Articles

Main Speaker - November 2016

“Water and Structures and Disasters...Oh My!”

 Presented by: 
 Richard W. Furlong, PhD., P.E.
Professor Emeritus CAEE at University of Texas at Austin

 John (Jack) N. Furlong, P.E., D. WRE
Water Practice Lead
Jacobs Engineering Group

and

 Carrie M. Little, CEM
Director of Emergency Management
City of Plano

As a quick glance at the newspaper or clip from the nightly news will confirm, cities are frequently beset with disasters or emergencies such as wildfires, infrastructure failures, and weather events which can wreak havoc on local communities. Richard, Jack, and Carrie will discuss Emergency Management Programs; as city planners and engineers, we can assist in developing programs from the local to national level which not only help respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters, but can also help mitigate and prepare for future events. 

Richard W. Furlong, PhD., P.E. is a Distinguished Member of ASCE and a Professor Emeritus CAEE at the University of Texas at Austin, where he designed, taught, and supervised research on structural analysis, concrete, steel, and composite systems from 1952 to 2008. He has lectured on iconic structures since 2003.

John (Jack) N. Furlong, P.E., D. WRE, has over 40 years of civil engineering consulting experience, with an extensive resume including work on site development projects, major water and wastewater projects, flood studies, master drainage studies, and construction management. He has been an active member of ASCE in both the Austin and Dallas branches, and has held a variety of committee and officer positions at the local, state, and national level including Region 6 Governor. Jack is active in his community and is involved with Interfaith Housing Coalition in Dallas and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. With his wife of 42 years, Betty Lou, Jack has two children and four grandchildren.

Carrie M. Little, CEM, is employed as the Director of Emergency Management for the City of Plano where she is responsible for oversight of coordinating efforts to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the effects of emergencies and disasters within the City. Active within the North Texas emergency management community for almost 20 years, Ms. Little has been involved with many disasters and special events including the March 2000 Fort Worth/Arlington tornado, Wedgwood Baptist Church Shooting, Katrina/Rita Evacuee sheltering, severe weather/flooding events, and numerous large special events. Ms. Little holds a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Administration and Planning and a Master of Public Administration both from the University of North Texas.