Beyond Bouncing Back: What Disasters Teach Us About Resilience | Dr. Prerna Singh | TEDxJGIS Youth

Disasters expose how people, institutions and communities respond when familiar systems break down. In this TEDxJGIS Youth talk, Dr. Prerna Singh, an infrastructure resilience and climate adaptation specialist, questions the idea that resilience means returning to how things were before. She argues that meaningful recovery depends on preparedness, adaptability, collaboration and the willingness to build better pathways forward. Dr. Singh's background includes civil engineering study at Georgia Institute of Technology and IIT Gandhinagar, and work connected with UNDP, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and the Adaptation Research Alliance Infrastructure. The talk was given at an independently organized TEDx event.

• Resilience as more than returning to the previous state
• Preparedness, adaptability and collaboration in recovery
• Locally led adaptation and systems thinking
• Translating research into practical approaches for communities

Disasters test more than infrastructure—they reveal how people, institutions and communities respond when familiar systems collapse. Drawing from her experience in disaster resilience, Dr. Prerna Singh challenges the idea that resilience simply means returning to the way things were. She explains why meaningful recovery requires preparedness, adaptability, collaboration and the courage to build better pathways for the future. Dr. Prerna Singh is an infrastructure resilience and climate adaptation specialist whose work bridges research, policy and real-world implementation. With an academic background in Civil Engineering, including a PhD and MS from Georgia Institute of Technology and a BTech from IIT Gandhinagar, she has worked across academia, international development and resilience-focused organisations. Her professional journey includes work connected with UNDP, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and the Adaptation Research Alliance Infrastructure, along with leadership in climate-adaptation learning and research. Her expertise centres on strengthening infrastructure and communities against climate and disaster risks, locally led adaptation, systems thinking and long-term resilience. She is passionate about translating rigorous research into practical approaches that enable communities and institutions to navigate uncertainty and build more resilient futures. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx