GW Students Highlighted Need for Disaster Resilience Investments in Wildfire-Prone Communities like LA

January 23, 2025

Authored by:

Brook Endale

A group of students at the George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration completed a capstone project in fall 2024 that underscored the critical importance of disaster resilience. Their work focused on identifying communities across the United States in urgent need of impact funding to address vulnerabilities to natural disasters, including highlighting why Los Angeles is at such high risk for wildfires.

The capstone project required students to partner with organizations grappling with real-world policy questions. The team of students worked with two GW alumni at SPIN Global, a public benefit company dedicated to mitigating the impacts of disasters at both the local and national level. SPIN Global works with private industry, governments and communities to provide tailored disaster resilience solutions, emergency response strategies and crisis management services. The team of graduate students, all pursuing their master's in public administration, includes Yolanda Heman-Ackah, Hannah Markus, Facundo Pibida and Sarah Gimont.

For their project, the students developed a report for SPIN Global identifying opportunities for impact investing to help mitigate the effects of natural disasters. Joel Thomas, M.P.A. '08, CEO of SPIN Global, explained that the organization aims to invest between $100 million and $50 billion per project in resilience initiatives that improve disaster preparedness while also providing economic opportunities to vulnerable communities.

"We are trying to reduce the impacts of a disaster before it ever happens," Thomas said. "That led us to establish what's called the Community Disaster Resilience Fund, which is backed by the authority of North America and Europe's largest pension funds. The idea is that we're directing investment into communities to make them more resilient. We're helping to identify projects that sit at the nexus of risk exposure and vulnerability to hazards, and to build resilient infrastructure to reduce risk and the actual impacts of disasters like wildfires, for example, through investment in public benefit projects."

As part of their work, the students were tasked with identifying unmet needs in communities designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZs). These zones are based on a community's risk for natural disasters, as well as its ability to prepare for, adapt to and recover from such events. The students focused specifically on wildfires, which are among the most pressing threats in states with high numbers of CDRZs.

The students created a decision matrix to guide investments in counties at risk of natural disasters, especially wildfires. The matrix evaluated factors such as local laws, the economy, infrastructure and community involvement to pinpoint areas most in need of investment. They then tested this system by applying it to four counties at high risk for wildfires: Los Angeles, California; Miami-Dade, Florida; Gila, Arizona; and Elmore, Idaho. These counties were selected based on their wildfire risk, vulnerability and resilience scores as outlined by FEMA.

Heman-Ackah explained that Los Angeles faces numerous challenges when it comes to wildfire vulnerability.

"Wildfires typically spread quickly when humidity is low and winds are high-factors that contributed to the recent wildfire in L.A., where wind gusts reached up to 100 mph," Heman-Ackah said. "Buildings not made with fire-resistant materials are more likely to ignite, and the presence of vegetation and other combustible materials near structures, roadways and power lines further fuels the fire's spread through communities."

The team also emphasized that wildfires are dangerous to health not only during the fire itself but also due to the lingering smoke that affects air quality long afterward. One of their proposed solutions to help protect communities is the development of "resilience hubs," which are safe, indoor spaces designed to keep people secure during emergencies. These hubs would provide clean air, heating and cooling while being fire-resistant, offering protection to vulnerable populations.

Heman-Ackah said that resilience hubs are especially important for individuals who may struggle to evacuate during a wildfire, such as the elderly or those with health conditions that make evacuation difficult.

Camila Tapias, M.P.A. '20, a disaster resilience expert at SPIN Global and a member of the GW Board of Trustees, said she was impressed with the students' work and the potential impact of their recommendations. She highlighted the importance of investing in disaster resilience early, noting that it can save lives and reduce economic losses in the long run.

"It's better to invest early and now and be better prepared," Tapias said. "The frequency and intensity of natural hazards are increasing, making proactive measures more critical. With better preparation, the impacts will be less severe. Infrastructure will be less affected, and people will face less disruption."

Tapias also emphasized that a key part of SPIN Global's mission is to help historically underserved communities, which are often the most vulnerable to natural hazards and their impacts. These communities, frequently located in high-risk zones like floodplains, lack the resources to properly prepare for and recover from disasters.

She said that as more communities experience the effects of climate change, there is an urgent need for proactive disaster preparedness. Through their work, the GW students demonstrated that by prioritizing careful planning, community engagement and targeted investments in resilience, it is possible to significantly reduce the devastating impacts of disasters like wildfires.

"We want to reduce suffering and loss of life," Tapias said. "We want to prioritize preparedness through training and planning, but also it takes policy. It's about policy change and systemic investments in vulnerable communities. Public-private partnerships are key to creating long-term solutions."