The Hurricane Resilience Research Institute (HuRRI) is a multi-state, multi-organization
center advancing the gulf coast region's ability to mitigate, assess, predict, protect,
educate and recover from hurricanes and severe storms for the purpose of sustaining
resilient communities. The mission of HuRRI is to serve as the premier resource for
envisioning, promoting and institutionalizing hurricane resilience culture, knowledge,
solutions and tools.
HuRRI aims to change the paradigm from wait-and-pay to system-wide anticipate-and-accommodate
as a framework for hurricane and severe storm resilience.
Leadership
Hanadi Rifai
Director
HuRRI
UH Cullen College of Engineering
Hanadi Rifai, Ph.D., is an environmental engineer conducting research on fate and
transport of pollutants in the environment. She is interested in understanding environmental
systems and how they can be altered, managed or remediated to enhance their resiliency
and sustainability. Her research on the health of bays and estuaries has focused on
pathogenic pollutants and bioaccumulative chemicals including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins,
polychlorinated dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls. Recently, Dr. Rifai’s
research recently aims to understand community risks associated with chemical and
biological pollutants emanating from environmental and industrial infrastructure in
the wake of natural disasters. She has published extensively on compound flooding
and cascading consequences of extreme events including impacts from COVID-19 on public
health, especially disadvantaged communities.
There are six founding Gulf Coast institutions of higher education in HuRRI:
University of Houston
Louisiana State University
Texas Tech University
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of Texas at Tyler
Internal Academic Advisory Board
Kate Anderson Sociology
Lola Adepoju College of Medicine
Dalia Munenzon Architecture
Shuhab Khan Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Craig Glennie NCALM
Stuart Long Honors College
Dimensions of Resilience
HuRRI aims to catalyze innovation in 6 dimensions of hurricane and severe storm resilience.
Mitigation in the HuRRI resilience framework examines the full range of possibilities
including structural and non-structural measures, green infrastructure, low impact
development, densification, and intelligent sprawl. Mitigation aims to harden public
and private infrastructure and soften environmental consequences of hurricanes and
severe storms.
Assessing true hurricane impacts in HuRRI answers the question: could this have been
prevented? Real-time monitoring networks, sensor systems, geo-based big data, and
visualization tools are emerging technologies to assess primary impacts (flooding,
wind and storm surge damage) and differentiate them from associated (environmental)
and co-incidental impacts (economic losses). Assessment learns from the past and continually
plans for a more resilient future.
Predicting hurricanes in HuRRI involves developing hindsight, foresight and real-time
models and simulators. Resilient predictive tools encompass people, systems, and infrastructure
in addition to simulating storm surge, wind fields and rainfall. Scenarios of hurricanes
and severe storms answer “what if?” questions and lead to better risk identification,
risk reduction, preparedness and mitigation.
Protection from hurricanes and severe storms in HuRRI encompasses the built landscape,
flood warning networks, evacuation and sheltering planning and understanding human
behavior when confronted with a crisis. Resilient protection revisits building codes
and building standards and develops house-level floodproofing materials and technologies
and communities that are adept at protecting themselves.
Education in HuRRI builds well-informed communities empowered with knowledge, tools
and resources. Education for hurricane and severe storm resilience in HuRRI encompasses
K-20 programs and workforce training and engages educators, trainers, and instructors
from both public and private sectors including non-governmental organizations.
HuRRI develops systematic approaches, concepts, and measures for quantifying and modeling
recovery that do not assume the past to be an accurate predictor of the future, but
rather account for and adapt to possible changes in risks and hazards. HuRRI connects
the developed tools to policy and re-entry plans in an adaptive and evergreen mode.
