Zhen CongAs hurricanes grow more intense and frequent, understanding how to protect homes and communities has never been more critical. National Science Foundation has awarded funding for a cutting-edge collaborative project titled “Home Mitigation for Hurricane-Induced Multi-Hazards: A Multilevel Interdisciplinary Vulnerability and Resiliency Approach.” Led by the University of Texas at Arlington, with Chapman University as a key partner, this project brings together experts from multiple disciplines to tackle one urgent question: how can we better protect homes—and the people in them—from the increasing threats of wind, waves, and storm surge?

Dr. Zhen Cong, Crean’s Health Sciences Chair is serving as the Principal Investigator from Chapman University. The three-year project, supported by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) through the Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment (HDBE) program, brings together five interdisciplinary researchers.

The Chapman University portion, funded at $133,453, focuses on developing a multilevel theoretical framework to understand household vulnerability and resilience. Dr. Cong is leading efforts in survey design, data collection, behavioral analysis, and dissemination of results to stakeholders and the public.

The project will inform strategies for increasing the adoption of structural mitigation options by households facing wind-wave-surge threats in hurricane-prone regions

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