Last month, a brutal winter storm brought freezing temperatures and snow across a wide swath of Texas, knocking out power plants and forcing millions to go without power and heat in subzero temperatures. Now, people are asking why utilities, lawmakers and state officials were caught so flat-footed by the storm, and what they could have done to better prepare for such extreme weather events. 

In this layered, insightful discussion, Atkins Project Director Stephen Bourne and Principal Technical Manager Mike DePue join Federal Business Development Director Danielle Barner to talk about the role of climate change in extreme weather events, as well the tools and information we should be using to help the public sector embrace resiliency and protect its communities.

Show notes:

• City Simulator, a community focused tool developed by Atkins that allows communities to create digital twins of their buildings, roads, utilities, natural areas and other assets and then measure how resilient they are through a 30-year simulation.
• FLOODS Act, a proposed bill to establish a national integrated flood information system within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 
• PRECIP Act, a proposed bill to amend the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 to direct NOAA to provide comprehensive and regularly updated Federal precipitation information.