Event
Water Exchange Speaker Series: Preparing for Climate Change in the Wake of Houston’s Water Crisis
This event is presented by The Water Center. This event is free and open to the public.
Moderated by: Howard Neukrug, Executive Director of The Water Center
As Texas faced record-low temperatures this February and snow and ice topped roads and rooftops, millions were left without power and lost access to clean water. This and other recent extreme weather events have further revealed our water systems’ vulnerability. Extreme weather — in some cases directly linked to climate change — impacts water access across the US for days, months, or even years. And yet, the long-term impacts of disasters on water systems often get less attention than the initial disaster. As climate change increases the threat of extreme weather, it’s clear our infrastructure systems need to be able to withstand new pressures. And there’s a lot to learn from Texas’s latest water crisis to avoid the next disaster. Yvonne Forrest, the director of Houston Water, will share her recovery plan and lessons learned after the devastating winter storm in Texas and discuss the way forward in climate change preparation.
The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania is a trans-disciplinary applied research center focused on solving today’s urban water challenges. Aligning the University of Pennsylvania’s academic resources with water practitioner expertise, the Water Center at Penn combines policy, science and technology to create equitable, resilient and sustainable solutions.