HVRI's History

HVRI was initially established in 1995 as the Hazards Research Lab and then elevated to an approved institute by the College of Arts and Sciences and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education as an Institute in 2006. Its mission was to conduct basic research on hazard vulnerability and resilience; train the next generation of hazard scientists and practitioners; and through engagement and outreach to governmental agencies and communities assist in the improvement of emergency preparedness, planning, response, and recovery at local, state, national, and international scales. In 2013, HVRI was designated as an International Center of Excellence of Vulnerability and Resilience Metrics (ICoE-Varm) by the International Science Council and the UNDRR Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR).