Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. | Capitol Visitors Center – SVC 202
Refreshments will be served
Seasonal forecasters predict that 2010 will produce between 14 and 23 named hurricanes–the most active season since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina and 27 other named storms swept the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. As economic challenges continue and oil spews from the damaged Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf, the growing impacts to the region’s economic recovery and unique ecosystems are staggering. What risks does an active hurricane season pose for other energy-related infrastructure, for inland areas as storm surges push oil beyond beaches and marshland, and for stakeholders dealing with flooding in coastal communities in the Gulf and along the East Coast? Can recent advancements in hurricane prediction help manage these risks? Might related climate change impacts exacerbate them in the future? What does an increasing scale of catastrophic loss associated with hurricane activity mean for critical services provided by the insurance sector? Please join our panelists as they address these questions and discuss research results, institutions, and processes in place to help manage potential catastrophic risk of this hurricane season.
Opening Remarks:
Senator Mary Landrieu
Honorary host
Moderator:
Heidi Cullen
CEO and Director of Communications, Climate Central
Panelists:
Greg Holland
Director, NCAR Earth System Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Rick Luettich
Professor & Director, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rowan Douglas
CEO, Global Analytics, Willis Re and Chairman, Willis Re Research Network
RSVP by Monday, June 28 to Gloria Kelly at gloriak@ucar.edu or (303) 497-2102.
RSVP needed for admission to the CVC.
This briefing is sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the Weather Coalition.
Special thanks to Richard Charter.