Abstract
Nationally, the US has sustained over 400 weather disasters since 1980 with costs over one billion dollars with 61 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Minnesota. In 2024 there have been 25 of these disasters, exceeded only by 2023 for the title of year with the most disasters on record. As the uneven distribution of heating amplifies extreme weather events in both intensity peaks and frequency, industry can expect to see more damaging years with these events seemingly occurring in a back-to-back fashion. Temperatures in Minnesota have risen more than 2.5°F since the beginning of the 20th century with the warmest years on record occurring this century. These events stress already aging infrastructure and showcase the failures for materials across all 16 critical infrastructure sectors, causing significant supply chain disruptions. CISA provides a breakdown of these threats by separating them into eight main weather hazards: extreme heat, extreme cold, severe weather, tropical cyclones, sea level rise, drought, wildfires, and flooding, all of which have caused disruption to the water sector and throughout the urban environment. This presentation will provide beneficial statistics for understanding and employing resources to address the worsening threat as well as connect international implications for the sector through analysis of the supply chain and key resource hub locations and best practices.
CISA’s Chief Meteorologist, Sunny Wescott, is a Federal Emergency Response Official specializing in national extreme weather hazards and climatological studies for impacts to public and private sector key resources. During her time in the US Air Force as a Lead Meteorologist, Ms. Wescott trained on continental and oceanic weather as the Top Forecaster for her support region and is considered a subject matter expert for multiple climatological events such as drought, subsidence, wildfires, tropical cyclones, and winter storms. Her previous roles within CISA focused on working with emergency response operations for telecommunications and critical infrastructure which integrated her background of mission support forecasting from her military experience. Ms. Wescott graduated top of her class for her degrees in Homeland Security Management, Public Safety Administration, and Atmospheric Sciences with her current role in the Infrastructure Security Division, Assistant Chief of Staff office, performing Extreme Weather Outreach by providing focused reports for regions and critical infrastructure operators before, during, and after disasters.