October 5, 2023 Cascadia CoPes Hub / RCN Monthly Seminar Series

Geohazards Monitoring and Risk Management in Southeast Alaska - Rachel Steratore and Annette Patton

 Abstract: Rain-induced natural hazards (landslides and floods) pose ongoing risk to rural communities in Southeast Alaska. Changing climate, including increasing frequency of extreme atmospheric rivers, has the potential to increase these risks. Join us as we introduce an NSF-funded CoPe project, partnering with six coastal communities in Southeast Alaska. Our goal is to better understand the evolving hazard landscape through assessments and environmental monitoring. We also engage with these communities to understand their perspectives on and responses to environmental hazards. Each community is a unique story, and our studies and projects adapt to their distinct needs.

Rachel Steratore Bio:  Rachel Steratore (she/her) is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation with expertise at the intersection of extreme event climate attribution and social and behavioral science. She leverages quantitative and qualitative methods to identify and overcome cognitive, affective, material, and social barriers to effective decision making on topics from weather- and climate-related risks to anti-terrorism technologies.

Annette Patton Bio: Annette Patton (she/her) is the lead geoscientist at the Sitka Sound Science Center. She combines geomorphic hazards research with community engagement to build partnerships with local leaders and to co-design research that helps communities reduce risk from landslides and floods.