On October 22-23, 2009, ATC sponsored a 2-day symposium commemorating the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo that hit Charleston, SC in 1989.  The symposium theme was “Building Safer Communities – Improving Disaster Resilience.”

23 papers were presented at symposium, on topics ranging from discussions of coastal flood mapping to building code compliance.   There were two plenary sessions: one was given by Margaret Davidson, the Executive Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center and Dr. Tim Reinhold, the Vice-President of Engineering for the Institute for Business and Home Safety.  Both plenary sessions were well received and seemed to perfectly start and end the symposium, respectively.  Lunch times were also full of information shared by Drs. Peter Sparks and Ben Sill, both retired professors in Civil Engineering from Clemson University and Todd Davison, the Director of NOAA’s Gulf Coast Services Center.

Feedback from the approximately 80 participants has been very positive, and ATC is proud to have been actively engaged with the wind and flood engineering community in sponsoring this symposium.

10/2009

In July 2009, ATC Board members and staff visited Netherlands, in order to learn about flooding and flood management from those who have considerable practice in it.

The ATC visit had two segments: First, there was an exploratory visit by three ATC
Board members and two ATC staff members.  The site visits included the Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier in Maasluis, shown below, as well as other major flood protection systems.  The purpose of this exploratory segment was to meet with representatives of the flood community and travel to sections of the country that are at high risk of flooding.  Second, a workshop was held for the Dutch and the US contingents.  In this workshop, the Dutch contingent, consisting of flood mitigation professionals, explained many parts of the flood hazard as viewed and managed by the Dutch, including some issues with current policies and future projects that are necessary to continue to protect the country.  ATC Board and staff members discussed aspects of hazards in the US.

In the recent years, ATC has been expanding its outreach into the flood hazard area by adding several ATC Board members who are active in the flood hazard, and most recently, by adding a Director of Wind and Flood Hazard Mitigation to ATC staff in 2008.  As a result of the site visits and the workshop, the ATC Board and staff have recognized areas where ATC could contribute significantly to reducing losses caused by floods in the United States.

Photo of Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier

7/2009

At the 2009 Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Award Banquet ATC Board Member, Bret Lizundia, was named to the SEAONC College of Fellows.

6/2009

At the 2009 Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Award Banquet ATC Executive Director, Chris Rojahn, was recognized as a SEAONC Honorary Member due to his commitment to valuable research and work performed by ATC, and years of collaboration with SEAONC members. The award was presented by Andrew Merovich, former ATC Board President and Member.

6/2009