In this episode of Disaster Discussions Research Project Scientist Jake Sorber joins the podcast for a discussion on why hail is an extreme loss driver across the United States, and the reasons behind why that trend is growing. Plus, an in-depth conversation about lessons learned from a case study of significant hail that fell in Rock Hill, SC and a look ahead to what IBHS scientists are aiming to learn during ICECHIP- the largest scientific field campaign in history devoted to studying hail.

This Disaster Discussions episode highlights the development of the new Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood technical standard- the first and only science-based standard that aims to meaningfully reduce the probability of a built-environment conflagration in the neighborhoods where it is applied. Guests on this episode are Dr. Ian Giammanco, IBHS Managing Director of Standards and Data Analytics and Lead Research Meteorologist and Evan Sluder, Research Project Engineer.

The conversation includes an explanation of the science behind the standard's four core principles and details how the standard can be applied in both new-build and retrofit scenarios. The episode also covers how the standard can be used in a post-wildfire setting to analyze a neighborhood's risk factors for conflagration. Plus, a discussion on the first project putting the standard into operation in Escondido, CA and how the science could be used to rebuild more resiliently in LA county.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions we're joined by Dr. Geoff Boughton, Adjunct Associate Professor at the James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station and Dr. Korah Parackal, IBHS Research Engineer and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station. This discussion looks back at the evolution and landfall of category four Cyclone Tracy that struck Darwin, Australia on Christmas Eve 1974, leaving 90% of the town's residential homes uninhabitable and tens of thousands of residents homeless. We discuss how Tracy's devastating impact sparked changes to the way Australia's housing was built, and how these changes eventually led to a nationwide building code. Today homes in Australia are structurally engineered to withstand high winds throughout the entire country and include provisions for low cycle fatigue, a continuous load path or tie-down chain, and are designed for high internal pressures.