R&D 100 winner of the day: The Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT)

Impacts from large disasters can spread across cities and regions through interconnected infrastructure systems, affecting vulnerable populations more acutely. While many jurisdictions have their own resilience-related analysis tools, the underlying methodologies may not be accessible. This prompted the Argonne National Laboratory team to develop a tool incorporating the resilience indicators validated by scientific consensus. The Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT) enables emergency managers to see relationships among indicators, examine risk vs. resilience and communicate more effectively with at-risk populations. Having these data layers housed within one tool helps EMs to better address resilience barriers. Since spring, FEMA has trained nearly 3,500 people via webinars on its use, most recently at the start of hurricane season. The USACE used RAPT in its strategic contingency contracting process in determining likely locations for alternate care facilities (e.g., pop-up hospitals) during COVID; and the NWS’s chief meteorologist has noted that RAPT identifies new issues and underlying problems that would hinder resilience. RAPT use is clearly resonating within the resilience community.