From earthquakes and tsunamis to hurricanes and oil spills, each year disasters and hazards claim lives and property, cripple economies, and leave communities around the world vulnerable long after the crisis occurs. Innovative national and international research strategies and improved practice are needed to address the increasingly complex problem of disaster planning, response and recovery. UNT’s research cluster, Hazards and Disaster Research to Respond to Global Crises, galvanizes emergency management expertise from across campus, with strong suits in emergency administration, disaster planning, information technology, logistics, and disaster sociology; individuals practicing at the forefront of these and related fields join strategies and resources as a consortium to improve on-the-ground planning and response in four broad research areas: evacuation planning, risk modeling and service delivery, humanitarian logistics, and tourism and disaster. Critical factors assessed include evacuation costs, planning tools and demographic models, distribution of aid and the logistics network of resources, post-impact damages and the effects of disaster on industries and the economy. There are relatively few disaster research centers in the United States and around the world. The UNT cluster seeks to expand its research base by actively building leadership in strategic areas such as risk analysis, economics and hazards geography. The addition of complementary expertise will leverage the cluster to effectively shape policy and meet the needs of individuals and communities as a national and international center of excellence.