This event will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine. A Career Q&A for graduate and undergraduate students will follow the talk.
- Virtual attendance: Complete the registration form to receive Zoom connection information.
- In-person attendance: Attendees must follow UMaine’s COVID-19 guidelines.
Speaker: Sam Roy, Natural Hazards Planner, Maine Emergency Management Agency
The U.S. sustains on average more than $51 billion in losses and 361 deaths per year from weather and climate hazards. In Maine, these hazards primarily include flooding, coastal storm surge, tropical storms, and severe winter weather, and the occurrence of all hazards have been on the rise for decades. Hazard mitigation, or any sustained effort to reduce/eliminate long-term natural hazard risks, is a crucial concept for reducing community vulnerability before hazardous events even occur. A recent FEMA benefit-cost report indicates that natural hazard mitigation provides the nation with $6 in benefit for every $1 invested, in addition to avoided loss of lives and disaster response efforts. A strong commitment to community and multi-agency partnership is important to communicate, plan, fund, and implement these mitigation actions. In this talk, Roy will discuss the practices and benefits of hazard mitigation planning and funding, the partnerships that make it happen, the skills/capacities that support these efforts, and success stories from our state.
Sam Roy is the Natural Hazards Planner for the Maine Emergency Management Agency. In this role he oversees the development and update of Maine’s natural hazards risk analysis and assessment for the State Emergency Operations Plan and provides reviews and technical/collaborative assistance for State and Local Hazard Mitigation Plans. He also serves as the Agency liaison to natural sciences/academic communities and coordinates natural hazards educational/internship programs. Sam is a Faculty Fellow at the Mitchell Center and received his Ph.D. in Earth and Climate Sciences from the University of Maine in 2015.