The Goddard Forum 2025 brought together a diverse group of experts, practitioners, and community members to address the multifaceted challenges of flood mitigation and resilience. The forum was preceded by site visits to flood-impacted areas along the Susquehanna River, presenting real flood risk challenges to the participants.
Goddard Forum, September 9-10, 2025, Penn State Harrisburg - See complete description with details and speakers' presentations below.
Download Executive Summary.pdf and 2025 Forum program pdf
Contact:
Christopher Scott, cascott@psu.edu
- Goddard Chair and Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, ecosystems.psu.edu/directory/cvs6145
- Associate Director, Institute of Energy & the Environment, iee.psu.edu/people/christopher-scott
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The 2025 Forum builds on past and ongoing efforts to address flood risk in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic, with support from Penn State's Institute of Energy and the Environment, Hamer Center for Community Design, and Penn State Sustainability.
- Community Flash Flood Prediction and Warning Preparedness: Workshop on Flood Warning System Implementation, Operation and Maintenance, November 17, 2023, State College, PA - summary report pdf
- Flooding in Pennsylvania: Hazard, Risk, Response: Millennium Cafe Flash Talks, Spring 2025, State College, PA - series overview pdf
- Flooding in Pennsylvania under Extreme Climate and Changing Federal Institutional Arrangements: Session at Climate Solutions Symposium, May 19-20, 2025, State College, PA - session overview pdf
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Flood Risk in the Mid-Atlantic - Goddard Forum 2025: Speakers' presentations
- Welcome, introductions, and overview - Christopher Scott, Goddard Chair, Penn State University Park
- Hurricane and tropical storm impact - Preparation, operations, and recovery efforts - Thomas Hughes, PA Emergency Management Agency
- Learning from other recent experience: Challenges of the first mile and last mile of flood warning systems, with reflections from Kerr County Texas - David Curtis, West Consultants
- Flood prediction and response: Federal, state, and regional roles - Panel moderated by Lara Fowler, Penn State / Dickinson Law
- Overview of Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center - Alaina MacFarlane, National Weather Service
- National Weather Service Flood Operations - Alaina MacFarlane and Craig Evanego, National Weather Service
- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Flood Management (presented September 9 at SRBC office) - Benjamin Pratt, SRBC
- Playing the hand we're dealt: Challenges of flood mitigation in an older, densely-developed urban area - Shirley Clark, Penn State Harrisburg
- Seeing is believing: Visualizing flood risk - Session moderated by Maurie Kelly
- Interactive flood simulation - Patrick Dudas, College of Information Science & Technology, Penn State University Park
- Seeing is believing: Visualizing flood risk - Peter Stempel, Penn State University Park
- Data & Tools to Support Flood Resilience for PA Communities - Rob Nicholas, Penn State University Park
- PREPARE PA - Christine Kirchhoff, Penn State University Park
- Intersections of flood events and the built environment: Pennsylvania perspective - Teri Provost, Department of Community & Economic Development, introduced by Lisa Iulo
- Building flood resilience in the Susquehanna River Basin - Alfonso Mejía, Penn State University Park
- Pennsylvania’s levees protect $9.6 billion in property and 130,000 people - Kaleigh Yost, Penn State University Park
- Scenario planning for future flood risk - Breakout groups moderated by Christopher Scott
- Synthesis - Key needs identified for the future include:
- Better communication about flood insurance
- Partnerships with K-12 education
- Greater emphasis on considering the health risks of flooding
- Using storytelling to reach people
- The need for seamless statewide and county-authored assessment data at the parcel level that can be used to facilitate better hazard mitigation planning and, when needed, damage assessment across boundary lines (identified by Scott Drzyzga, State Geospatial Coordinating Board).
