SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Behr conducts studies, performs modeling, and publishes insights related to community resilience, catastrophic events, evacuation behavior, recurrent flooding, and the disposition of medically fragile and vulnerable populations in the post-event recovery process. Much of this involves connecting both modeling and data from several systems to produce actionable, policy-relevant knowledge and forecasts. For example, this entails leveraging natural systems data to model storms and flooding, built environment data to characterize the physical structures in our communities, and social-behavioral data related to population perceptions and behavioral response. These are integrated by Dr. Behr to forecast storm damage, displaced populations, recovery times, wellbeing of populations, and cost pressure on health systems. Dr. Behr has developed indicators of household and community vulnerability in the modeled recovery processes.

In addition, Dr. Behr has studied the dependencies among critical infrastructures. Further, Dr. Behr analyzes various health and wellbeing returns stemming from investments relating to resilient-promoting building code and planning practices. His work is of much interest to housing officials, emergency planners, city planners, and homeland security officials. Of interest to clinicians and public health officials, Dr. Behr has published articles addressing drivers of emergency department utilization, asthma, and health service utilization.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Political Science, 2001
University of New Orleans (UNO), New Orleans, LA

M.A. in Political Science, 1992
California State University (CSU), Fullerton, CA

B.A. in Political Science, 1989
California State University (CSU), Fullerton, CA

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

VMASC, Research Associate Professor and Research Scientist
Suffolk, VA
2008 - Present

Eastern Virginia Medical School, Associate Professor
Norfolk, VA
2009 - Present

Old Dominion University, Associate Professor (TENURED)
Norfolk, VA
2008 - 2010

Old Dominion University, Assistant Professor
Norfolk, VA
2001 - 2007

Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Assistant Professor
Weatherford, OK
2000 - 2001

University of New Orleans, Adjunct Instructor
New Orleans, LA
1995 - 2000

POPULATION VULNERABILITY & MEDICALLY FRAGILE VULNERABILITY MEASURES

Defining population vulnerability is difficult because it touches upon the fabric of the social, economic, and health of citizens. Traditional vulnerability assessments have focused heavily on the built environment and critical infrastructure. Vulnerability must also consider the social, psychological, and resource dispositions of the communities’ households. Inherent in this conceptualization of vulnerability is knowledge that population vulnerability neither falls equally across society nor is equally distributed spatially across geography. Households within particular areas may be more likely to exhibit multiple vulnerability characteristics relative other areas of the city. Households with these conditions may have limited ability to prepare for -- and recover from -- recurrent flooding events and, in the longer-term, may be less effective in taking individual adaption measures. This project produced visual representations of these differences across space. We have conceptualized and developed over a dozen vulnerability indices that have been mapped across Hampton Roads. Primary data derived from sampling of over 7,000 Hampton Roads households.

ADAPTIVE CAPACITY TO RECURRENT FLOODING PROJECT

As noted in the GA Report, many adaption strategies are adopted at the individual level. The adaption behavior is made within the context of the household unit. Here the perceptions that are formed and validated become translated into individual behavior and household actions (or inaction). These household mitigation efforts, in various forms, condition the vulnerability of the household and, in totality, form the basis of neighborhood or community vulnerability. Municipal adaption planning must be aware of citizen mitigation strategies and act in concert with these when developing comprehensive planning documents. As a starting point, a better understanding of the perceptions of residents as it relates to risk, sea level rise, recurrent flooding, adaption awareness, adaption thresholds, and household adaption constraints will inform comprehensive planning efforts. We have developed survey instruments and sampled households to assess variation in risk perception and adaption strategies across. Analyses include mapping of household characteristics and hot spot analyses performed to illustrate intensity of attributes (e.g., perceptions, adaption constraints, etc.). These are layered with SLR and cases disaggregated by either inclusion or exclusion within the 1.5 foot SLR zone and the 3 feet surge zone (GA/VIMS Report maps).

MODELING HOUSING STOCK RECOVERY & MEDICALLY FRAGILE POPULATIONS RELATIVE SEVERE STORM EVENTS PROJECT

The purpose of this research is the development of a set of informed simulation models that allow for the meaningful forecast of the demand and transition times for temporary, interim, and permanent housing of displaced households stemming from severe weather events. These modeling and simulation efforts identify for HUD the dynamics of displaced populations with social, medical, and financial vulnerabilities in the housing recovery process. These models promote ‘what if’ scenario testing of local pre-disaster housing recovery planning practices and policies intended to enhance housing production capacity and speed the approach back to normalcy. Incorporating local pre-disaster planning practices, as are those found in HUD’s guidance (Pre-disaster Planning for Permanent Housing Recovery), into such models will allow localities the ability to visualize how pre-disaster planning practices may potentially impact the pace of recovery. These models provide an avenue by which localities may extend into practice HUD’s guidance related to best practice tasks to achieve planning for permanent housing recovery.

HAMPTON ROADS BEHAVIORAL STUDY REPORT PROJECT

This report project provided an analysis of storm-related perceptions and behaviors of households based on where they sheltered during the Hurricane Irene event. The sample and analysis is disaggregated into four separate parts based upon sheltering choice: 1) Households sheltering in the Region within their primary residence, 2) Households sheltering with the Regions, but not within their primary residence or a community or Red Cross shelter, 3) Households sheltering in the Region within a community or Red Cross shelter, and 4) Households that departed or evacuated the Region and sheltered elsewhere.

HAMPTON ROADS DISPLACED POPULATIONS & HOUSING RECOVERY NEEDS STUDY REPORT PROJECT

This report produced refined estimates of displaced persons stemming from catastrophic events. Work was centered on three scenarios: major hurricane; explosive attack by means of an improvised explosive device; and biological attack using aerosolized anthrax. We estimates the displaced populations – and hence the magnitude of housing recovery needs – by locality and by post-event time (i.e., intermediate and long term) stemming from the above three types of catastrophic events (major hurricane; explosive attack by means of an improvised explosive device; and biological attack using aerosolized anthrax). For the hurricane scenario, modeling and simulation tools were deployed. For all scenarios, GIS tools and analyses were utilized. These efforts produced ‘housing recovery needs’ estimates intended to be informative for the localities.

SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Behr, Joshua G., and Carol Considine. ”Parcel Buyout and Greenspace Acquisition as Adaptation Policy in Response to Storm Risk and Recurrent Flooding in a Coastal Port City." Coastal Management 2019: Joining forces to shape our future coasts. ICE Publishing, 2019. 517-533

Diaz, Rafael and Joshua G. Behr. “Supply Chain Modeling in the Aftermath of a Disaster.” IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (2020): Print ISSN: 0018-9391 Online ISSN: 1558-0040 Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/TEM.2019.2950047

McLeod, George M., Thomas R. Allen, and Joshua G. Behr. ”Geospatial Risk Assessment of Marine Terminal Infrastructure to Storm Surge Inundation and Sea Level Rise.” Transportation Research Record (2018): 0361198118774234.

Behr, Joshua G., and Rafael Diaz. ”Emergency Department Frequent Utilization for Non-Emergent Presentments: Results from a Regional Urban Trauma Center Study.” PloS one 11.1 (2016): e0147116.

Behr, Joshua G., Rafael Diaz, and Muge Akpinar-Elci. ”Health Service Utilization and Poor Health Reporting in Asthma Patients.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13.7 (2016): 645.

Behr, Joshua G., Rafael Diaz, Barry Knapp, and Cynthia Kratzke. ”Framework for classifying compliance and medical immediacy among low-acuity presentations at an urban trauma center.” International journal of emergency medicine 8, no. 1 (2015): 1-9.

Behr, Joshua G., and Rafael Diaz. ”Modeling and simulation standards development, adoption and conformity in the attainment of system values: A framework for the tension between two process ideals.” Simulation 90, no. 5 (2014): 591-605.

CV/RESUME