Bio: Heather’s passion is urban infrastructure, water, and resilient communities. As a PhD Researcher at the University of Potsdam in the Institute for Environmental Science and Geography her work on disaster risk reduction is directly connected to these interests. Heather holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from Queen’s University in her home country Canada and a MSc in Water Science and Engineering from IHE-Delft in the Netherlands. She is also a licensed professional engineer in Canada with 7 years of experience and has previously worked on flood adaptation and mapping projects for the public sector.
Talk Description: To reduce the impacts of floods we have many tools in our toolbox. One of these tools are Flood Early Warning Systems. When they work properly they can provide the public with timely and accurate information to move themselves and valuable objects out of harms way. They can improve life safety and reduce damage. In this talk, Heather Murdock will share insights from recent research on the performance of flood early warning systems in Germany and the outlook for innovation and improvements.