Extreme Wind Resilience Center (EWRC)
Extreme wind events, including tornadoes, hurricanes, and Derechos, account for more than 80 percent of all inflation-adjusted losses caused by natural and human-caused hazards in the U.S. Despite significant advances in weather prediction and detection, the number of billion-dollar weather disasters due to windstorms has increased from an average of two events per year in 1991 to more than 12 per year in 2021. The Extreme Wind Resilience Center (EWRC) works to mitigate the impact of these extreme wind events and build community resilience to the disasters they cause. EWRC brings together the necessary expertise to reduce losses, and it is a joint effort between UIUC’s departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Atmospheric Sciences, the center will leverage world-class expertise from multiple disciplines.
Center Directors
Robert J. Trapp and Frank T. Lombardo
Robert Trapp is a Professor and Head of UIUC’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Trapp’s research interests include the dynamics and observations of mesoscale convective systems, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes; mesoscale modeling, and predictability.
Frank Lombardo joined the faculty of UIUC’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2015. He is also a faculty affiliate in atmospheric sciences. His research interests are wind engineering, extreme wind characterization, bluff-body aerodynamics, resilience, and structural damage.
EWRC Overview
EWRC News features
https://cee.illinois.edu/news/new-research-center-addresses-extreme-wind-events