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Weathering the storm: The power of social resilience in disaster recovery

July 20, 2023

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Weathering the Storm: The Power of Social Resilience in Disaster RecoveryBy Grant Maxwell, Growth Leader - Infrastructure Resilience, Stantec13InfraReadTe Kawepūrongo WaihangaISSUE 19. MAY 2023
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By Grant Maxwell

Grant Maxwell discusses why disaster resilience needs to be a national priority in Infrastructure New Zealand’s monthly publication, InfraRead.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re geographically and geologically vulnerable to tsunami, earthquakes, flooding, extreme storms, and volcanic activity. Christchurch’s earthquakes, Nelson and Auckland’s atmospheric rivers, and Cyclone Gabrielle have had massive impacts on our infrastructure, requiring long-term recovery work to restore a level of service in its region. To keep our people safe, disaster resilience needs to be a national priority. The challenge? There’s no quick fix.

New Zealanders learn what to do in an emergency at an early age because safety is our priority—we all know how to drop, cover, and hold an emergency go-bag at the ready. The same level of preparedness should apply to our infrastructure, but the damage sustained through continued natural disasters makes it clear we have room to improve. So, what does a resilient nation look like?

Ultimately, resilience is a multimodal and complex set of efforts. How do we plan, design, build, and maintain our infrastructure with resilience in mind? How can we learn from past experiences? How can we engage stakeholders, policy makers, funders, communities, consultants, and constructors to create strong private and public investment? How can we better equip our communities?

  • Grant Maxwell

    Grant is our Growth Leader – Infrastructure Resilience. With a thorough understanding of our clients’ resilience needs and strategies, Grant sets the vision for our team and plans accordingly.

    Contact Grant
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