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RESEARCH, POLICY and PRACTICE

ENHANCE system readiness for disasters; EDUCATE and train the workforce to build resilience from catastrophic events; FOSTER community preparedness and engagement; UNDERSTAND population vulnerability; and ANALYZE strategies to improve disaster recovery.

In Focus

Catastrophe with Hurricane Milton

Disaster funding, misinformation, and recovery.

PBS Interview with Jeff Schlegelmilch

Hurricane Helene’s destruction spotlights gaps in homeowners’ insurance.

Weather Index Insurance

Climate variability on the implications of decadal variation in Senegal.

What We Do

Training + Education

Since NCDP’s founding in 2003, NCDP has provided education and training to the workforce for more than 100,000 learners through web-based, instructor-led, virtual, and hybrid training.

Research

NCDP conducts impact-oriented multi-disciplinary research to inform the readiness of governmental and non-governmental systems, articulate the complexities of post-disaster recovery, demonstrate the power of community engagement, and quantify the risks of human vulnerability.

Practice + Policy

The practice of emergency preparedness and response requires planning and skills in many kinds of emergency preparedness capabilities and skills. At NCDP, we are focused on the analysis and understanding of the beliefs, guiding principles, and broad courses of action and policies to achieve better outcomes following disasters.

Preparedness Tools

NCDP has developed tools and resources to help aid planners, policymakers, individuals and families, and public/private institutions prepare for and respond to disasters to make our communities more resilient.

NCDP Perspectives

Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, what policies have changed?

A look at some key legislation since Hurricane Katrina. By Zayna Syed  Streets that looked like canals, the Superdome surrounded by water, scores of displaced people on highway overpasses—these are some of the historic images that emerged from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. As we approach the hurricane’s 19th anniversary, it is worth looking at how …
A look at some key legislation since Hurricane Katrina. By...

Training Solutions: Enhancing Tribal Nations’ Readiness and Resilience

U.S. Tribal Nations have historically been disproportionately affected by disasters but without access to vital resources before, during, and after calamitous events. The risks to Tribal Nations only increase in the face of climate change, which will further exacerbate inequities and pose new challenges for Tribal communities. The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) of …
U.S. Tribal Nations have historically been disproportionately affected by disasters...

NCDP 20th Anniversary Reflections and Impacts

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax exposures, centers throughout the United States were set up to prepare for and make our nation more resilient. In 2003, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia University, was founded to provide an academically based, interdisciplinary center focused on the capacity to prevent, respond to, and …
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax exposures, centers...