The Human Side of Resilience- Bringing Calm To Chaos

Sarah Chen stood in her potential new home’s living room, watching rain streak down the windows. The estate agent mentioned occasional flooding in the area, but what did that actually mean for her family? Would water reach the ground floor? How much would repairs cost? These weren’t just abstract worries – they were the questions keeping her awake at night.

Her concerns reflect a growing reality across America. Recent research shows that 43.9% of Americans have taken no steps to prepare for natural disasters, whilst 67% lack insurance against floods, earthquakes or other extreme weather events. As climate disasters become more frequent, families like Sarah’s are discovering that hoping for the best isn’t enough.

Meeting Risk Face-to-Face

Behind the impersonal statistics and scary headlines, there are people working to help families get real answers to their most pressing questions. Take Bill Bohn, who has spent 25 years helping communities worldwide understand and prepare for natural disasters. Through his work at Community Resilience Consulting, he’s seen firsthand how the right information can turn overwhelming anxiety into manageable action.

Bohn recently partnered with RiskFootprint, a company that specialises in property-specific hazard assessments. Together, they’re working to solve the precise problem Sarah faced – giving ordinary homeowners the tools to understand what risks they actually face, not just what might theoretically happen somewhere, sometime.

‘We’ve collaborated with Albert and the RiskFootprint team for three years,’ said Bohn. ‘Formalising our partnership ensures that asset owners, investors, lenders and insurers gain clear, pre-event estimates of potential losses from floods, winds and earthquakes and many other natural hazards and extreme weather events.’

How the Tools Work

The technology behind these assessments might sound intimidating – terms like ‘Hazus-driven, engineering-level damage curves’ – but the concept is straightforward. Hazus is FEMA’s free software that helps estimate risks from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tsunamis. Think of it as a very sophisticated calculator that considers your specific address, the type of building you live in, and the particular hazards in your area.

Instead of generic warnings about flooding ‘in your region’, these tools can tell you whether a 100-year flood would likely reach your ground floor, damage your electrical systems, or require you to replace your flooring. The assessment considers everything from your home’s foundation height to the materials used in construction.

This specificity matters because it turns vague worry into concrete planning. Rather than wondering ‘What if?’, families can ask more useful questions: ‘Is it worth spending £15,000 to raise our electrical systems above potential flood levels?’ or ‘Will installing hurricane shutters reduce our insurance premiums enough to justify the cost?’

Beyond Scary Headlines: The Personal Value of Knowing Your Risks

The difference between knowing and not knowing your specific risks extends far beyond peace of mind. Research indicates that every dollar spent on home resilience saves between $7 and $13 in disaster costs, but homeowners need accurate information to make these investments wisely.

Consider the choice between two flood mitigation strategies: installing a sump pump system for $3,000 or waterproofing your basement for $8,000. Without specific risk data, you’re essentially guessing. With proper assessment, you can see which option provides better protection for your particular situation and budget.

This level of detail becomes particularly valuable when dealing with insurance decisions. Nearly one in three female homeowners report feeling unprepared for extreme weather costs, often because standard homeowner’s policies exclude flood and wildfire damage. Understanding your specific risks helps you decide whether additional coverage is worth the expense.

‘Armed with these insights, stakeholders can evaluate retrofit costs, ROI and possible insurance premium savings – with Hazus-modelled loss reduction benefits factored in,’ Bohn explained.

Spotlight: The Human Side of Resilience

Bohn’s path to disaster preparedness expertise began with degrees in Aerospace & Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech and Geographic & Cartographic Sciences. But it’s his 25 years of real-world experience that sets him apart. He’s worked with FEMA headquarters on software testing and training materials, developed courses for the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, and advised international organisations including USAID, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

His global perspective proves valuable when helping American families. Having seen how communities in different countries prepare for and recover from disasters, he brings practical insights that go beyond technical assessments. He co-authored NOAA’s Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Course and the World Bank’s Community Reconstruction Handbook, translating complex engineering concepts into actionable guidance.

Rather than overwhelming families with data, he focuses on helping them understand what the information means for their specific situation. The partnership with RiskFootprint allows him to scale this personalised approach, making sophisticated risk assessment accessible to more families.

Bringing It Home: First Steps for Families

You don’t need expensive consultants to begin assessing your home’s vulnerability. Start with these practical steps:

Research your area’s specific risks: Use tools like California’s MyHazards or the national Wildfire Risk website to understand what hazards affect your neighbourhood. Look beyond general warnings to find location-specific information.

Review your insurance coverage: FEMA recommends reviewing both home and auto insurance annually, paying particular attention to exclusions. Standard policies rarely cover flood or earthquake damage.

Document your home’s current condition: Take photos and videos of your property’s exterior, interior and valuable possessions. This documentation proves invaluable for insurance claims and helps you track any improvements.

Consider small improvements first: Simple upgrades like securing loose roof tiles, clearing gutters and trimming trees near your home can significantly reduce damage risk without major expense.

Women often take the lead in household emergency planning, from assembling emergency kits to researching insurance options. Research shows that women’s involvement in disaster preparedness improves community resilience and ensures that plans address the needs of children, elderly family members and those with disabilities.

Manageable Choices, Not Overwhelming Tasks

The goal isn’t to prepare for every possible disaster – it’s to understand your specific risks well enough to make informed decisions. Some families might discover that their biggest risk comes from power outages during storms, leading them to invest in a generator rather than flood barriers. Others might find that their home’s elevation puts them at low risk for flooding but high risk for wildfire, shifting their focus to defensible space and fire-resistant materials.

This approach – understanding first, then acting – offers a path forward that doesn’t require panic or perfection. As the new ASTM Property Resilience Assessment Standard recognises, resilience planning works best when it’s tailored to specific properties and situations rather than applying generic solutions.

The partnership between established experts like Bohn and companies like RiskFootprint represents a shift towards making sophisticated risk assessment accessible to ordinary families. Instead of leaving homeowners to guess at their vulnerabilities, these tools provide the specific information needed to make smart decisions about protecting what matters most.

For families like Sarah’s, this means replacing sleepless nights with concrete action plans. Understanding your risks doesn’t eliminate them, but it turns them from formless anxiety into manageable challenges with clear solutions.