Hurricane Michael hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in October of 2018 as a category five hurricane. The storm leveled communities to the West of Tallahassee, damaging homes, displacing residents, crippling some industries, and leaving piles of debris behind. In its wake, I set off to study how civil society – nonprofits, religious organizations, and less organized…
Category: Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Hurricane Michael recovery efforts point to the power of local generosity after overlooked disasters
Throughout my research in a string of beach towns and rural inland communities along a stretch west and south of Tallahassee known as the Forgotten Coast, I directly observed nonprofits relying upon donated funds, supplies and labor to meet housing and other needs not being met by flood insurance or government funding.
Emergency Management and Homeland Security Monitor Lava Flows in Hawaii
EMHS Director David Merrick and Program Coordinator Laura Hart recently returned from Kilauea Volcano Lower East Rift Zone in Hawaii County, Hawaii. Through NSF funding and in partnership with Texas A&M University and private citizens, they were part of a five-person volunteer team from the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) to supplement existing…
A Core COSSPP Value: Evidence-Based Decision Making
Disciplines in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy promote critical thinking, analytical methods, and empirical skills as the path to understanding the key political, social, and economic issues that dominate our public discussions.
A Core COSSPP Value: Diversity
This brings me around to describing the two major thrusts of what I consider the college’s commitment to Diversity – People and Ideas. A college with a diverse population that holds a shared worldview is a failure. Similarly, a college with a diversity of ideas, but little demographic diversity is also a failure. Society is complex, messy, and contested; a lack of diversity of people or ideas will leave our students unprepared for the real world.
Undergrad Experience: Attending the National Emergency Management Association Annual Forum
This experience was more than I could ever have hoped for. I was able to expand my professional network and learn more about the field of emergency management, as well as current issues they are facing today.
Meet Bridget Joyner: Recent Emergency Management and Homeland Security Graduate
When Hurricane Maria became a threat to Puerto Rico, Bridget’s deployment was extended and she became the Deputy Air Operations Director for the largest Air Operations section in U.S. history – ten months after graduation. She coordinated Federal, State, and local resources for six weeks after Maria, including over 120 aircraft.
Learn More about the International Association of Emergency Managers Student Chapter at FSU!
Students got a first-hand look at disaster response in a real-world event. This was not only a great experience for us, but it also allowed professionals to meet students from FSU, and see that FSU students were able to get the job done in a high-stress environment.
FSU Students in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program Lend a Hand During Hurricanes Harvey and Irma
The small drones, or unmanned aerial systems team, had only just returned from Texas where they were mapping Houston after Hurricane Harvey.
