Authorities rushed to get food, water and other supplies to flood-ravaged communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene, according to the Associated Press. The death toll from the dangerous hurricane has risen to 100 but is expected to increase even more as rescuers reach isolated regions.
Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 Hurricane with 140 mph winds. The deadly storm weakened as it moved through Georgia and the Carolinas but many people are still trapped by floodwaters and more than 2 million people are without power.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available for interviews on all aspects of this developing story. To speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Disaster Management & Response
Joseph Barbera, associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering, is a board-certified emergency physician with a 35-year history in developing emergency response systems and responding to local, national, and international emergencies and disasters. He has extensive experience participating in the management of response to earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, such as Katrina in 2005. Through the GW Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, he studies disaster response and recovery, risk management, and business continuity.
Ramin Asgary is a professor of Global Health and Director of Humanitarian Health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. His expertise focuses on refugee health and humanitarian assistance. He can discuss the humanitarian crisis, flooding, injuries and health problems in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene
James P. Phillips is an associate professor of Emergency Medicine and Chief of Disaster and Operational Medicine at GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences. He can discuss treating mass casualties in disaster areas.
Hurricane Death Toll
Elizabeth Andrade, an assistant professor of prevention and community health at the George Washington University, was part of a team of GW researchers who conducted the most comprehensive study of Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico.
Power outages related to hurricanes can be particularly deadly for older adults who require medical equipment and people who are managing a chronic condition like kidney disease, she says. Andrade and other members of the GW team can talk about the rising death toll from Hurricane Helene.
Hurricanes and Climate Change
Lisa Benton-Short, a professor of geography, is an expert on urban sustainability, environmental issues in cities, and cities and immigration. Benton-Short can discuss the impact of climate change in amplifying natural disasters and the underlying forces at play that amplify the impacts of natural disasters. She can also speak to the steps that can be taken to help make cities and communities more resilient in the face of natural disasters, like hurricanes.
Susan Anenberg is director of the GW Climate & Health Institute and associate professor of environmental and occupational health. Her research focuses on the health implications of air pollution and climate change. Recently her team published two studies finding links between health problems like asthma and exposure to polluted air. She can discuss the impacts climate change has on extreme weather events and changing weather patterns.
Gaige Kerr is a senior research scientist and professorial lecturer in the department of environmental and occupational health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. He researches ambient air pollution, and projects he has led span topics ranging from understanding the emission sources of pollution to assessing the health impacts experienced by populations, with a special emphasis on understanding associated ethnoracial and socioeconomic disparities. He can discuss weather disasters and the link to climate change.
Housing, Insurance & Natural Disasters
Stephen O’Connor is a research professor of real estate at the GW School of Business and the chair of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at GW. O’Connor has 30 plus years of professional real estate experience with a background in planning and public policy. O’Connor can discuss how climate change is impacting the insurance industry, how communities are adapting to disaster-prone areas (i.e., some towns are trying to change their zoning to encourage development in less-prone areas), and how other places are implementing buy-back strategies.
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