Recent disasters this summer including the devastating condominium collapse in north Miami, the Haiti Earthquake, deadly floods in central Tennessee and Hurricane Ida’s impact in the Gulf Coast and Northeast have demonstrated the crucial role of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we discuss the origins of Miami-Dade’s USAR program and how it led to the national program we have today ..read more

Topics Covered Stephanie Abrams grew up in Florida and the first time she considered a career in meteorology was after witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew’s impact to south Miami Dade County in 1992. Some of the most memorable storms she has covered in the past include Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Michael in 2018, and Hurricane Laura during the historic 2020 hurricane season. Another memorable event Stephanie covered for the Weather Channel was the 2017 Solar Eclipse in the U.S., her love of the sciences as a kid from participating in NASA’s science camp, and by chasing an ec ..read more

The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University has been releasing a seasonal hurricane forecast every year since 1984 under Dr. William Gray. Dr. Phil Klotzbach currently leads the research program and is well known among the emergency management community for his annual forecasts. Dr. Klotzbach will share the latest update for the 2021 season and indications on how the forecast might be changing on the eve of an updated forecast, which will be released by Colorado State on June 3, 2021 ..read more

A California campaign is helping to engage the most vulnerable in that state as they promote five steps for safety and survival from disasters. In this episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable, we hear from Justin Knighten, the previous co-chair of the Listos California Preparedness Campaign, about how it is reaching targeted audiences to support personal preparedness. Topics Covered: Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) announced that the state’s emergency preparedness campaign (launched in August 2019) has surpassed its goal of engaging at least one mil ..read more

The state of California continues recovery efforts from a historic wildfire season which included some of the largest fires (in acreage burned) in state —second only to the COVID-19 pandemic for worst disasters of the year. By the end of December, over 9,000 fires burned nearly 4.4 million acres, or about 4% of the state’s approximate 100 million acres of land. The August Complex Fire has been classified as the first “gigafire”- burning over 1 million acres across seven counties. It was one of several large-scale fires and ranked as the Top 5 of the 6 largest fires in California’s recorded wil ..read more

As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.  In today’s episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable Podcast, Tidal Basin CEO Daniel Craig says the biggest challenge for states will be managing the vaccine program.   Topics Covered: The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to consider approving the first COVID-19 vaccine use in the U.S. The committee will consi ..read more

As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.  In today’s episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable Podcast, Tidal Basin CEO Daniel Craig says the biggest challenge for states will be managing the vaccine program.   Topics Covered: The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to consider approving the first COVID-19 vaccine use in the U.S. The committee will consi ..read more

As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.  In today’s episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable Podcast, Tidal Basin CEO Daniel Craig says the biggest challenge for states will be managing the vaccine program.   Topics Covered: The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to consider approving the first COVID-19 vaccine use in the U.S. The committee will consi ..read more

As the first vaccines start rolling out, each state will be required to manage the vaccine distribution process to ensure targeted populations, health care workers, nursing home patients, etc. are able to receive the initial doses.  In today’s episode of Disaster Recovery Roundtable Podcast, Tidal Basin CEO Daniel Craig says the biggest challenge for states will be managing the vaccine program.   Topics Covered: The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to consider approving the first COVID-19 vaccine use in the U.S. The committee will consi ..read more

The United Way has a dedicated Disaster Services division to support local chapters and the communities they serve in preparing and recovering from disasters. This support includes preparing the chapters and their staff to be prepared for events in their community, in addition to positioning their resources to support the recovery of the entire community from events. We’ll hear from the Director of Disaster Services, Tinika Fails, on how her division is supporting the 1,100 chapters in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Key Takeaways The United Way Worldwide operation supports communities an ..read more