WASHINGTON (September 26, 2024) – Hurricane Helene is expected to be an extremely dangerous storm when it makes landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast later today. According to The Washington Post, the National Hurricane Center warned of “catastrophic and deadly” storm surge in the state’s Big Bend area that could reach as high as 20 feet, a level that would be “unsurvivable” in some locations.
Evacuations have already been underway and some airports in central Florida have announced closures ahead of the storm.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available for interviews. To speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at gwmedia
gwu [dot] edu.
Disaster Management & Response
Joseph Barbera, associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering, is a board-certified emergency physician with a 35-year history in developing emergency response systems and responding to local, national, and international emergencies and disasters. He has extensive experience participating in the management of response to earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, such as Katrina in 2005. Through the GW Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, he studies disaster response and recovery, risk management, and business continuity.
Public Health
Susan Anenberg is director of the GW Climate & Health Institute and associate professor of environmental and occupational health. Her research focuses on the health implications of air pollution and climate change. Recently her team published two studies finding links between health problems like asthma and exposure to polluted air.
Gaige Kerr is a senior research scientist and professorial lecturer in the department of environmental and occupational health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. He researches ambient air pollution, and projects he has led span topics ranging from understanding the emission sources of pollution to assessing the health impacts experienced by populations, with a special emphasis on understanding associated ethnoracial and socioeconomic disparities.
Impacts on Air Travel
Liang "Larry" Yu, professor of hospitality management, is an expert on hospitality management, hospitality crisis management, and tourist satisfaction. He can address travel impacts and delays related to this storm and what travelers can do should they be impacted.
Jungho Suh, teaching assistant professor of management, is an expert on e evidence-based entrepreneurship, strategic human resource management, service management, diversity, equity, and inclusion, sustainability and ESG reporting in the travel industry, digital platforms in the service industry, and gastronomy tourism. He can address travel impacts and delays related to this storm and what travelers can do should they be impacted.
-GW-