NAAHDRI Activities

NAAHDRI is committed to knowledge translation and public communication of the priorities of the leadership of academic hazards and disaster research centers in North America. Accordingly, the Alliance seeks to:

  • Provide a unified and strong voice to champion the importance and value of evidence-based research as a foundation for effective and just hazards mitigation and disaster risk reduction management.
  • Provide a consensus voice for hazards and disaster research centers on public policy via statements in the media and membership in policy and science councils.
  • Prepare news releases, policy recommendations, news bulletins, and other outward-facing publications.
  • Encourage policy applications and other actions to reduce the risk of loss and damage from disasters.

 

Convening Activities and Collaboration

In addition to its other activities, NAAHDRI:

  • Convenes an annual meeting of the Alliance that coincides with the annual Natural Hazards Workshop in Colorado.
  • Plans and organizes collaborative hazard and disaster research initiatives.
  • Forms research, education, and policy advocacy groups to investigate and act on issues across the hazards lifecycle, from prevention to preparedness to response to recovery.

 

Network Building

Network building is an important activity of the Alliance. Accordingly, NAAHDRI works to:

  • Establish and maintain a network of North American hazards and disaster research centers and institutes.
  • Connect to other regional networks and the Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI).
  • Create networks that foster research-practitioner teams that identify and explore critical questions related to risk and resilience, and frame results in ways that can be readily translated to practice.

 

Establish and Enhance Funding Support

The NAAHDRI Board and Committee Members are committed to:

  • Encouraging targeted research funding for special projects and areas in need of greater scientific advancement.
  • Strengthening relations between funding agencies and member disaster research centers, through ongoing discussion and collaboration, including a focus on emerging issues in disaster science, policy applications, and training and mentoring of the next generation.

 

Capacity Building and Information Sharing

NAAHDRI seeks to engage in both capacity building and information sharing. To this end, the Alliance works to:

  • Build the capacity of hazards and disaster research centers and institutes through the exchanging and sharing of best practices for disaster research and center administration.
  • Use of the NAAHDRI listserve to ensure the timely communication of opportunities related to research, education, and policy, and to share information, publications, reports, data, and other research outputs.
  • Share teaching and mentoring best practices for engaging diverse groups in hazards and disaster research.
  • Cultivate partnerships to build community capacity to translate knowledge to action that meet needs defined by local communities.
  • Support the development and integration of indigenous knowledge and practices for building and sustaining resilient communities.

 

Advance Hazards and Disaster Research

NAAHDRI seeks to advance hazards and disaster science, as well as provide standards, guidance, and cultural transformation. To do this, the Alliance works to:

  • Encourage new research methodologies.
  • Increase access to data and promote information and data sharing, exchange, and archiving processes.
  • Support and promote cutting-edge research.
  • Develop consensus statements on the critical information needs of disaster risk management decision makers via a collaborative and ongoing process that involves researchers, practitioners, and private and public stakeholders.
  • Promote excellence in hazards research and disaster science.
  • Promote ethical and just practices in research across all disciplines and across the disaster lifecycle.