1-2 Mar 2023

Miami Convention Center
Miami, USA

1-2 Mar 2023

Miami Convention Center

Erik Salna, M.S.: Speaking at the Meteorology Tech Expo

Erik Salna, M.S.

Associate Director for Education and Outreach  -  FIU | Extreme Events Institute

Community Resilience: Increasing Public Understanding of Risk and Vulnerability to Natural Hazards through Research and the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind

The Extreme Events Institute (EEI) and International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami is at the forefront of reducing the impact of natural hazard events by reducing community vulnerabilities and understanding and managing exposure to hurricanes, storm surge and earthquakes.

The goal is to provide a better public understanding of how changes in exposures and vulnerabilities will determine whether a community experiences an emergency, disaster or catastrophe. The end-result is improved community resilience.

This is accomplished through research in disaster risk reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean, storm surge modeling, economic loss modeling, and wind engineering by the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind. The Wall of Wind is the largest and most powerful university research facility of its kind and is capable of simulating a Category 5 hurricane. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has designated the Wall of Wind as one of the nation’s major “Experimental Facilities” under the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) program.

EEI also collaborated on a one-hour independent documentary, “Built to Last?” Saving our Homes in the Age of Disasters.” The documentary focuses on how architectural innovations can mitigate the harm caused by natural hazards and illustrates what ordinary people around the world can do to make their homes safe and hazard-resilient.

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About Erik Salna, M.S.

Erik is a Meteorologist and currently Associate Director of Education and Outreach for the Extreme Events Institute (EEI) and the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. EEI and the IHRC are at the forefront of reducing the impact of natural hazard events through research in wind engineering and the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind, storm surge modeling, economic loss modeling, and disaster risk reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Education outreach has been a career focus for Erik, including the annual NOAA Hurricane Hunter Awareness Tour, the Wall of Wind Mitigation Challenge High School Competition, Wall of Wind Museum Exhibit, NOAA P-3 Hurricane Hunter Museum Exhibit, Hurricane Andrew Museum Exhibit, and Eye of the Storm Museum Event.

Before FIU, Erik worked at Miami-based America's Emergency Network (AEN) and the non-profit Hurricane Warning at the Disaster Survival House, in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Erik also has over 25 years of experience as a broadcast meteorologist, providing live continuous coverage for hurricanes,
tornadoes and flooding.

Erik served on the AMS Board for Broadcast Meteorology which developed the new AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal for television. Erik also spearheaded the Save Our Weather Office Campaign in Fort Wayne, IN, which resulted in a Congressional response to fund operations of local National Weather Service Offices across the country. Erik recently testified on October 14th, 2021 at the hearing entitled “The Future of Forecasting: Building a Weather-Ready Nation on All Fronts,” for the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Erik was inducted into the Meteorologist Hall of Fame in 2020 by the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center. In addition, he was recognized in 2016 as an exemplary NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, nominated for 2016 National Weatherperson of the Year, received an Excellence in Media Award from the Press Club of Southeast Texas in 2004, a Bronze Telly Award in 1998, the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference Media Award in 1994 and TV Broadcaster of the Year by the National Weather Association in 1989.

Erik is a Full Member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association and earned an MS in Meteorology from Northern Illinois University and a BS in Physical Geography with an emphasis in Meteorology from the University of Illinois.