Georgia Tech Associate Chair and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Reginald DesRoches testified before the Senate Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration on Sept. 30. He was one of seven witnesses who spoke before the subcommittee and the only presenter representing a university.
DesRoches was invited to share his expertise on earthquake resilience in the United States focusing on the risks associated with and the effects of a potential catastrophic earthquake event. His testimony highlighted his background on the performance of built infrastructure in the Central and Southeastern United States and his firsthand experience with the earthquake in Haiti.
An internationally recognized expert in reducing damage and loss from earthquakes, DesRoches’ research focuses on earthquake-resistant design and retrofitting of bridges, protective systems for buildings and bridges and the performance of transportation networks. A native of Haiti, Professor DesRoches led a team of earthquake experts to the island nation last winter to study the damage from the major quake that struck there in January.
DesRoches' testimony and an archive of the hearing is available on line: Earthquake Preparedness: What the United States can Learn from the 2010 Chilean and Haitian Earthquakes