SMU Professor Secures $315K NSF Grant for Enhanced Disaster Evacuation Planning
Engineering professor Halit Uster from Southern Methodist University (SMU) has received a three-year, $315,580 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The funding will support Uster's work on integrated evacuation planning and disaster preparedness, aiming to minimise uncertainty and guide evacuees to open shelters with supplies in a cost-effective, timely manner.
Uster's project builds upon her earlier model developed after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The new NSF-funded research will use real data managed by geographical information systems (GIS) and SMU's supercomputing facilities to create more detailed and robust models. The existing response plans often overlook the interdependence of evacuation activities and supply needs, which Uster's models aim to address.
The models will consider various factors such as disaster intensity, evacuation routes, and supply needs. By incorporating these elements, the models aim to offer relief to evacuees in a more predictive, timely, and cost-effective manner than past natural disasters. The approach will also help decision-makers place shelters and supply locations effectively before infrastructure damage occurs.
The NSF grant enables Uster to add more variables and detail to her earlier model, further enhancing its capabilities. By improving evacuation planning and disaster preparedness, Uster's work seeks to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on affected communities.
