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 … Continue reading “Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, what policies have changed?” Learn More
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 … Continue reading “NCDP 20th Anniversary Reflections and Impacts” Learn More
The Beginnings of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) 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 … Continue reading “The Beginnings of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP)” Learn More
Federal Disaster Funding at Play in Fiscal Year 2024 and Government Shutdown Negotiations The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is running dangerously low as the busiest time of the disaster season arrives and lawmakers debate spending levels for the coming year. Members of Congress are negotiating a budget deal to fund the federal government for FY 2024, as well as a Continuing Resolution (CR) as a stopgap measure for … Continue reading “Federal Disaster Funding at Play in Fiscal Year 2024 and Government Shutdown Negotiations” Learn More
Using Budget Principles to Prepare for Future Pandemics and Other Disasters Testimony to the House of Representatives Committee on Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process for the Hearing: Using Budget Principles to Prepare for Future Pandemics and Other Disasters Testimony Submitted January 16, 2022 By: Jeff Schlegelmilch, MPH, MBA Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee today. In my role leading the … Continue reading “Using Budget Principles to Prepare for Future Pandemics and Other Disasters” Learn More
Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11: Where we have been and where we are headed in disaster management On each anniversary of the tragedy which struck humanity on 9/11/01, we take a moment to reflect on those lives that were lost, families forever changed, and the strength, heroism, and resilience seen in America. It is also a time for us, particularly in the disaster preparedness community, to reflect on what has changed since … Continue reading “Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11: Where we have been and where we are headed in disaster management” Learn More
Hazardous Conditions: Mitigation Planning and Pandemics The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of coordinated responses among emergency management and other stakeholders to implement an effective strategy for handling a long and complex disaster. Due to a number of factors, pandemics are more likely to occur in the future. Thus, identifying and planning for the risks of potential disasters, such as … Continue reading “Hazardous Conditions: Mitigation Planning and Pandemics” Learn More
Emergency management is having a #MeToo moment This post was originally published on September 6, 2018, in The Hill. As the one-year anniversary of the 2017 hurricanes is upon us, there is a pattern of checking in on the recovery and deep reflection on how we respond to disasters at all levels. But what is rarely asked is how well we are … Continue reading “Emergency management is having a #MeToo moment” Learn More
The 2018 Hurricane Season Is Here. We Can’t Just Rely on the Federal Government to Help Us Prepare. This post was originally published on May 30, 2018, in Fortune. The 2018 hurricane season is upon us, and it looks like we are in for a very bad year. This is right on the heels of 2017, which was the most expensive hurricane season on record, requiring multiple emergency supplemental appropriations from Congress. In the future, … Continue reading “The 2018 Hurricane Season Is Here. We Can’t Just Rely on the Federal Government to Help Us Prepare.” Learn More
Closing Homeland Security laboratories to build a wall puts lives in danger This post was originally published on December 13, 2017 in The Hill. Recent acts of terrorism at home and abroad remind us that our first responders are on the front lines, and that our national policies and programs should continue to support them. Unfortunately, the administration’s proposed budget threatens to undermine programs that our responders rely … Continue reading “Closing Homeland Security laboratories to build a wall puts lives in danger” Learn More
How to be ready in an age of low-tech terror: How New Yorkers should equip themselves, beyond 'see something, say something' This post was originally published on December 12, 2017 in The Hill. Monday’s explosion in the underground corridor at 42nd St., much like the horrific attack in downtown Manhattan in October, reminds us that New York City is always in the crosshairs of terrorists. And as we have seen, terrorist organizations are constantly evolving their tactics. … Continue reading “How to be ready in an age of low-tech terror: How New Yorkers should equip themselves, beyond ‘see something, say something’” Learn More
The Biggest Test Trump Faces With Hurricane Harvey This post was originally published on August 28, 2017 in Fortune. All presidents face disasters at some point in their tenure, and how they lead the nation through the response and recovery has a direct impact on the lives of those affected by the event. Hurricane Harvey is the first major natural disaster to test the … Continue reading “The Biggest Test Trump Faces With Hurricane Harvey” Learn More
We’re not prepared for the next public health emergency This post was originally published on August 21, 2017 in The Hill. From Ebola to Zika to the opioid epidemic, health departments and the healthcare system, now more than ever, must be able to work 24/7 to detect, prevent and contain multiple crises — often at the same time. Unfortunately, because of a consistent lack of … Continue reading “We’re not prepared for the next public health emergency” Learn More
Congress, learn from Zika and Ebola — Update US emergency fund This post was originally published on June 6, 2017 in The Hill. The public health community has been closely watching proposals for a badly needed public health emergency response fund. Such a fund would jump-start the response efforts in the event of a public health disaster and avoid the political wrangling and partisan gridlock that delayed … Continue reading “Congress, learn from Zika and Ebola — Update US emergency fund” Learn More
Remarks by Jeff Schlegelmilch to the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense Meeting to Discuss Budget Reform The following are the prepared remarks of Jeff Schlegelmilch, Deputy Director of the National Center for disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, for the May 1 Public Meeting of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense to Discuss Budget Reform. I would like to thank the panel for the invitation to speak today, as … Continue reading “Remarks by Jeff Schlegelmilch to the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense Meeting to Discuss Budget Reform” Learn More
Congress needs to act now to prevent another biodisaster like anthrax, Zika This post was originally published on January 30, 2017 in The Hill. In December, the president signed into law the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Each year, the NDAA authorizes activities at the Department of Defense and for other national defense programs. Tucked among the nearly 1,000 pages of this year’s bill is a critical … Continue reading “Congress needs to act now to prevent another biodisaster like anthrax, Zika” Learn More
4 ways Congress can hit the reset button on disaster preparedness This post was originally published on December 17, 2016 in The Hill. Recently, Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through April of next year. The final bill also included $170 million to address some of the infrastructure issues causing the lead exposure in drinking water in Flint, Mich. In addition, disaster-affected areas … Continue reading “4 ways Congress can hit the reset button on disaster preparedness” Learn More
On the 15th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks Today marks 15 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks that forever changed our nation. In some ways these events awakened us to threats of terrorism that we had previously failed to understand in their totality. In other ways, it permanently changed the way we calculate and respond to threats. It led to the largest … Continue reading “On the 15th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks” Learn More
Domestic terror and the race for the White House This post was originally published on June 20, 2016 in The Hill – Contributors. Over the past year we have seen acts of terror perpetrated by individuals in Orlando and San Bernardino inspired by ISIS. We have also seen more coordinated teams of attackers in Brussels, Paris and elsewhere. These attacks strike to the heart … Continue reading “Domestic terror and the race for the White House” Learn More
National investment, leadership needed for school preparedness This post was originally published on April 29, 2016 in The Hill Congress blog. Recently the GAO released a report examining the state of emergency preparedness in k-12 schools. The conclusions in this report are alarming, as it uncovers a lack of strategic coordination among federal agencies for preparing schools for emergencies. It also finds a lack … Continue reading “National investment, leadership needed for school preparedness” Learn More
Zika virus: Why emergency funding is necessary, and why it shouldn’t be This post was originally published on February 23, 2016 in The Hill Congress blog. Earlier this month the president outlined a request for $1.8 billion to prepare for and respond to the emergence of Zika virus at home and abroad. This request includes funding for vaccine development, targeted efforts to control the mosquito populations, the … Continue reading “Zika virus: Why emergency funding is necessary, and why it shouldn’t be” Learn More
The Paris Attacks: Implications and Timelines for Preparedness in the US As the horrific events in Paris continue to be pieced together, with investigations and raids on terrorist cells ongoing, there is an entirely understandable desire to take action domestically. Action that will undo the harm that has been caused, bring the perpetrators to justice, and prevent this from happening in the United States. This desire … Continue reading “The Paris Attacks: Implications and Timelines for Preparedness in the US” Learn More
Ebola One Year Later: How the Private Sector Mobilized to Help Stop an International Crisis and Why it Matters The Ebola crisis in West Africa is believed to have started with an outbreak in Guinea in March of 2014. However, it was not until the summer that it started to gain global attention and in the fall when cases began being imported to Europe and the United States. Beyond the politics and bureaucracies of … Continue reading “Ebola One Year Later: How the Private Sector Mobilized to Help Stop an International Crisis and Why it Matters” Learn More
Disaster Preparedness: In Search of a Better Business Model Disaster preparedness in the United States is built on a paradoxical business model. The majority of authority and responsibility for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery resides in government. This is supported through funding that primarily starts at the Federal level, and cascades down to the local level through a relatively few funding streams. However … Continue reading “Disaster Preparedness: In Search of a Better Business Model” Learn More
Regional Outbreak, Global Impacts Lessons for confronting future outbreaks and why the President’s proposal for emergency Ebola funds is a step in the right direction. Globalization has presented unprecedented challenges to the prevention and control of disease outbreaks. While diseases such as smallpox and measles were already able to travel around the globe within a year by the time … Continue reading “Regional Outbreak, Global Impacts” Learn More
The Business Community Prepares for Ebola As Ebola continues to grab the public’s attention, the political and the clinical aspects are commanding the largest headlines in the media. This is understandable for coverage of an infectious disease outbreak in an election year. Beyond the sensational and the clinical, however, there is also coverage that touches upon the vulnerability and potential benefit … Continue reading “The Business Community Prepares for Ebola” Learn More
Global Connections to a Local Response This week, the story of the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States ended tragically, when Thomas Eric Duncan passed away succumbing to his illness. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones, and to all of those impacted by this disease around the globe. With this tragic event, the West African Ebola … Continue reading “Global Connections to a Local Response” Learn More
