Extreme Weather and Climate Change Vulnerability Planning for the Transportation Sector (CM | 1.5)

In recent years, extreme weather events have taken a heavy toll on transportation infrastructure across the US including hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, in Florida, and the mid-Atlantic; major flooding events in the Northeast, Midwest, and West; and wildfires in the West. Whether these events can be attributed to projected trends towards increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather due to climate change is hotly debated. What cannot be debated are the costly impacts these events had on multi-modal transportation networks and the communities they support. Understanding transportation network vulnerability to extreme weather, whatever its cause, is a key initial step towards prioritizing actions that will help foster more resilient transportation systems and communities. Despite this, few transportation agencies have developed a systematic understanding of their vulnerabilities; either now or in a future with climate changes.

This introductory webinar will focus on how to do so by describing how to conduct a vulnerability analysis. The webinar will include processes that local, regional, or state planners can use to ensure transportation system resiliency and provide an effective network to support their communities. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of specific vulnerabilities and be informed about a step-by-step process that they can follow to assess and rank vulnerabilities for project prioritization purposes.

Click here to register.