ProfNet Experts Available on Hurricane Preparedness and Response
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EXPERT ROUNDUP: Hurricane Preparedness and Response
Animal Safety
Dr.
Director of Disaster Response
In his role, Dr. Green is responsible for leading the efforts of the ASPCA field team during natural and man-made disasters, as well as large and small animal rescue operations. He also oversees the ASPCA's internal disaster readiness program and develops partnerships with national and local agencies to enhance the organization's disaster response capabilities. Most recently, Dr. Green guided the ASPCA's response to Hurricane Isaac in
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Building/Infrastructure
Assistant Professor of Construction Engineering Technology
Liang investigated building damages caused by Hurricane Katrina using satellite images and aerial photos, along with ground survey results. He has studied how the construction of buildings affects their vulnerability against severe windstorms with various probability models. Recently, his research is focused on the advancement of remote sensing technology in documenting and assessing wind damages to residential structures.
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Professor of Civil Engineering,
Executive Director,
Kiesling recommends that homeowners who live above the flood plane in hurricane-prone areas buy a storm shelter for their home. As was seen in
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Research Associate in Civil Engineering
Tanner completed a six-month investigation working with the
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Second Vice President, Executive Committee
"There are preparedness steps consumers need to take to secure their property before a storm hits, as well as to recover the property when the storm does hit. Prior to hurricane season, consumers should locate an IICRC-certified restorer to ensure they are using a vendor that adheres to the highest industry standards. IICRC certification is especially important post-hurricane, as this is a common time for companies to try and scam affected customers."
Duncanson, a master water restorer, master fire and smoke restorer, master textile cleaner and commercial drying specialist, first joined the IICRC board of directors in 2009. During his "day job," he is a director of training and technical support for ServiceMaster Clean. He has been in his current position for 10 years, a franchisee for 10 years, and at ServiceMaster Clean Corporate for 15 years. He is also vice president of Operations for
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Brian Trimble, P.E., LEED AP
Regional VP, Engineering Services and Architectural Outreach
Trimble has over 25 years of experience in the masonry industry, assisting design professionals in the design of brick and masonry structures. He is a frequent lecturer to local, regional, and national construction industry groups, and has authored many articles and papers on various masonry subjects. He has worked at BIA for over 19 years, serving in various positions. Besides his long tenure at the BIA, Trimble has worked for a brick manufacturer and the
Website: http://www.gobrick.com
Twitter: @bricktrimble
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Certified Microbial Investigator and Principal
"If you don't know the proper action to take before and after a hurricane, the true devastation may not be seen until months later, as we are finding with Sandy. Mold infestation occurred in many homes and businesses as a result of the hurricane, and mold that was not properly remediated the first time is back with a vengeance, even six months later. This is true in 80 percent of all affected homes. Even if homeowners were quick to clean up floodwater, dry out basements, and power wash and bleach their walls, they may not have realized that they needed to get behind their walls. Mold is growing behind their wallboards, ceilings, and other hidden places. In addition to mold endangering health, you may run into issues if you try to sell your home or with subsequent insurance claims. For example, if you can't prove that the mold was properly remediated after Hurricane Sandy with documentation of testing and another big storm hits, your insurance company may blame the mold on Sandy and say that you were already paid out on that claim. But mold is not the only issue for homeowners and businesses after a hurricane. As we have seen from Hurricane Sandy, contaminated soil and water are widespread. A toxic soup was created during the storm, with everything from gasoline to raw sewage to bacteria, and this now rests in our yards and playgrounds. Improper renovations are also spreading toxic lead dust, asbestos, and more."
Weitz is an environmental inspector and principal of
Website: http://www.rtkenvironmental.com
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Business
Senior Director of Workplace Recovery
Regus
Perrin shares five tips for businesses on what to do before (and after) a hurricane: 1) Conduct a business impact assessment: Consider each part of your business for the safety of personnel, documents and facilities. A detailed analysis will give you a starting point to knowing how to plan for an event that impacts your business. 2) Develop a formal plan in writing: With those areas defined, begin to craft a formal plan for how to protect and preserve them. Flexibility and creativity will come in handy here. Practice and test the plan as much as possible, annually at a minimum. 3) Identify recovery team: More than just one person needs to know the plan, each key person should know what and where they should report when emergencies happen. If your "recovery team" knows the plan, the more likely it will be carried out successfully in the event of an actual disaster. 4) Have multiple places to recover: Identify other places from which you could conceivably conduct your business in case your office was damaged. The most effective plan will have pre-arranged, static, dynamic and "work at home" recovery locations identified. 5) Data in the cloud: Documents and even computers and servers can be gone in an instant if your office is directly hit by a hurricane or severe storm. Cloud storage is a smart option for making sure you still have access to everything you need. This way, you can quickly recover the business from any location.
Regus is a global leader in flexible workspace and disaster recovery. Perrin is available for media interviews.
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Managing Director
"Natural disasters are occurring with greater frequency and severity. Many businesses suffered significant financial losses after Sandy impacted the most populous region in
Schweers leads the Insurance Claim Services practice at
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Operations Manager
Murphy serves as
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Vice President for Government Services
Witt O'Brien's,
Sachs can discuss: what state and local governments can do to help communities prepare for hurricane season; the importance of adequate preparation for residents and businesses in hurricane prone areas; the fact that 75 percent of companies without business continuity plans fail within three years of a natural disaster; the significance of the fact that the 2013 hurricane season predictions call for a 61 percent chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S.; and best practices for businesses to prepare for, manage and recover from hurricanes so as to mitigate long-term effects.
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CEO
"Organizations around the world lose an estimated five percent of their annual revenues to fraud, according to a survey of fraud experts conducted by the
Schrank most recently was president and CEO of HireRight, a Software as a Service (SaaS) company. Prior to that, he spent more than 25 years in leadership roles in a variety of technology-based businesses, including 15 years at IBM, where he served as a business unit executive with P&L responsibility. He also served as vice president of sales at i2 Technologies, a company providing supply chain management solutions including offerings in enterprise software, SaaS, and outsourced services. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from the
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Dmitri Joukovski
SVP, Product Management
Even with the uptick in natural disasters over the last few years, nearly 50 percent of 600 U.S. companies surveyed by
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Consumer Issues/Fraud
Director, Public Affairs
"
Expert Contact: [email protected]
CEO and Founder
Assets In Order
"Many people prepare for hurricane season by protecting their home, preparing an evacuation plan and stocking up on necessities, but often people forget to safeguard their most valued assets, such as important documents and digital files. It's important to save digital copies of your assets, including personal identification documents, financial records, insurance documentation, vehicle records and precious family memorabilia, to name a few. Don't just back up these files up on your computer or a flash drive. You should protect them through a secure online service, such as Legacy Lockbox, so that you can access your important files from any computer in case of an emergency. In addition, if something were to happen to you, your loved ones can gain access to the information they need, based on your lockbox instructions."
An expert on protecting and preserving digital assets, Harris is available to discuss what important documents should be protected and benefits of storing these digital assets in a Legacy Lockbox, a secure online service protected by 256-bit encryption.
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Economic Impact
Professor of Operations Management,
Ewing has studied the economic impact of hurricanes and tornadoes for more than 12 years. He can speak to the impact of hurricanes and tornadoes in cities like
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General Preparedness
Disaster Preparedness Expert
A generator and storm preparedness expert, Aiello began his career with
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Mistick is an expert in emergency preparedness, disaster response, and restoration. He has more than 35 years of experience in these related fields, and has recently co-authored a recent publication by the
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Health
Director of Psychology Training and the CBT Training Program
"After experiencing a natural disaster such as a hurricane, while not the only psychological disorder possible, Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), which is a precursor to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is quite common. ASD is characterized by four groups of symptoms: 1) dissociative symptoms (e.g., feeling detached from others, feeling like things are dreamlike or not quite real, or forgetting aspects of what happened) during natural disaster, followed promptly by: 2) re-experiencing symptoms (having intrusive thoughts, images, flashbacks, or nightmares about it), 3) avoidance of reminders of it (e.g., not talking about it, not watching the news), and 4) feeling more anxious (e.g., more easily startled or on edge, difficulty with sleep, more irritable). These symptoms can occur anywhere from two days to four weeks after a hurricane. It should be noted, however, that not everyone will experience ASD, and many people who initially show symptoms of ASD recover naturally as the days and weeks go by after the event. If you know a person who is struggling with the symptoms or altering his or life because of them, you should consider referring them to a mental health professional who is trained to assess and treat trauma."
Dr. Rego is an expert in the assessment and treatment of anxiety and stress disorders using evidence-based psychological treatments. He uses a simple, non-sensationalized approach that is informed by the latest research in all of his work with the media and is available for interviews.
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CEO and Founder
Caring Senior Service
"In my experience, I have seen many instances where the elderly were severely impacted by natural disasters such as hurricanes. While these unfortunate events often cannot be avoided, we can minimize devastation through advanced preparation and planning."
Caring Senior Service is a national in-home care franchise that specializes in caring for aging seniors. Salter has worked in the homecare industry for over 21 years and has extensive experience in disaster preparedness and managing emergency situations for the elderly. He is available to discuss the risk hurricanes pose to the senior community and offer tips on how to best prepare for the season.
Website: http://www.caringseniorservice.com
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Lawrence Blonde, MD, FACP, FACE Insurance Meteorology/Ecology Technology Dr. Dr. Travel PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit a request for experts: http://bit.ly/findexperts To search the ProfNet Connect experts database: http://www.profnetconnect.com To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on Expert Alerts: [email protected] SOURCE ProfNet
Endocrinologist, Fellow
"Whether someone with diabetes is displaced by severe weather, or simply caught outside the home without access to supplies due to car trouble, having a kit prepared with essentials may make a difference in a person's ability to manage their health -- even if it's just waiting for a tow truck. Our goal is to encourage people with diabetes to take steps in advance of an emergency to protect their health. It only takes a few minutes to prepare an emergency kit."
ACE and Lilly Diabetes offer the EmPower "My Diabetes Emergency Plan," a comprehensive resource to help people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, prepare in advance of emergency situations. In addition to Blonde, other AACE-member physicians are available. Please contact AACE to connect with an expert.
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Dr. Rondello serves as the chairman of the
Dr. Rondello's scholarly research focuses on the application of disaster epidemiology to epidemic and pandemic planning and response, and the establishment and management of alternate medical treatment sites and points of distribution. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and textbook chapters, most recently, "Staying Alert as the Key to Emergency and Disaster Management" in Community Health Nursing: An
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Coordinator,
Program Manager, Emergency Management Graduate Programs
McPherson is currently the coordinator of the
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CEO
Earth-Kind
One unexpected but troubling side effect following a hurricane is how rodents find their way into homes, automobiles, and other property, looking for shelter and food. Block is an expert in rodent repellent and can speak to the importance of preventative pest control during hurricane season.
Block began her career as a
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Senior Research Meteorologist
Bove is a senior research meteorologist in the catastrophe risk management department of
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Head,
Lanier Law Firm in
"Recent storms provide a stark reminder that the severe storm season is upon us, and home and business owners should be prepared. Now is the time to make sure insurance policies are up to date, and to document the condition of homes, offices and belongings. Too often, we see insurance companies that deny, delay or vastly underpay legitimate claims, often citing 'pre-existing' conditions. Take photos and videos of structures and personal property as proof of ownership and existing conditions. But remember, those pictures do no good if they too are lost in a storm, so be sure to store them online or at a friend's or relative's house."
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Insurance Attorney
Fanning
"For those living in high-risk areas, hurricane season can be tense, but insurance concerns shouldn't add to the stress. Because many insurance companies offer limited coverage in order to be more competitive, it is imperative that consumers fully understand what their policy actually covers. There is very little that is 'standard' about a standard policy anymore. Deductible amounts, in particular, should be a primary concern. Insurance companies have started to 'guide' policy holders toward higher deductibles, forcing you to bare the risk for smaller claims and the initial hit on the bigger claims. Where 10 years ago a
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Managing Principal
Tobin is a property insurance expert with more than 25 years of experience on both the broker and carrier side of the business. He specializes in large multinational clients, providing risk and insurance solutions to help clients mitigate property risk. He is available to discuss the impact hurricanes have upon businesses, and can provide insight on: lessons business leaders learned from Sandy; pricing for insurance coverage; practices for pre-hurricane planning; tips for keeping business operational following a hurricane.
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Professor of Atmospheric Sciences,
Director,
Schroeder visited affected areas after both hurricanes Rita and
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Assistant Professor of Geography and Biology
Kulakowski's research focuses on disturbance ecology, landscape change, and dynamics of mountain forest ecosystem; effects of climate on mountain forest ecosystems; interactions among disturbances in forest ecosystems.
Bio: http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/facultybio.cfm?id=671
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Associate Professor of Geography,
Rogan is a geographer specializing in landscape ecology, fire ecology, optical remote sensing and GIScience. Recent research projects have involved monitoring land cover change in
Bio: http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/facultybio.cfm?id=460
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Assistant Professor of Geography,
Williams is an expert in historic extreme droughts. Trained as a land surface hydrologist and ecosystem scientist, he investigates how earth's biosphere responds to natural and human perturbations. His approach combines field, lab, and remote sensing data with process-based modeling aimed at understanding how terrestrial biophysical and biogeochemical processes are influenced by hydroclimatic variability and disturbance. His research spans leaf to global scales, with regional focus on
Bio: http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/facultybio.cfm?id=715
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Assistant Professor of Geography
Gardner studies the Earth's cryosphere (frozen Earth) with a particular focus on glaciers and their impacts on sea level rise and water resources. He is interested in how glaciers and ice sheets respond to natural and human-induced forcings, as well as how changes in the reflectivity of snow and ice modify the Earth's climate. To answer such questions he integrates remote sensing observations and Earth system modeling. Using this approach, Gardner recently showed that glaciers in the Canadian Arctic have become the largest contributor to sea level rise outside of the ice sheets of
Bio: http://tinyurl.com/c7q2huy
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Founder, Chief Science OfficerEarth
Risk Technologies
Bennett is a pioneer of a new field of atmospheric research that utilizes past weather patterns (60 years of data) to determine the risk of future weather events up to 40 days before it occurs. These same models are now being applied to reduce hurricane forecasting errors and helping gauge where exactly the eye will make landfall. Currently, the
Website: http://www.earthrisktech.com
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Chief Strategy and Technology Officer
Campbell has been a member of the
Website: http://www.unitrends.com
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Computer Science Professor
Dr. Fox is working on computing for disasters, bringing researchers and practitioners together to devise improved methods for disaster response. In the last year, he has been examining the opportunities for search and analysis in disaster recovery, along with issues such as the sources of big data and the ways the general population can both provide and consume data before, during and after a disaster. He stumbled upon LucidWorks, which brings the critical search component, equipping companies to mine big data. Dr. Fox and a LucidWorks executive can speak to the following topics: where disaster computing looks for data and what kinds of data it incorporates; how technology can be tailored to varied response teams and their needed capabilities; how disaster recovery agencies use data from previous emergencies to improve their response times; how big data platforms are being used for training security and first-responder personnel.
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Director of Business Development/HurricaneWatch Coordinator
"The past six-month period has historically produced some of the most devastating weather known to the Eastern seaboard, causing an average of roughly
Reed joined Datawatch Systems in 2003 and is responsible for facilitating development of software and hardware applications. Prior to joining Datawatch, he served as a senior project manager for Fannie Mae, responsible for system and software upgrades. Previously, he was a senior systems manager with
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Disaster Recovery Expert, Vice President of Operations
RingCentral
"Companies that do not have a plan in place will be left on the sidelines when disaster strikes. The first step is ensuring you can communicate with each other within the company. Moving operations such as phone service to the cloud will enable employees to conduct business as usual from any device or location, which is vital in situations where you can't physically go to the office."
As the disaster recovery expert and VP of operations at RingCentral, a leading cloud business communications provider, Peterson shares his experience and advice on best practices for businesses creating and executing a disaster recovery plan. A former small-business owner and professional with 20 years of experience managing information technology, data and cloud business communications networks, Peterson has brought his expert insight to top media properties such as CNN, First Business Network, FOX Business and
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Vice President
Travel Guard
Mueller is available for comment on how travel insurance can be of assistance to those traveling during hurricane season.
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