Following Hurricane Sandy, working together to examine and encourage better construction practices to make communities safer in extreme weather is more important than ever.

At this Leadership Forum, the 9th in our series, we brought together experts to identify and discuss mitigation best practices, public policy efforts, communication success stories, and emerging research to make communities more resilient.

The event featured a keynote address from Wayne Goodwin, North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, remarks by National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb, PhD., and a free, private tour of the ground-breaking IBHS Research Center. Click here for IBHS Tour Presentation

Speakers included:

  • Bill Read, Former Director of the National Hurricane Center; currently Severe Weather Expert at
    KPRC-TV, Houston
  • Margaret Davidson, Director of NOAA Coastal Services Center
  • Michael Lingerfelt, FAIA, LEED® AP, Chairman of Disaster Assistance Task Force,
    American Institute of Architects
  • Frank Nutter, President of the Reinsurance Association of America
  • Ann Roberson, Program Manager, South Carolina Safe Home
  • Timothy Reinhold, Ph.D., P.E. SVP, Research and Chief Engineer, IBHS
  • Robin Westcott, Esq., Insurance Consumer Advocate, Florida Office
    of the Insurance Consumer Advocate
  • Gavin Smith, Executive Director, UNC Center for the Study of Natural
    Hazards & Disasters
  • Chris Estes, President and CEO, National Housing Conference
  • John Plodinec, Ph.D., Associate Director, Resilience Technologies
    Community and Regional Institute
  • Mark Shelburne, Counsel & Policy Coordinator, NC Housing Finance Agency
  • Peter Vickery, Ph.D., Principal Engineer, Applied Research Associates

Panels included: Click here for agenda

  • Unique Meteorological Aspects of Superstorm Sandy
  • Sandy: A Wake-up Call For Hurricane-exposed Communities
  • Post-Sandy Solutions: Which Communities Are Next and How Ready Are They?
  • Inventory Resilience: Commercial and Residential Exposures
  • What Do We Do Now? The Path to Community Resilience
  • Unique Challenges of Low-income Communities in Natural Disasters

Check back soon to explore the Built It Better Forum highlights, including speaker bios, presentations, and the key principles that emerged from the Forum.

We also invite you to explore presentations from past Risk Mitigation Leadership Forums, including our most recently concluded events: Gulf Coast: Preparing for Extreme Weather and Facing the Challenge Leadership Forum. They are an excellent resource to bring you up to speed on the latest scientific and policy advances to help protect America from disaster.

"Build it Better Leadership Forum Concludes in Charlotte", Press release – May 17, 2013
Click here for press release

"How to better safeguard our communities from extreme weather", By Meghan Danahey, WCNC – May 16, 2013
Click here to view story

"Experts recommend preparedness as hurricane season nears", By Vicki Graf, WSOCTV Channel 9 – May 16, 2013
Click here to view story

"Experts urge preparation as hurricane season looms", By Adam Rhew, NEWS14.com – May 16, 2013
Click here to view article

"Build it Better Leadership Forum Addresses Hurricane Sandy Lessons", Press release – May 16, 2013
Click here for press release

"Nat'l Planning Frameworks: How We Work Together to Build, Sustain, and Deliver Capabilities to Ensure a Secure and Resilient Nation", FEMA - May 6, 2013
Click here for press release

"National Hurricane Conference message: Plan ahead", by Janet McConnaughey, The Associated Press – March 26, 2013
Click here to view article

"FLASH Unveils Enhanced Family Preparedness Tools to Meet Challenge Revealed in 2013 Pre-Hurricane Season Harris Interactive Survey", Press release - March 27, 2013
Click here for press release

"IBHS Live Hail Test", NBC Today – February 20, 2013
Click here to view video

"Climate Change & Insurance: Existential Threat-or Extraordinary Opportunity?", National Underwriter – February 5, 2013
Click here to view article

RenRe WeatherPredict Flash Disaster Safety/IBHS National Housing Center Center for Housing Policy Coastal Hazards Center UNC Hazard Center