data Using Weekly Exceedance In Mortality Count And Weekly Change In Mortality Indicator: A Time Series Study, Aditya Chakraborty, Mohan D. Pant Jan 2025

Analyzing The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Mortality Data Using Weekly Exceedance In Mortality Count And Weekly Change In Mortality Indicator: A Time Series Study, Aditya Chakraborty, Mohan D. Pant

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background and Aims

Cause-specific mortality (CSM) count prediction plays a vital role in the context of public health policy. In this study, we introduce a new analytical approach, which is divided into three phases to answer specific questions regarding CSM due to 14 specific causes by computing different simple, compound, and conditional probabilities.

Methods

A multivariate time series forecasting model was developed using the CDC weekly mortality count data. A binary data matrix was constructed for 14 causes of death (COD) as a function of weeks by combining the observed and forecasted mortalities. We introduced two new concepts: Weekly Exceedance …


Uncertainty-Aware Deep Learning Framework For Forecasting Coastal Water Level In Virginia Beach, Md Mahmudul Hasan, Malachi Schram, Sridhar Katragadda, Diana Mcspadden, Alisa N. Udomvisawakul, Heather Richter, Frank Liu Jan 2025

Uncertainty-Aware Deep Learning Framework For Forecasting Coastal Water Level In Virginia Beach, Md Mahmudul Hasan, Malachi Schram, Sridhar Katragadda, Diana Mcspadden, Alisa N. Udomvisawakul, Heather Richter, Frank Liu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Coastal areas like Virginia Beach, USA, are increasingly vulnerable to flooding. To mitigate the impact of flooding, it is crucial for the City of Virginia Beach to have reliable 72-hour-ahead (3 days) forecasts of water levels at key gauge locations. To support this effort, several sensors have been installed throughout the city to monitor water levels and other environmental parameters such as wind speed, precipitation, and atmospheric pressure. Leveraging sensor data from one of these locations, we developed an uncertainty-aware deep learning model to forecast water levels. We employed deep quantile regression (DQR) to quantify variability in the predictions and …


Analyzing Visual Attention In Virtual Crime Scene Investigations Using Eye-Tracking And Vr: Insights For Cognitive Modeling, Wen-Chao Yang, Chih-Hung Shih, Jiajun Jiang, Sergio Pallas Enguita, Chung-Hao Chen Jan 2025

Analyzing Visual Attention In Virtual Crime Scene Investigations Using Eye-Tracking And Vr: Insights For Cognitive Modeling, Wen-Chao Yang, Chih-Hung Shih, Jiajun Jiang, Sergio Pallas Enguita, Chung-Hao Chen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding human perceptual strategies in high-stakes environments, such as crime scene investigations, is essential for developing cognitive models that reflect expert decision-making. This study presents an immersive experimental framework that utilizes virtual reality (VR) and eye-tracking technologies to capture and analyze visual attention during simulated forensic tasks. A 360° panoramic crime scene, constructed using the Nikon KeyMission 360 camera, was integrated into a VR system with HTC Vive and Tobii Pro eye-tracking components. A total of 46 undergraduate students aged 19 to 24–23, from the National University of Singapore in Singapore and 23 from the Central Police University in Taiwan—participated …


An Integrated Machine Learning Approach For Identifying Emergency Rescue Messages On Social Media During Natural Disasters, Wael Khallouli, Jiang Li, Jingwei Huang, Ghaith Rabadi, Samuel Kovacic Jan 2025

An Integrated Machine Learning Approach For Identifying Emergency Rescue Messages On Social Media During Natural Disasters, Wael Khallouli, Jiang Li, Jingwei Huang, Ghaith Rabadi, Samuel Kovacic

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

During large-scale disasters, emergency call centers are often overwhelmed by the large volume of rescue requests and calls for help. Consequently, people are turning to social media platforms to seek assistance. Rescue information posted on these platforms is extremely valuable for first responders to make informed rescue decisions. Therefore, the automatic identification of these requests from the vast amount of data posted on social media during crises is critical yet challenging. This work presents our ongoing research on applying deep learning techniques to extract actionable rescue information from social media during crises. We proposed a novel deep learning model that …


From Cyclones To Cybersecurity: A Call For Convergence In Risk And Crisis Communications Research, Ann Marie Reinhold, Ross J. Gore, Barry Ezell, Clemente I. Izurieta, Elizabeth A. Shanahan Jan 2025

From Cyclones To Cybersecurity: A Call For Convergence In Risk And Crisis Communications Research, Ann Marie Reinhold, Ross J. Gore, Barry Ezell, Clemente I. Izurieta, Elizabeth A. Shanahan

VMASC Publications

Effective risk and crisis communication can improve health and safety and reduce harmful effects of hazards and disasters. A robust body of literature investigates mechanisms for improving risk and crisis communication. While effective risk and crisis communication strategies are equally desired across different hazard types (e.g., natural hazards, cyber security), the extent to which risk and crisis communication experts utilize the “lessons learned” from scientific domains outside their own is suspect. Therefore, we hypothesized that risk and crisis communication research is siloed according to academic disciplines at the detriment to the advancement of the field of risk communications research writ …