Have you ever wondered just how connected humans are to our natural environment? Join FEMA Region VIII to discuss just how connected we all are to floods, fires, and the wildlife-urban interface. Come with questions about how these are interlinked and how we can all work to build a better, more resilient Colorado and discuss those topics with leaders in their fields, including Madi Pluss, Peter Reinhardt, Traci Harrison and Diana Herrera.

Check out the FEMA virtual exhibit booth for additional resources https://aecomviz.com/FEMA_TEDxMH_Vision/

About the Presenters

Madi Pluss, FEMA Risk MAP Program

Madi Pluss received her bachelor’s science in Geology and Environmental Science with a GIS certificate from the University of Colorado at Denver. After working in the land use and resource management department of the National Parks Service, Madi pursued her graduate degree from the University of Oregon, receiving a master’s in arts in community and regional planning with a concentration in hazard mitigation planning. During her time at the University of Oregon, Madi became actively involved with the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience, where she applied research and technical resources to support the development of plans and projects to mitigate the loss caused by natural hazards. Madi has worked for FEMA Region VIII since 2018 in the mitigation division’s risk analysis branch. Madi is curious about the interface between the natural and built environment and a strong advocate for science, mapping, and planning to promote implementable mitigation actions and create more resilient communities.

Peter Reinhardt, FEMA Mitigation & Insurance

Peter Reinhardt is originally from Upstate New York, has a degree in Geology from Denison University, and has been working in floodplain management for almost twenty years. Peter began his career back east at an engineering firm working under FEMA’s NFIP contract supporting both MT-1 and MT-2 processing. After several years in the consulting field, he relocated to Colorado and began working in floodplain management at the local government level. Peter recently started working for FEMA in the Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch, focusing on the Flood After Fire program. With the rise in the number and magnitude of wildfires in Colorado this year, Peter is working to increase awareness of the higher risk of flooding after fires.

Traci Harrison, FEMA Mitigation & Insurance

Tracie Harrison grew up in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah, spending summer vacations camping or enjoying the area's five national parks, where her love of nature grew. After spending seventeen years in the insurance industry, she decided to go back to school and received her bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Sustainability from the University of Utah. She completed a one-year internship with the Utah Division of Emergency Management, focusing in their Risk Map program. She joined FEMA in the fall of 2018 as a Hazard Mitigation Specialist deployed to Florida for Hurricane Irma support. One year later, she was offered a position with FEMA Region VIII, here in Denver, Colorado, in the Mitigation Division-Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch. Utilizing her numerous years of experience as an insurance agent and her combined knowledge of flood mitigation, she assists communities and states in Flood After Fire risk education and outreach to communities impacted by Wildfire events.

Diana Herrera, FEMA Insurance Specialist

Diana has over 40 years in the insurance industry, specializing in the National Flood Insurance Program since 1992. She has conducted over 700 training sessions on flood insurance and floodplain management to stakeholders from the local to the Federal level. She is an instructor at both FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and in the field in Mitigation for flood insurance, floodplain management, including the Advanced Floodplain Concepts, and disaster operations.