According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2.5 million people were displaced in 2023 due to extreme weather events such as tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes. As natural disasters become more frequent and severe worldwide, people and their houses are also becoming more vulnerable than ever before. So today’s civil engineers are working to protect the livelihoods of humankind by building stronger communities for tomorrow.
In this ASCE Interchange Live, Lizzie Collins, chief of engineering and chief administrative officer of Build Change, joined ASCE to discuss how civil engineers build stronger communities with disaster-resilient housing. Build Change is a leading organization in systems change for resilient housing.
“At the household level, these disasters can be devastating for generations. But at the national level and the global level, there’s also a big toll,” Collins said.
“First, the unfortunate potential casualties, injuries, and deaths. This cannot be overstated. Protecting and safeguarding life locally, nationally, and globally is paramount. Second, these events can divert important resources. It’s way more cost-effective to mitigate before a disaster than to try to repair and recover after the event or damage has occurred. Third, the displacement can lead to changes in the available workforce; it can create ghost cities, which can in turn impact the economy and GDP.”
While civil engineers can help prepare communities to be more disaster-resilient when designing and building structures, engineers’ disaster-response efforts are just as essential to help communities recover after a natural disaster. Collins also discusses how engineers can support these communities to build back stronger for the future.
Learn more about Build Change and support their mission to make every home disaster resilient.
To view all ASCE Interchange episodes, visit ASCE’s YouTube channel.
