FCEM research looks to determine optimal resilience for critical infrastructure during disasters
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | tanner.holubar@okstate.edu
Part of Oklahoma State University’s land-grant mission is to solve real-world problems through extension efforts and disseminating research findings and training.
An important aspect of OSU’s Extension is that researchers are focused on solving problems following disasters.
This research results in communities being safer and more resilient thanks to policy recommendations and improvements made through OSU research.
When a disaster strikes, the ramifications don’t stop with high winds or rising floodwaters. Power failures in Maui following wildfires and outages in Texas during an ice storm show just how quickly things can spiral out of control.
The reason why the domino effect of service failures occurs, and why systems fail during a disaster, is the subject of a research endeavor in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.
Dr. Chen Chen, an assistant professor in the School of Fire, Construction and Emergency Management, is the lead on a project funded by the OSU Hamm Institute for American Energy.
The one-year planning grant funds a project titled “Energy Infrastructure Resilience: Addressing Disaster Impacts on Interdependence in Oklahoma.”
This project will study how a disaster such as a wildfire, ice storm or tornado can knock out power and cause a chain reaction that disrupts other services such as water, phone connections, internet and transportation.
“Energy systems are foundational to other sectors, such as water supply, telecommunications, and transportation, making them particularly vulnerable to disruptions,” Chen said. “Failures in the energy grid caused by wind, wildfire and freezing events can trigger cascading impacts on community safety and resilience.”
Chen has four goals he wants to accomplish with this research:
- Discover which critical infrastructures are in Oklahoma.
- Measure how strong and recoverable these systems are.
- Identify how to protect those infrastructure.
- Work with state agencies to develop better recovery and protection plans.
To accomplish this, Chen will use computer models to simulate disasters and analyze how damage spreads through connected infrastructure. He will also create a resilience index that will rate facilities (such as power stations or pipelines) that are most crucial to keep running after a disaster strikes.
Chen will also speak to energy agencies to understand any barriers. He will then share results and make recommendations for improving system management during a disaster.
One challenge of this research is examining interdependence between agencies during a disaster. Crucial infrastructure systems rely on one another, and Chen will study how these systems can be retrofitted to reduce a cascading impact of a disaster that results in these systems failing.
“This project aims to fill the urgent need for resilience and mitigation strategies for both urban and rural areas and help ease infrastructure resilience and recovery efficiency,” Chen said.
This research is an example of the wide-ranging impacts CEAT makes on our state, region and the country. By focusing on how communities, especially rural ones, can be better prepared in the face of an unexpected disaster, FCEM research contributes to long-term safety and recovery planning.