NCDP Perspectives

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 National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Climate School, as well as through other positions, I have dedicated my career to fostering the impact of disaster research in the fields of policy and practice. As everyone is well aware, the challenges we face from disasters are increasing in both severity and frequency. This is driven in part by human-caused climate change, as well as aging infrastructure, and a world that is growing smaller and more connected, virtually and physically. We are now entering an era in which disasters are the norm, and overlapping disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires during a pandemic are transpiring. As we struggle with this evolving reality, our disaster readiness

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 9/11 and what has not.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of coordinated responses among emergency management and other stakeholders to implement an effective

This is not just an issue of fairness, victims and survivors...It is also a failure to capitalize on different perspectives

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

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 on. The clock is ticking for Congress to act. The president and the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal 2018 budget call for the closure of the National Urban Security Technology laboratory along with the Chemical Security Analysis Center and the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center. This will save a mere $41.7 million out of an agency budget of $44.1 billion, or less than one tenth of one percent of the agency’s budget. Yet the impact is far greater. The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory in New York City supports first responders in many ways. Including servicing first responder radiation