Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center

Dr. Ivis Garcia published an article in The Conversation!

As hurricane season begins, Dr. Garcia examines how federal flood insurance creates different challenges for wealthy and low-income households. She argues that while some homeowners benefit from subsidized coverage, many low-income families remain uninsured or underinsured and face devastating financial losses after floods. Her article calls for policies that better reflect flood risk while ensuring vulnerable communities have access to affordable protection and recovery assistance.

Click here to read Dr. Garcia's work: tx.ag/h8Rh3t5

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department

Innovation happens when research meets real-world impact.
Nathanael Rosenheim continues contributing to the future of resilient infrastructure and disaster preparedness through his latest published work focused on integrated decision-support systems for complex socio-physical environments.

The research explores how advanced modeling, multi-hazard analysis, and data-driven frameworks can help communities and systems better prepare for uncertainty, improve resilience, and support smarter decision-making in high-risk environments.

As technology, infrastructure, and human systems become more interconnected, work like this plays an important role in shaping safer and more adaptive communities for the future.

Congratulations to Nathanael Rosenheim on this publication and contribution to forward-thinking research

Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420926001482?via%3Dihub

Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department
Texas A&M College of Architecture

Kicking off the concluding public health focused summit for “Planning for Imminent Ignition in the Southern US” NSF funded project co-hosted with the USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness.

Our work show convergence around community health impacts and systems and planning factors within wildfire and public health management, and we look forward to sharing additional insights from this critical summit.

NHERI Summer Institute Alumni Spotlight Reshare!

Celebrating Maria Koliou, HRRC Faculty Fellow. Dr. Koliou is a leading expert in natural hazards engineering, focused on strengthening how communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme events.

Her work stands out for connecting advanced system-level simulations with real-world recovery outcomes—especially for vulnerable and underserved communities.

Leads a multi-institution National Science Foundation project under the Gulf Resilience Coastlines and People Focused Research Hub, with a focus on tribal community recovery

Secured $17.5M+ in research funding and plays an active leadership role in American Society of Civil Engineers and Structural Engineering Institute

Recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2021), Engineering Genesis Award (2023), and named an Ocean Decade Champion

From her PhD at the University at Buffalo to her impact at Texas A&M, Dr. Koliou continues to advance research that helps communities become more resilient, sustainable, and better prepared for the future

Read Dr. Koliou’s NHERI biography here: tx.ag/voXJVTX

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department

🎙️ New episode you don’t want to miss on People Behind the Plans.

In this powerful conversation, Marccus Hendricks, a Texas A&M alum and former Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center Graduate Research Assistant, explores disaster resilience, environmental justice, and the realities shaping the planning profession today—but what truly stands out is the legacy of the leaders who shaped his path.

He highlights the influence of mentors like Shannon Van Zandt, Walt Peacock, and John T. Cooper Jr.—figures whose work has been foundational in advancing equitable disaster recovery and community-centered planning.

Their impact is clear: a commitment to understanding not just how communities recover from disasters, but why some are more vulnerable in the first place.

From flood risk to infrastructure inequity, this episode is a reminder that planning is about more than systems—it’s about confronting hard truths and creating real change for those most at risk.

Listen now: tx.ag/zZ9IhBn

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department

Learn how to prevent wildfires in Texas.

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department

Celebrating the newest cohort of fellows advancing research and impact in hazard mitigation and disaster resilience.

The Cohort 6 Fellows of the NSF Enabling Program, led by the Natural Hazards Center, represent a diverse group of emerging scholars committed to addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges—from climate risk to community resilience.

Their work highlights the power of research, collaboration, and innovation in building safer, more prepared communities.

Explore the full list of fellows and their work here: tx.ag/IvswtRH

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department

Learn about wildfire season!

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department

Leslie Martinez-Roman has been selected to participate in the 2026 Graduate Student Research Workshop on Poverty and Economic Mobility, hosted by Howard University’s Center on Race and Wealth and the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty.

The workshop will take place from May 18–22, 2026, in Washington, D.C., where she will join a distinguished group of scholars to engage in research, collaboration, and meaningful discussions on poverty and economic mobility.

A well-deserved opportunity—congratulations to Leslie on this achievement

Texas A&M College of Architecture
A&M Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning

Seth Jordan, Program Coordinator, recently participated in a panel at Grambling State University, where he presented Texas A&M University’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center’s Camp DASH!

Watch the panel here: tx.ag/gAUVXzZ

Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department