0:00 [THEME MUSIC]
0:01 MAJID SHAFIEE-JOOD: We have clear scientific evidence
0:03 that more intense and more frequent
0:05 rainfall events are happening across the country.
0:08 And in places like Southwest Virginia,
0:11 these events usually and quickly lead to flash flood events.
0:15 SPEAKER: Due to the flooding, Wise County
0:17 has declared a state of emergency.
0:19 Wise County--
0:20 MAJID SHAFIEE-JOOD: In rural communities,
0:21 the infrastructure is usually old. 0:23 It's also very limited. 0:25 A major event quickly leads to disruption. 0:28 My research is primarily about helping communities 0:31 to prepare for and respond to extreme events 0:35 and climate-related risks. 0:38 One project, we are developing a flood resilience 0:41 plan for the County of Wise so that they better 0:43 understand the risk. 0:45 And then another project specifically 0:47 focuses on advancing the early warning system for flooding. 0:51 JESSICA SWINNEY: With Wise County, 0:53 we don't have a huge staff for planning or for emergency 0:57 management. 0:58 We don't have a planner on staff. 1:00 West County doesn't have a grant writer on staff. 1:02 And so having UVA to help with that grant writing, 1:05 to help with stormwater management 1:08 or adding flood sensors, that's really been beneficial 1:11 for Wise County. 1:13 MAJID SHAFIEE-JOOD: Having people with lived experience 1:16 is really essential for this type of work. 1:18 We can develop models, we can make our models better,