Kait Morano Shares Insights on Disaster Resilience With Georgia Lawmakers

Kait Morano, a community resilience expert from Georgia Tech, presented critical insights to the Georgia State House of Representatives study committee on disaster mitigation and resilience. Her testimony highlighted the importance of strong partnerships, evidence-based decision-making, and community-driven planning to better prepare for and withstand the impacts from natural disasters. Morano serves as the resilience planning director for CEAR Hub, which works closely with Georgia’s coastal communities. She is also a research scientist with Georga Tech’s Institute for People and Technology.

Morano emphasized strategies to address the unique challenges faced by vulnerable coastal communities, underscoring the need for investments in resilience and capacity-building initiatives before a disaster strikes. Her contributions were reflected in the committee's final report, which includes recommendations for creating a dedicated statewide office of resilience, upgrading 911 systems, and bolstering building codes for certain types of facilities. These efforts aim to mitigate the impacts of increasingly frequent and severe disasters on Georgia's communities.

The committee's findings and Morano's testimony underline the vital role of research, collaboration, and proactive planning in building a safer and more resilient Georgia.

The study committee’s final report is available here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/house-study-committee-document-library-page/disaster-mitigation-and-resilience/disaster-mitigation-and-resilience-study-committee-final-report.pdf?sfvrsn=c21b5178_2.