Severe Weather Experts


August 31, 2017

The George Washington University has experts available to comment on various topics relating to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the effects of Hurricane Irma.

To schedule an interview with the experts below, please contact GW media relations at 202-994-6460 or [email protected].
 
GW’s Flash Studio a state-of-the-art broadcast studio, is available for remote, live or taped television and radio interviews. The studio is operated in partnership with VideoLink.
 
Joseph A. Barbera, associate professor of engineering management, is an expert on emergency management, management of large-scale incident response, management of volunteers in major disasters and mass casualty and public health emergency response.
 
Joost Santos, assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering, is an expert on hurricane consequence management, notably mitigating the ripple effects triggered by infrastructure failures.
 
Lisa Benton-Short, chair of the Department of Geography, can discuss the link between climate change and hurricanes and the impact on large cities such as Houston.
 
Michael Mann, assistant professor of geography, can discuss climate change and natural disasters, particularly the effects on agriculture.

Gregory Squires, professor of sociology and public policy & public administration, can discuss community development, fair housing, and related equity issues connected to hurricanes and other natural disasters. He is the co-editor of “There Is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class and Katrina,” a comprehensive look at the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.

Joseph Cordes is a professor of economics, public policy & public administration and international affairs. He can discuss flood insurance and public infrastructure investments to improve resilience.

Allison Macfarlane, professor of public policy and international affairs, is an expert on the safety and security of nuclear facilities. From July 2012 to December 2014, Dr. Macfarlane served as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She can discuss the response of nuclear power plants to hurricanes and severe weather. 

To schedule interviews with experts from the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, please contact Kathy Fackelmann at 202-994-8354 or [email protected]

Sabrina McCormick is an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health. Dr. McCormick is an expert on how climate change can lead to extreme weather events like hurricanes. She can also talk about the human health impacts of extreme weather, including those that can be expected in Houston and other areas hard hit by Hurricane Harvey.
 
Ronald Waldman is a professor of global health at GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. Dr. Waldman is an expert in disaster response and the health impacts triggered by extreme weather such as Hurricane Harvey. He can talk about communicable diseases associated with flooding, access to health care in disaster zones and the risk of vector-borne diseases.

To schedule interviews with experts from the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, please contact Lisa Anderson at 202-994-3121 or [email protected]

Bruno Petinaux, associate clinical professor of emergency medicine, is an expert in emergency management during crisis situations, evacuation and search and rescue operations. Dr. Petinaux is also the medical manager for the Virginia Task Force 1/USA 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team with a number of national and international disaster responses.