Monica Arul helps launch statewide tornado and straight-line wind summit
When civil and environmental engineering assistant professor Monica Arul helped bring together emergency managers, engineers, and public officials in Isle of Wight County on October 15, it marked the start of a coordinated effort to boost Virginia’s resilience to tornadoes and straight-line winds.
The Virginia Tornado and Straight-Line Wind Summit was the first statewide event of its kind, with more than 120 participants determined to address Virginia’s growing risks from severe wind events.
Arul emphasized the importance of broadening the state’s focus on wind-related hazards beyond hurricanes. “Tornados and straight-line winds are often overlooked,” she said. “Yet, they cause far more frequent damage than most people realize.”
Hosted by Isle of Wight County and organized by Virginia Tech’s Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC) and School of Public Service, the summit represented a powerful coordination of science, engineering, and service.
Under Arul’s co-leadership, the event drew an impressive mix of emergency managers, public information officers, engineers, researchers, meteorologists, and state agency officials from across Virginia.
Throughout the day, participants explored cutting-edge approaches to forecasting, communication, infrastructure design, and community preparedness. The discussions reflected the urgency of understanding and mitigating wind hazards that, while often overshadowed by hurricanes, can be just as destructive to Virginia’s communities and infrastructure.
“Our goal is to shift the conversation from predicting the storm to understanding its power and strengthening the systems that protect Virginia communities,” said Arul.
With Virginia Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering serving as a major sponsor, alongside Dominion Energy and Climate Inc., the summit underscored Virginia Tech’s leadership in advancing collaboration between academia, government, and industry to build a more resilient Virginia. In future years, the planners hope to have participation at the summit from all universities in Virginia.
Building on this year’s success, organizers plan to establish the summit as a recurring event driving statewide progress in wind resilience and preparedness.
