I am a co-founder and the Executive Director of the Nurture Nature Center, in Easton, Pennsylvania in the United States. Nurture Nature Center (NNC) was formed in response to repeated flooding in our small historic city in 2004, 2005 and 2006, after a long 50-year hiatus since the flood of record hit in 1955 had left people forgetful about the risk of flooding. NNC was born of the simple questions: Why is it flooding, and what do we do to help people prepare?
As it turns out, those aren’t easy questions to answer, and our center has grown substantially since its founding in 2007. We are housed in a beautiful historic facility with a visitors’ center that reaches thousands of people annually with art, science and community programming on a wide range of environmental issues, (and we are also currently constructing a new Earth & Sky Dome immersive domed theatre!). Behind the scenes, we have also carried out a sustained social science research effort to improve weather and flood forecasts.
For the last nearly 15 years, I have guided our research team in hosting focus groups and surveys of US National Weather Service flood and hydrologic forecast products with professional and residential users across the country. We have traveled to small rural communities, large cities, mountain towns and places that rarely get put on the map. Through user testing and feedback, we have helped NWS to improve the design and delivery of many of its core hydrologic products, from hydrographs and ensemble products to flood inundation maps and more recently, an experimental Urban Rain Rate Dashboard. We have learned that on their own, science improvements to models and probabilistic forecasts and warning products aren’t enough. For communities to take advantage of forecasts, an equal emphasis must be paid to how information is communicated, how uncertainty is presented, and how impacts are discussed.
I have a masters’ degree in Environmental Policy Design from Lehigh University, but I come to this work with a background as a newspaper reporter and community organizer. The ethos of that training is reflected in NNC’s work, which focuses on deepening environmental engagement in the communities we work while also building capacity to manage risk and create positive change. I was born and raised in this city, and the commitment and love I have for my home – the people, the natural resources and the built environment – drive the work that I do.
Traveling to small and large communities around the country, I see that same spirit of love for home reflected in every town and city – emergency managers, residents, forecasters, elected officials showing up for meetings and efforts to understanding flooding, weigh in to help improve forecast tools, and do whatever is needed to make their communities safer during major floods. This shared commitment to our communities is what drew me to the chance to work with WMO to support an international effort with the same goal. As co-chair of InPRHA, I hope to infuse a sustained focus on the user needs for forecast information, resiliency resources, and community connections necessary that make the deployment of flood early warning technology possible around the globe.
When I’m not thinking about floods and environmental issues, I’m busy enjoying this beautiful river city where I live with my daughters, and occasionally, trying to play some mandolin or fiddle music.
