Phys.org - After hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, residents of storm-ravaged areas had to stand in long lines for water. Some spent days without power, and many still lack these vital services. These events left many people wondering: Will we be ready when the next crisis happens?
"As a society, we are asking more and more of our infrastructure," said Davidson. Our increased reliance on electronics-from smartphones to electronic medical records-makes power outages increasingly distressing and even dangerous.
Other collaborators on the project include Linda Nozick and Thomas O'Rourke, both professors of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University, Bradley Ewing, a professor of energy economics at Texas Tech University, and Kate Starbird, an assistant professor of human centered design and engineering at the University of Washington.
Undergraduate and graduate research assistants and post-doctoral researchers will also participate in all aspects of this project.