TAMEST Natural Hazards Summit in Lubbock Will Examine Tornadoes, Wind and Drought
Join TAMEST and Texas Tech University’s National Wind Institute on May 16 to examine the warning, response, and engineering aspects of natural hazards with a focus on tornadoes, thunderstorms, drought and hail.
The Natural Hazards Summit will take place at Texas Tech’s International Cultural Center and discuss many natural hazards — including lessons learned from the historic Lubbock tornado that caused 26 fatalities on May 11, 1970.
“A tornado not only causes physical damage but trauma in the minds of people,” said Summit Co-Director Kishor Mehta, Ph.D. (NAE), P. W. Horn Professor of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University. “The Summit will cover prediction and warning of tornadoes, safety in case of an event and social aspects of the disastrous tornado events.”
Registration is now open and speakers will include meteorologists, research leaders and insurance industry representatives.
“Texas experiences many types of natural hazards, including hurricanes, tornados, floods and drought on a regular basis,” said Dr. Mehta. “They cause fatalities, injuries, economic losses, and trauma. As we understand these hazards and develop mitigating strategies, we will reduce economic losses and trauma and will learn to live with them.”
In addition to the summit itself, the National Wind Institute will host an open house at Reese Technology Center the day before the event, on May 15. The open house features a 45-minute walking tour and will showcase the facilities, control room and field site of the former Air Force Base that is now a premier regional business and research park.
“The people of Texas should be made aware that resources put in research and development and establishing mitigating strategies will pay manifold dividends in the future,” said Dr. Mehta.
Registration for the Summit and Open House are $75 for general admission and $25 for students.
Part I took place virtually on October 19, 2021. The session was presented by the Hurricane Resilience Research Institute (HuRRI) at the University of Houston. View the slides and watch the videos.
