Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center

09/10/2026

Join us at the Rural Heritage Resilience Workshop at Texas A&M University, October 26 for Panel 1: What’s at Risk? Challenges and Opportunities for Preserving Heritage during Extreme Events, a timely conversation on protecting cultural places and community memory amid increasing hazard risk and impacts. Hear insights from Elyse Zavor, Sam Collins III, Jeff Fugate, and Dan R. Valenzuela as they explore mitigation, commemoration, community-engaged design, and preservation planning when and where it matters most.

Learn more about our panelist and the workshop here: https://www.arch.tamu.edu/heritage-hazards-workshop/

09/09/2026

We are estatic to announce the 2026 promotion and tenure updates for the HRRC! Please join us in congratulate Director & Professor Dr. Michelle Meyer and Instructional Associate Professor Dr. Deidra Denice Davis Williams!!

Read more about their promotions here: https://lnkd.in/gA6xNkZ6

09/09/2026

We are excited for our opening keynote David Preziosi, FAICP, Hon. AIA Dallas at the upcoming Rural Heritage Resilience Workshop. David is President and CEO of the Texas Historical Foundation, leading statewide grantmaking for historic architecture, archaeology, and artifact conservation. He has directed major preservation organizations, helped coordinate post–Hurricane Katrina stabilization efforts, and remains active in Dallas and state preservation leadership while advocating publicly through AIA Dallas’s “Lost + Found” series.

Join us by registering here: https://www.arch.tamu.edu/heritage-hazards-workshop/

09/03/2026

Join us for an exciting day and a half workshop located on campus, at Texas A&M University on October 26-27th!

Register here: https://lnkd.in/ga32TtZY

08/07/2026

07/23/2026

Chandler Ian Wilkins, HRRC URSC grad, with Research that Counts!

For Research Counts, Chandler Ian Wilkins explores the experiences of people in Houston’s public housing developments during recent disasters and highlights the urgent need for stronger institutional plans and resources to help residents: https://bit.ly/4wiVuzz

07/09/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Erika Brandt (Koeniger), a recent graduate of the Urban and Regional Sciences Program at TAMU, on the publication of her article, "Hurricane Irma's Lessons: The Disparity Between Disaster Plans and Response in Florida Counties," in the Journal of Emergency Management. The article was co-authored with Dr. Ratna B. Dougherty.

This research examines the differences between disaster response plans and actual emergency response activities during Hurricane Irma across seven Central Florida counties. The study found significant discrepancies between organizations identified in Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans and those involved in real-world disaster response, highlighting opportunities to strengthen coordination, planning, and implementation in emergency management.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Koeniger on this outstanding achievement and contribution to the profession.

Read the article:

Hurricane Irma’s lessons: The disparity between disaster plans and response in Florida counties Authors Ratna B. Dougherty, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9056-2813 Erika A. Koeniger, MPA https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6703-6817 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0990 Keywords: governance, networks, p...

06/09/2026

Check out Jiang Zheng’s new Quick Response Research Report publication with co-authors Shannon Van Zandt, Michelle Meyer, Galen Newman, and Michael McNair.

Assessing Flood Risk at Youth Camps in Texas is the first statewide analysis of flood exposure and risk at youth camps in Texas. The report identifies hidden vulnerabilities and highlights gaps in current regulations.

This research was conducted to raise awareness following the tragic flooding that occurred in the Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, and to support efforts to improve preparedness, safety, and resilience.

Read here: tx.ag/cWwWg9q

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

06/01/2026

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

05/12/2026

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