Science and Technology for Resilience

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The pervasive effects of supply chain disruptions, underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and critical shortages of essential commodities, reverberate through all communities. Evidence exists, however, that these impacts are not evenly distributed and are disproportionately intense and persistent among vulnerable populations. Recovery from supply chain disruptions also takes longer in vulnerable and marginalized communities, and the disproportionate impacts of these disruptions have economic justice and equity implications.

On September 12, 2023, the Science and Technology for Resilience Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop to understand how vulnerable communities are at risk of being impacted by supply chain disruptions; challenges faced in mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; sustainability strategies for overcoming these challenges; and examples of adaptive, resilient, and sustainable efforts undertaken by communities to lessen impacts and develop actionable policies, programs, and strategies. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

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13 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-71301-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/27390

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Supply Chain Disruptions: Impacts on Vulnerable Communities: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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A cascading hazard refers to a primary event, such as heavy rainfall, seismic activity, or rapid snowmelt, followed by a chain of consequences that may range from modest (lesser than the original event) to substantial. Also, the type of cascading damage and losses may be more severe than if they had occurred separately. Currently, research on disasters has focused largely on those triggered by natural hazards interacting with vulnerable human systems (e.g., populations and organizations) and the built environment. Compounding and cascading natural hazards, whether acute or chronic in nature, can be further amplified by other events, such as public health outbreaks, supply chain disruptions and cyberattacks.

Resilience for Compounding and Cascading Events explores strategies that would enable the nation to be better prepared for and respond to these disasters so that affected communities can not only rebuild, but do so in a manner that increases their resilience to future events.

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68 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69183-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26659

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Resilience for Compounding and Cascading Events. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Natural infrastructure is the practice of using naturally occurring aspects of the landscape and/or nature based solutions that use or imitate natural processes (e.g., wetlands, living shorelines, municipal green infrastructure) to support natural hazard resilience, climate change adaptation, and other benefits to people and ecosystems. Recognition of the multiple benefits of natural "green" infrastructure has increased over the past several decades, used alone or in combination with built "gray" infrastructure solutions, such as seawalls and levees. Yet many potential opportunities remain untapped. On May 10-11, 2022, the Resilient America program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to explore opportunities to link the benefits of natural infrastructure across geographic scales and multiple objectives. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and hosted by the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems at the University of Georgia, the hybrid workshop was targeted to the engineering community, as well as scientists, policy makers, planners, and others involved with designing, developing, and funding natural infrastructure. This publication highlights the presentation and discussion of the workshop.

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14 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69185-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26660

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Benefits, Applications, and Opportunities of Natural Infrastructure: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Communities across the United States are subject to ever-increasing human suffering and financial impacts of disasters caused by extreme weather events and other natural hazards amplified in frequency and intensity by climate change. While media coverage sometimes paints these disasters as affecting rich and poor alike and suggests that natural disasters do not discriminate, the reality is that they do. There have been decades of discriminatory policies, practices, and embedded bias within infrastructure planning processes. Among the source of these policies and practices are the agencies that promote resilience and provide hazard mitigation and recovery services, and the funding mechanisms they employ. These practices have resulted in low-income communities, often predominantly Indigenous people and communities of color, bearing a disproportionate share of the social, economic, health, and environmental burdens caused by extreme weather and other natural disasters.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Resilient America Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened the Committee on Applied Research Topics for Hazard Mitigation and Resilience to assist the FEMA in reducing the immense human and financial toll of disasters caused by natural hazards and other large-scale emergencies. FEMA asked the committee to identify applied research topics, information, and expertise that can inform action and collaborative priorities within the natural hazard mitigation and resilience fields. This report explores equitable and infrastructure investments for natural hazard mitigation and resilience, focusing on: partnerships for equitable infrastructure development; systemic change toward resilient and equitable infrastructure investment; and innovations in finance and financial analysis.

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60 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69090-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26633

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Equitable and Resilient Infrastructure Investments. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, the global supply chain is vulnerable to major disruptions from unanticipated events, yet no threat to the functioning of essential supply chains looms larger than the growing number of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. Indeed, the characteristics of today's supply chains - their dependence on shipping and air transport, specialized inputs sourced from specific locations spread worldwide, and reduced inventories tied to just-in-time production - make them especially vulnerable to disruption from climate risks. With the goal of protecting global trade worth almost $20 trillion annually against such disruptions, supply chain executives and researchers who study global supply chains are now starting to focus on ways of increasing supply chain resilience in a world buffeted by climate change. To explore ongoing efforts to create climate-resilient supply chains, the Science and Technology for Sustainability program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, held a two-day virtual workshop on September 27-28, 2021.

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11 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-27712-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26461

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Climate-Resilient Supply Chains: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Local communities are already experiencing dire effects caused by climate change that are expected to increase in frequency, intensity, duration, and type. Public concern about climate-related challenges is increasing, available information and resources on climate risks are expanding, and cities across the country and the globe are developing approaches to and experience with measures for mitigating climate impacts. Building and sustaining local capacities for climate resilience requires both resilient physical and social infrastructure systems and inclusive, resilient communities.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Motivating Local Climate Adaptation and Strengthening Resilience provides guidance for active and ongoing efforts to move science and data into action and to enable and empower applied research that will strengthen capacities for hazard mitigation and resilience in communities, across the nation, and around the world.

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56 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-08594-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26261

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Motivating Local Climate Adaptation and Strengthening Resilience: Making Local Data Trusted, Useful, and Used. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis sparked concerns about the vulnerability of supply chains and the significant impact of their disruption on the economy and society within the U.S. and abroad. Issues around global supply chains existed before the pandemic but were also greatly aggravated by it. To consider these issues, the Science and Technology for Sustainability program, in collaboration with the Resilient America Program, Transportation Research Board, and Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, held a series of four virtual workshops on February 3, 4, 17, and 18, 2021.

The workshop series addressed opportunities, challenges and environmental implications of increasing local inclusion and community participation in global value chain networks by using new technologies to strengthen resilience and sustainability in the face of recurring disruptions. The series also explored the feasibility of introducing advanced manufacturing, logistics and decision-making under alternative supply chain scenarios in different sectors, with a view to strengthening the resilience of communities and adopting far more environmentally and economically sustainable consumption and production approaches. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshops.

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14 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67843-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26193

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Sustainable and Resilient Supply Chains Using Emerging Technologies: Policy Options: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Disasters caused by natural hazards and other large-scale emergencies are devastating communities in the United States. These events harm individuals, families, communities, and the entire country, including its economy and the federal budget. This report identifies applied research topics, information, and expertise that can inform action and opportunities within the natural hazard mitigation and resilience fields with the goal of reducing the immense human and financial toll of disasters.

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46 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-45092-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26123

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Enhancing Community Resilience through Social Capital and Connectedness: Stronger Together!. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Resilient supply chains are crucial to maintaining the consistent delivery of goods and services to the American people. The modern economy has made supply chains more interconnected than ever, while also expanding both their range and fragility. In the third quarter of 2017, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria revealed some significant vulnerabilities in the national and regional supply chains of Texas, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The broad impacts and quick succession of these three hurricanes also shed light on the effectiveness of the nation's disaster logistics efforts during response through recovery.

Drawing on lessons learned during the 2017 hurricanes, this report explores future strategies to improve supply chain management in disaster situations. This report makes recommendations to strengthen the roles of continuity planning, partnerships between civic leaders with small businesses, and infrastructure investment to ensure that essential supply chains will remain operational in the next major disaster. Focusing on the supply chains food, fuel, water, pharmaceutical, and medical supplies, the recommendations of this report will assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as state and local officials, private sector decision makers, civic leaders, and others who can help ensure that supply chains remain robust and resilient in the face of natural disasters.

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136 pages · 7 x 10 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49458-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49459-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25490

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Strengthening Post-Hurricane Supply Chain Resilience: Observations from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) events are rare, but can be highly destructive. In addition to potentially causing large numbers of fatalities and injuries, these events may also destabilize governments, create conditions that exacerbate violence, or promote terrorism. They may overwhelm the infrastructure and response capacity of the nations where they occur, especially those lacking specialized resources. They can also trigger global economic effects: a single CBRN event that damages facilities in one place can affect supply chains and operations worldwide. Strengthening national and international resilience and capacity to respond to CBRN events is seen as a global security priority.

In order to help illuminate the major needs for an international coordinated response to CBRN events, highlight major challenges, and develop a common basis for future discussions, an ad hoc committee under the auspices of the Forum on Resilience to International Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Events of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized an international, science-based CBRN resilience workshop in Tokyo, Japan on October 23-25, 2017. The National Academies collaborated with Niigata University and the Japan National Research Institute for Earth Sciences and Disaster Resilience to plan and organize the workshop. Participants included experts from the international community, public and government sector, the private and industrial sector, the academic community, and NGOs. This publication summarizes the presentations of the workshop.

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7 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67118-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25666

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Improving International Resilience and Response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Events: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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The frequency and severity of disasters over the last few decades have presented unprecedented challenges for communities across the United States. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina exposed the complexity and breadth of a deadly combination of existing community stressors, aging infrastructure, and a powerful natural hazard. In many ways, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina was a turning point for understanding and managing disasters, as well as related plan making and policy formulation. It brought the phrase "community resilience" into the lexicon of disaster management.

Building and Measuring Community Resilience: Actions for Communities and the Gulf Research Program summarizes the existing portfolio of relevant or related resilience measurement efforts and notes gaps and challenges associated with them. It describes how some communities build and measure resilience and offers four key actions that communities could take to build and measure their resilience in order to address gaps identified in current community resilience measurement efforts. This report also provides recommendations to the Gulf Research Program to build and measure resilience in the Gulf of Mexico region.

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152 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-48972-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-48973-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25383

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Building and Measuring Community Resilience: Actions for Communities and the Gulf Research Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Flooding is the natural hazard with the greatest economic and social impact in the United States, and these impacts are becoming more severe over time. Catastrophic flooding from recent hurricanes, including Superstorm Sandy in New York (2012) and Hurricane Harvey in Houston (2017), caused billions of dollars in property damage, adversely affected millions of people, and damaged the economic well-being of major metropolitan areas. Flooding takes a heavy toll even in years without a named storm or event. Major freshwater flood events from 2004 to 2014 cost an average of $9 billion in direct damage and 71 lives annually. These figures do not include the cumulative costs of frequent, small floods, which can be similar to those of infrequent extreme floods.

Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States contributes to existing knowledge by examining real-world examples in specific metropolitan areas. This report identifies commonalities and variances among the case study metropolitan areas in terms of causes, adverse impacts, unexpected problems in recovery, or effective mitigation strategies, as well as key themes of urban flooding. It also relates, as appropriate, causes and actions of urban flooding to existing federal resources or policies.

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100 pages · 8.5 x 11 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-48961-X
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-48962-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25381

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Over the past decade, resilience has gained significant traction across the nation and innovative programs are showing exciting progress in building resilient communities. For communities to be prepared for future extreme weather and climate events, as well as the chronic daily stressors, the momentum of implementing and taking action to build community resilience should continue to be fostered and expanded.

Building on its many efforts dedicated to increasing and enhancing resilience, the Resilient America Roundtable hosted the State of Resilience Leadership Forum and Community Workshop on June 28 and 29, 2016. This activity brought together diverse decision makers, experts, practitioners, and community stakeholders, including representatives from academia, government, the private sector, foundations, and nonprofit organizations, to consider the results of years of investment, experimentation, and research in building resilience, take stock of these many initiatives and efforts, and share their experiences in building more resilient communities. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

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94 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-47369-1
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47370-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25054

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. The State of Resilience: A Leadership Forum and Community Workshop: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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The 2012 National Research Council report, Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative, identified the development and use of resilience measures as critical to building resilient communities. Although many kinds of resilience measures and measuring tools have and continue to be developed, very few communities consistently use them as part of their planning or resilience building efforts. Since federal or top-down programs to build resilience often yield mixed results, bottom-up approaches are needed, but are often difficult for communities to implement alone. A major challenge for many communities in developing their own approaches to resilience measures is identifying a starting point and defining the process. Other challenges include lack of political will due to competing priorities and limited resources, finite time and staff to devote to developing resilience measures, lack of data availability and/or inadequate data sharing among community stakeholders, and a limited understanding of hazards and/or risks.

Building on existing work, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized a workshop in July 2015 to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information about ways to advance the development and implementation of resilience measures by and within diverse communities. Participants worked to gain a better understanding of the challenges these communities face in the pursuit of resilience and determine whether the approach used during this workshop can help guide communities in their efforts to build their own measures of resilience. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

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52 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-39187-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/21911

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Measures of Community Resilience for Local Decision Makers: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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The 2012 National Research Council report Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative highlighted the challenges of increasing national resilience in the United States. One finding of the report was that "without numerical means of assessing resilience, it would be impossible to identify the priority needs for improvement, to monitor changes, to show that resilience had improved, or to compare the benefits of increasing resilience with the associated costs." Although measuring resilience is a challenge, metrics and indicators to evaluate progress, and the data necessary to establish the metric, are critical for helping communities to clarify and formalize what the concept of resilience means for them, and to support efforts to develop and prioritize resilience investments. One of the recommendations from the 2012 report stated that government entities at federal, state, and local levels and professional organizations should partner to help develop a framework for communities to adapt to their circumstances and begin to track their progress toward increasing resilience.

To build upon this recommendation and begin to help communities formulate such a framework, the Resilient America Roundtable of the National Academies convened the workshop Measures of Community Resilience: From Lessons Learned to Lessons Applied on September 5, 2014 in Washington, D.C. The workshop's overarching objective was to begin to develop a framework of measures and indicators that could support community efforts to increase their resilience. The framework will be further developed through feedback and testing in pilot and other partner communities that are working with the Resilient America Roundtable. This report is a summary of the one-day workshop, which consisted of a keynote address and two panel sessions in the morning and afternoon breakout sessions that began the discussion on how to develop a framework of resilience measures.

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49 pages · 8.5 x 11 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-34738-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-34739-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/20672

Suggested citation

National Research Council. 2015. Developing a Framework for Measuring Community Resilience: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Science and Technology for Resilience

Supply Chain Disruptions: Impacts on Vulnerable Communities: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief

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