麻豆映画传媒 Professor Christopher Emrich, an expert in hazard science, social vulnerability, disaster recovery and community resiliency, has plenty of experience with hurricanes. He鈥檚 worked with FEMA and other federal agencies to identify vulnerabilities in communities affected by hurricanes and to develop resiliency strategies.

As part of 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Emrich conducts studies into planning for and responding to disasters.

Here he offers some do’s and don鈥檛’s to help you get ready for hurricane season

The Do’s

1. Get flood insurance. If you do not live in a flood zone the average cost is $660 a year for $250,000 worth of coverage. One inch of flood water can cause more than $25,000 in damage.
2. Make sure you have enough supplies for seven days.
3. Start preparing as early as possible. Pick up an extra gallon of water every time you go to the grocery store until you have 7 gallons per person 鈥� 1 gallon per day for seven days. Or buy a WaterBob or similar product that will turn your bathtub into a storage tank.
4. Buy non-perishable foods that are full of protein, like peanut butter. Two tablespoons provide enough energy to get through a meal time during an emergency.
5. Get 5-gallon buckets with fitted lids from Home Depot, Walmart or similar stores. These are great for storing electronics, batteries, chargers, important documents, medicines and food. Properly closing the lids on these buckets also allows them to float.
6. Establish a designated shelter area where you鈥檒l keep emergency supplies in your home so you鈥檙e not scrambling around to find them. Do not raid your supplies once you have them ready. You can use them and replenish after hurricane season.
7. Make an evacuation plan. Make sure you and everyone in your family knows where to meet in case anyone gets separated. Talk through the plan often so everyone is on the same page. DO NOT wait until an evacuation order is issued to create a plan. Failure to plan = planned failure.
8. Turn on emergency notifications on your mobile devices. Based on your location, new warning systems can send messages with weather updates, alerts and other useful information. These alerts can be more up-to-date than newscasts, so you should trust them for the most accurate information. Take shelter when instructed.
9. Keep an emergency escape tool in each of your vehicles. This may come in handy for cutting seatbelts or breaking glass in an emergency.
10. Check on neighbors, especially those who are elderly or need extra help before, during and after emergencies.

顿辞苍鈥檛’蝉

1. Don鈥檛 let your car鈥檚 gas tank get below half-full at any point during the summer.
2. Don鈥檛 think you know more than weather experts. Instead, listen to trained emergency management officials, meteorologists and other leaders whose job it is to keep you informed and safe.
3. 聽Don鈥檛 bother taping up your windows because it doesn鈥檛 reduce the risk of them blowing out. This is especially true for people living apartments. Plus, it will only cause problems when removing the tape.
4. 聽Don鈥檛 drive through flooded streets, even if you鈥檙e very familiar with the street. A few inches of water can move a vehicle. Sinkholes may also develop on flooded roads and you won鈥檛 be able to see them.

Resources

In the event of a storm, 麻豆映画传媒 will provide communication with instructions on closures, depending on the weather conditions pre-and post-hurricanes. Our priority it to keep you safe. All students and employees automatically are signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via聽. A parent, spouse or other secondary contact鈥檚 email address also can be added, allowing them to receive the updates.

In the meantime, here鈥檚 some information we hope you find useful to help you prepare at home.

Florida Hurricane Preparedness Tax Free Holiday: June 1-14

Floridians can purchase qualified hurricane preparedness related items such as batteries and generators and will not be required to pay sales tax. This year the holiday is earlier to encourage people to plan early. Click for a list of qualified items.

Families with special needs are encouraged to sign up with the , which is a part of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, to get information about resources in preparation and during a storm emergency.

Personalized disaster plans are critical and .

Communicating with children about disasters can help alleviate stress. This website offers tips, games and age specific information for families.

Planning for pets is also important. Floridadisaster.org聽offers advice for pet and livestock management.

Emergency kits can make all the difference for riding out a storm. Do you have all the ?

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is estimated to be highly active. Projections suggest 24 named storms, with 11 anticipated to become hurricanes, according to The Weather Channel and Atmospheric G2. Six hurricanes are forecasted to become Category 3 or higher, presenting substantial threats to coastal and inland regions.

University and Personal Planning

At 麻豆映画传媒, teams plan and train for hurricane season year-round. 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 Emergency Management team works hard to prevent, prepare for, manage and recover from a variety of threats to 麻豆映画传媒, including severe weather.

麻豆映画传媒 is a designated StormReady university through the National Weather Service.

In addition to the work being done at the central level, led by the Department of Emergency Management, we encourage all departments to evaluate their own hurricane procedures and staffing plans at this time, in advance of an imminent storm.

When tropical weather systems are threatening, Emergency Management is in communication with our local National Weather Service office in Melbourne, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center. If a serious storm or hurricane threatens our region, Governor Ron DeSantis and 麻豆映画传媒 President Alexander N. Cartwright have the authority to cancel classes or close campuses. 麻豆映画传媒 often does so in consultation with other area colleges, school districts and government officials.

We encourage students and 麻豆映画传媒 employees to put together their own hurricane safety kits and to create a plan with their families and loved ones should a storm impact Central Florida.

Prepping a Hurricane Kit

Knights should assemble a hurricane kit, which should provide enough essentials to survive at least three days. Kits should include:

• Water
• Nonperishable food
• Weather radio
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Can opener
• Cash
• Cell phone charge
• Identification cards
• Any necessary prescription medications

This year鈥檚 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday extends June 1-14. This two-week tax holiday allows Floridians to prepare for hurricane season while saving money on essential disaster preparedness items.

How to Stay Informed

The 麻豆映画传媒 Alert text and email message system will be used to keep the university community notified of severe weather threats. All students and employees automatically are signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via . A parent, spouse or other secondary contact鈥檚 email address also can be added, allowing them to receive the updates.

In addition to 麻豆映画传媒 Alert messages, details about any class cancelations, impact to services or campus closures will be shared on the 麻豆映画传媒 homepage, and @麻豆映画传媒 and @麻豆映画传媒Police on social media. Faculty members also are encouraged to post any changes to class assignments due to campus closures on Webcourses.

麻豆映画传媒 has been impacted by hurricanes before, and we have been able to weather those storms while maintaining our strong commitment to academic excellence and student success.

While we hope for a hurricane-free season, it is always best to prepare and educate yourself in advance of a storm, especially in time such as now that requires extra considerations and flexibility.

Let鈥檚 each do our part by staying aware and prepared, and together, we鈥檒l make 麻豆映画传媒 a safer place for all of us.

Often, it also means giving people a way to find closure. After the 2010 earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people in Haiti, 麻豆映画传媒 Associate Professor Abdul-Akeem Sadiq worked with a team to figure out how to manage all the unidentified bodies recovered from the rubble.

鈥淢y colleagues and I developed a new strategy that involves taking photographs of the deceased, burying the deceased in shallow graves, and creating a numbering system that matches pictures of the deceased to their respective graves where they were temporarily buried,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen a deceased individual is identified by their loved ones through the picture, his or her body can be exhumed from the corresponding grave and properly buried or cremated. This strategy helps to prevent burying unidentified bodies in mass graves and making it difficult for victims鈥� families to have closure.鈥�

It鈥檚 remembering that human beings are at the heart of disasters that motivates Sadiq, an emergency management expert who specializes in mass fatality incidents and in helping governments, companies, and nonprofits prepare for emergencies.

鈥淚鈥檓 fueled by wanting to make a difference in people鈥檚 lives,鈥� he says. 鈥淢ost of my publications provide practical recommendations to public, nonprofit, and private organizations with the hope that if those recommendations are implemented, they will lead to a better society.鈥�

Sadiq recently published a study that looks at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) program and why less than 5% of eligible communities participate. The voluntary program is aimed at reducing flood impacts.

鈥淲e found that a major obstacle to participating in the CRS is a lack of resources, like the staff needed to fill out the paperwork and apply to join the CRS,鈥� Sadiq says. 鈥淪o, we recommended that FEMA should provide free staff support to communities that are not participating to help them with their paperwork and application process. In doing so, we may be able to increase participation and reduce disaster impacts on communities.鈥�

Sadiq鈥檚 career in emergency management almost didn鈥檛 happen.

鈥淚 actually stumbled onto the field of emergency management,鈥� Sadiq says. 鈥淚nitially, my interest as a Ph.D. student was in environmental policy and health policy. Unfortunately, I could not find an assistantship in either area. One of my professors, who received a (U.S.) National Science Foundation grant to study earthquake preparedness among organizations in Memphis, Tennessee, interviewed me and offered me a graduate research assistantship. This was how I fell in love with emergency management.

Today, he and a team of students are working on research related to COVID-19. The researchers are looking at managing mass fatalities during COVID-19 and how to promote community resilience during these kinds of global pandemics.

Sadiq, of Nigeria, joined 麻豆映画传媒 in 2017. Previously he worked at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (a partnership between Indiana University and Purdue University) and as a research and policy analyst for various universities. He holds a doctorate in public policy from a program run jointly by Georgia State University and Georgia Tech. He also has master鈥檚 degrees in economics and business administration in addition to a 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 degree in agricultural economics and farm management. He has more than 40 published journal articles, is a reviewer for several academic journals and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. In 2021 he was elected Chair of American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Crisis and Emergency Management. ASPA is the main professional association for the discipline.

Each year, the National Weather Service (NWS) WeatherReady Nation (WRN) requests each branch across the country to nominate a partner who has 鈥渟hown exemplary efforts toward helping build a WeatherReady Nation.鈥�

This year, NWS Melbourne chose to recognize 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 Emergency Management team for their efforts in promoting hazardous weather safety on campus, holding several weather-related exercises and participating and hosting several SKYWARN training classes annually.

鈥溌槎褂郴� Emergency Management is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work so closely with the NWS Melbourne,鈥� says 麻豆映画传媒 Emergency Management Director Joe Thalheimer. 鈥淭he 麻豆映画传媒 Community and all of Central Florida are better prepared, safer and more resilient as a result of the collaboration between our emergency mangers and their meteorologists. Our team is really honored to be selected as this year鈥檚 Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador of Excellence.鈥�

The recognition includes being featured on the National Weather Service鈥檚 website and shoutouts on NWS Melbourne鈥檚 social media pages.

The Emergency Management team has a long, successful partnership with NWS Melbourne, including renewing its designation as a StormReady university in 2019. The recognition will remain in effect until May 28, 2022.

The Department of Emergency Management prepares 麻豆映画传媒 by enhancing partnerships and coordinating all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the university鈥檚 ability to mitigate, protect, and prevent against; respond to; and recover from natural, technological, and human-caused threats and hazards.

Hurricane Isaias is forecast to move northward along or near the East Central Florida coastline Saturday and Sunday, bringing heavy rain and inland wind gusts of 35-55 miles per hour.

The Emergency Management team is in communication with our local National Weather Service office in Melbourne, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center to ensure the university has the latest information.

It鈥檚 always a good idea to have a hurricane kit ready for the season, which lasts through November. Include enough food and water for three days, and don’t forget medications, identification and a weather radio.

The #麻豆映画传媒Alert text and email message system will be used to keep the university community notified of severe weather threats. All students and employees automatically are signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via .

Additionally, updates will be shared on 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 official social media channels, primarily Facebook聽(听补苍诲听) and Twitter ( and ), and at ucf.edu

Let鈥檚 each do our part by staying aware and prepared, and together, we鈥檒l make 麻豆映画传媒 a safer place for all of us.

The announcement comes after an exhaustive search. Metzger is confident in Thalheimer, who has led the department in an interim role since July 2019.

鈥淛oe has done an incredible job since stepping into the role of interim director,鈥� says Metzger. 鈥淪ince then, he鈥檚 been handling his old job duties, along with leading the Emergency Management team during Hurricane Dorian, the coronavirus pandemic and preparing for the 2020 hurricane season. I鈥檓 extremely impressed by what he鈥檚 accomplished so far and can鈥檛 wait to see what ideas he has for the future.鈥�

Thalheimer, who graduated from 麻豆映画传媒 with a 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 degree in criminal justice, has been a part of 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 Emergency Management team since 2014, where he was hired as the first warning and communication coordinator. He was later promoted to the manager of Operations and Technology before assuming the role of interim director of Emergency Management.

He was a founding staff member and senior operations coordinator at 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 College of Medicine prior to joining the Emergency Management team.

From 2005 to 2012, he also served as the assistant security supervisor for the Orange County Convention Center, where he was responsible for physical security, transportation planning and emergency preparedness. While in this role, he represented the convention center at the Orange County Emergency Operations Center, which is where his love of Emergency Management started.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited and honored to be chosen for this role,鈥� says Thalheimer. 鈥淲orking at 麻豆映画传媒 has been enjoyable, thanks in large part to the people I work with. They make what can be a very stressful job fun, and there鈥檚 no where else I鈥檇 rather be.鈥�

Thalheimer is the first in his family to graduate from college, and his oldest daughter is a second-generation Knight. When he鈥檚 not in the Emergency Operations Center, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids in their RV, watching any 麻豆映画传媒 sport, and cheering on the New York Mets.

鈥淓mergency management is essential in the aviation world,鈥� says Keila Walker-Denis 鈥�07, assistant director of airport operations in emergency management for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which oversees Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport. 鈥淲e demonstrated that we have a sound foundation for an emergency-management program.鈥�

Walker-Denis, whose background is in emergency management, says the process was an opportunity to take the airport where it needed to be, especially now in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 鈥淭his event has further highlighted the importance of communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration,鈥� she says. The accreditation program used 64 industry standards to determine the top rating.

Her industry contacts 鈥� such as Osceola County Emergency Management, Orlando Health, Florida鈥檚 State Medical Response Team, the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, and the Incident Management Team for Central Florida 鈥� have proven valuable in her current role.

‘We may not be the experts in any one area, but we know a lot about everything and where to get resources.’ 鈥� Keila Walker-Denis

鈥淲e may not be the experts in any one area, but we know a lot about everything and where to get resources,鈥� Walker-Denis says.

The airport authority鈥檚 emergency management team has been assigned with tasks such as collecting and analyzing information related to COVID-19; ensuring personal protective equipment is provided to necessary employees; supporting local, state and federal executive orders; and a host of other responsibilities to maintain the safety, health and wellbeing of employees and passengers, Walker-Denis says.

Beyond the coronavirus, her role always includes a lot of planning and preparing, ensuring all teams and decision-makers at the airports work together effectively and communicate the same message.

鈥淥nce we identify what hazards we are prone to, the goal first is to try and prevent them. And if we can鈥檛 prevent them, the next step is to identify how to mitigate or lessen the impact to our operations,鈥� Walker-Denis says. 鈥淥f course, our ultimate goal is to keep flying.鈥�

Before her career in emergency management, Walker-Denis started at 麻豆映画传媒 in the business program but switched to major in public administration because she was intrigued by the process that went into decision making during emergencies, such as for hurricanes when she was a child in Miami.

During an internship with the Osceola County Emergency Management Department, she participated in emergency operations during tropical storm Ernesto in 2006. Witnessing the controlled chaos of agencies, community stakeholders and departments coming together 鈥渋gnited that passion, that flame,鈥� she says.

鈥淚t all opened my eyes and ignited the fire I had back then to do what I do today. It鈥檚 truly a passion. It鈥檚 the best thing. It鈥檚 a very rewarding career field, mentally and emotionally, knowing that you鈥檙e able to make a change.鈥�

Walker-Denis also serves on 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 emergency-management advisory board, which helps ensure 麻豆映画传媒 courses teach up-to-date content and expose students to the realities of the emergency management world beyond the classroom.

鈥淪omeone did it for me when I was in college, as far as that internship,鈥� says Walker-Denis. 鈥淚t opened my eyes, and I want to do the same. It feels right to do the same, to pay that forward.鈥�

He began in the middle of hurricane season, just as the emergency operation center was activated in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. Now, he鈥檚 working full-time as a manager in charge of a team of 10, who spend their workdays contacting all the households in the county with confirmed COVID-19 cases and with individuals who are awaiting test results.

鈥淥nce COVID-19 started, everyone鈥檚 day-to-day roles and responsibilities changed into specific roles that were needed in order to respond to and mitigate the impact of the virus on the community,鈥� says Acosta, who graduates this May with his 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 degree in emergency management.

Acosta was promoted to emergency management associate in February, moving him from unpaid to paid intern. Not even a month later, after finishing an active shooter exercise at a local elementary school, the department learned of Seminole County鈥檚 first confirmed positive case of the new coronavirus, so the emergency operations center was activated again.

鈥淚 think the impact this experience will have on my career will be massive.鈥� – Andres Acosta, 麻豆映画传媒 student

The activation means that everyone is assigned additional duties, some quite different than their normal roles, in an effort to cover all the needed areas for whatever the hazard or emergency might be. In Acosta鈥檚 case, the team realized they needed to set up a call center. Quickly adapting to the new position, Acosta was promoted to a managerial position after only a couple days; he now oversees the Well Check Unit and will continue to work for the department after graduation.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 planning to have him keep that position,鈥� says Alan Harris, chief administrator of Seminole County鈥檚 Office of Emergency Management. 鈥淏ut he has done so well, we are keeping him.鈥�

Every morning, Acosta arrives at the office by 7:30 a.m. He then organizes the call logs for the day, dividing up all the households by jurisdiction. The team calls all the households in Seminole County with confirmed cases of the coronavirus, households where an individual has been tested or has reported coronavirus-like symptoms to the Department of Health, and households where individuals may have been in contact with COVID-19 positive cases, explains Acosta. They call to collect temperatures, make sure the people in the household are okay and ask about their needs.

Thanks to partnerships with local nonprofits, the emergency management department is able to provide a box of goods to people who can鈥檛 leave their homes. The boxes are filled with nonperishable foods, gloves, masks and toilet paper. Through the Florida Department of Health, quarantined individuals are also able to get their medications delivered. In both of these instances, the packages are delivered to the household without any direct, physical contact.

In addition to these deliveries, the county offers animal care and childcare; county services will care for the animals and children until the person recovers from COVID-19. The team has even helped people find temporary housing, which helped protect the area鈥檚 homeless population.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 a person who is being affected by COVID-19 and they give us a call, we鈥檒l try to help out as best we can.鈥� – Andres Acosta, 麻豆映画传媒 student

鈥淲e say food, water, medication, animal care, and childcare, but really, if there鈥檚 a person who is being affected by COVID-19 and they give us a call, we鈥檒l try to help out as best we can,鈥� says Acosta, referencing delivering live crickets to one woman for her pet.

If the team doesn鈥檛 make contact with a household after three attempts on three consecutive days, a law enforcement officer is dispatched to conduct a wellness check, explains Acosta.

By the end of the day, Acosta double checks the team鈥檚 work to confirm that their system is displaying accurate information and the collected temperatures are sent to the Department of Health.

The team鈥檚 job is a mix of customer service and enforcing the guidelines of both Seminole County and the Department of Health. Although staying at home has been tough on many individuals, especially those who have been laid off, Acosta reiterates in his phone calls that these rules are for the benefit of the community.

鈥淎 lot of the phone calls aren鈥檛 easy. You just have to be very understanding. You just have to try to come from a position where they might be and understand that it鈥檚 human or normal for them to be really frustrated and stressed out,鈥� says Acosta.

For some, the calls Acosta鈥檚 teams make might be the only human interaction they have that day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very awesome to see that we鈥檙e impacting the community and giving people hope,鈥� Acosta says.

Acosta says he鈥檚 always been passionate about helping others and making an impact.

鈥淚 want to help people, and I want to help my community. … It feels good to know what you鈥檙e doing has real purpose.鈥� – Andres Acosta, 麻豆映画传媒 student

鈥淚 like being hands on. I like being in the field,鈥� he says.

When a degree in civil engineering wasn鈥檛 panning out the way he thought it would, an advisor at 麻豆映画传媒 pointed him in the direction of the emergency management program.

鈥淓mergency management just became natural,鈥� says Acosta. 鈥淚 want to help people, and I want to help my community. I think the impact this experience will have on my career will be massive. I鈥檝e been put in a real-life situation that none of us have gone through before. I鈥檓 super grateful for the opportunity I鈥檝e been given, and it feels good to know what you鈥檙e doing has real purpose.鈥�

鈥淏ecause the program is so young, we can adjust the lessons to reflect whatever is going on in real time.鈥� – Claire Connolly Knox, director of the program.

鈥淪tudents are attracted to the program because they鈥檝e been directly impacted by recent disasters 鈥� , the BP oil spill, the Pulse Nightclub massacre, and now the pandemic,鈥� says Claire Connolly Knox, director of the program. 鈥淚nterest has taken off almost exponentially.鈥�

Both the 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 and master鈥檚 programs in emergency management launched in Fall 2018. Initial projections of 20 students taking up the major by 2020 has been raised to 150 for the coming fall. And U.S. News and World Report聽ranked 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 MECM program No. 2 in the nation.

The first three graduates, and Knox, provide a wide-lens picture of who is at the heart of emergency and crisis management.

The Director

It takes only a few seconds before Knox鈥檚 passion for the environment can be heard clearly. A minute later, the Louisiana Cajun accent also sneaks in.

鈥淕rowing up in the coastal wetlands, I understood how fragile our relationship is with nature, and the impact it can have when it breaks down. The wetlands are the first line of defense against hurricanes.鈥�

Still, she had no idea how bad it could be. While studying for her master鈥檚 in public administration at Florida State University in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated her beloved Bayou State. The scrambled response became a series of tragic lessons learned 鈥� communication, collaboration, basic preparedness. The aftermath also kick-started Knox on a path that drew her to 麻豆映画传媒, in a region with more than its share of crises and at a school willing to adopt new ideas.

鈥淏ecause the program is so young, we can adjust the lessons to reflect whatever is going on in real time. That鈥檚 essential in this dynamic and complex profession,鈥� she says.

At the moment, she and other program faculty are literally creating new teaching modules derived from the ongoing COVID-19 experience. The team in the MECM curriculum includes some of the most published and cited scholars in this discipline, as well as an advisory board of practitioners from every sector. Knox also points to a group just as valuable: the students.

鈥淪omething other than fancy titles and hats is driving them,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 their hearts. They make the program real because of their own experiences.鈥�

The Security Specialist

Jaime Garcia first recognized a whole new world opening in his field of expertise, ironically the same day he had to close himself off.

On March 16, Garcia was thinking about graduation, job prospects, and finishing up his internship with the Osceola County Office of Emergency Management. At the door of the county building, he was asked if he鈥檇 been in any crowds the previous weekend. As a then part-time security guard at the Magic Kingdom, Garcia had. He spent the next 14 days in quarantine watching the news. What he saw and heard from Ecuador, where he was born and raised, only emboldened his reasons for pursuing his MECM.

鈥淧eople were dying, the morgues were full, and they didn鈥檛 know what to do because there had been no planning,鈥� says Garcia. 鈥淗ere, even though I didn鈥檛 like being quarantined, I knew there was a good reason. The contrast proves why we need good people making decisions before and during a crisis.鈥�

Garcia鈥檚 first lessons came from his father, a doctor. While many people in authority, including doctors, used their positions in Ecuador to hoard essentials and profit from them, Garcia鈥檚 father would drive into rural areas and distribute vaccines and treatments for free.

鈥淗e said helping people was always the right thing to do.鈥�

As a teenager, Garcia coordinated a group of classmates to collect food and clothes for families following a mudslide. After moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, he took a group of security colleagues to deliver water to evacuees in the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina.

鈥淲e have so many blessings in the U.S., but that made me realize we can never take them for granted.鈥�

All of these experiences led Garcia to enter the MECM program when it launched in 2018. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a continuation of what I love doing,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e discuss how things are always changing and how to prepare for anything.鈥�

At work he鈥檚 been in discussions about crises like water contamination or a second outbreak of COVID-19.

鈥淲e鈥檙e also preparing for the possibility of severe weather later this week.鈥�

The Meteorologist

It鈥檚 8:30 a.m. and Maureen McCann is in full stride. A meteorologist for Spectrum News 13, she鈥檚 already been on the air 20 times this morning to give weather updates. In the midst of Central Florida鈥檚 singular focus on COVID-19, McCann needs to find a way to alert us that, yes, a severe storm is a distinct possibility in the next 72 hours. Weather events pay no attention to lockdown orders.

鈥淥ur motto is, 鈥楧on鈥檛 be scared, be prepared,鈥� 鈥� 聽she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 true in any emergency situation 鈥� the virus, the weather, a severe storm. The more I know about crisis management, the better I can communicate preparedness to viewers.鈥�

鈥淲atching the meteorologists on TV made me less scared,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 decided that鈥檚 what I wanted to do 鈥� warn people and calm them at the same time.鈥�

After earning a 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 degree from Cornell University, McCann鈥檚 television career led her around the country. Whether she was in Austin or Denver, something about Central Florida intrigued her. Specifically, the storms. When she moved here in 2013, she also had an unfinished master鈥檚 degree. The launch of 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 MECM in 2018 seemed fortuitous.

鈥淚 liked that it鈥檚 a fresh program and the instructors are willing to adjust so we can collaborate on real-time events.鈥�

She and her cohorts have gleaned lessons from hurricanes Irma, Maria, Michael and Dorian. Even the meteorologist has had her light-bulb moments.

鈥淚鈥檓 a scientist with an opportunity to communicate directly with people who will be impacted by an event. That鈥檚 a form of emergency management in itself.

鈥淎nother big takeaway is the need to network before a disaster, not during. My network has expanded through the program to include security, conservation, a first responder. The boots on the ground 鈥� that鈥檚 an interesting perspective.鈥�

The Paramedic

Chris Goodson is catching his breath. He鈥檚 just finished a workout near his neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, and now he鈥檚 foraging for what we鈥檝e all come to know in recent weeks as a PPE kit. A risk and safety specialist for Superior Ambulance, he鈥檚 waiting to find out where he鈥檚 needed next.

鈥淚 like to be on the move,鈥� Goodson says.

He鈥檒l transfer COVID-19 patients to rehab facilities or to McCormick Place, which FEMA has set up as a field hospital downtown. 鈥淭he situation we鈥檙e facing isn鈥檛 one that I enjoy, but the chaos is putting my education into practice.鈥�

His winding route involved uprooting from his home to enter a brand-new graduate program 1,200 miles away at 麻豆映画传媒. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad I took the chance,鈥� he says. 鈥淟eaders in Central Florida have been at the forefront of disasters in terms of coordination, action, protocols, leadership. I鈥檇 like to use those lessons here at home.鈥�

Goodson grew up in 鈥淭he Hole,鈥� the most oppressive section of Chicago鈥檚 notorious Robert Taylor Homes public housing project. Gunshots became everyday noise. 鈥淧olice might come or they might not. At some point I thought, 鈥楥hris, you could provide the help.鈥� 鈥�

After high school, he completed two years at Eastern Illinois University before enlisting in the Army, spent time in Afghanistan, delivered aid to Haiti, helped the recovery following Hurricane Sandy, and eventually moved to Roseland in the south-side of Chicago as a paramedic. At 麻豆映画传媒 he learned about cultural competency as a central concept in crisis management. Back home, it鈥檚 more than a concept.

鈥淗ospitals near my neighborhood are underfunded and understaffed. More black people are dying because of underlying health conditions, a lack of resources, and slow response. You have to know how things work at the local level to effectively help.鈥�

Goodson plans to take a grant writing class to round out his credentials. In five years, he sees himself in a role with FEMA or a local governing body. But for now, he鈥檚 checking his gloves and mask. He doesn鈥檛 know where he鈥檒l be 20 minutes from now. And that鈥檚 just fine with Goodson. He鈥檚 ready for anything.

鈥淭he new rankings reflect our focus on student success and faculty excellence and puts us one step closer to reaching our goal of becoming a 21st-century university committed to fueling the talent, ideas and innovation that will drive our community and state forward.鈥�

The list shows the university鈥檚 upward trajectory in the number of programs on the top 100 list; there were 18 programs ranked in 2017. The rankings measure the quality of 800 schools鈥� faculty, research and students, and are based on peer and expert opinions.

鈥淔rom our growing academic reputation to our successful athletic programs, the 麻豆映画传媒 has made impressive gains over the last decade,鈥� says Elizabeth A. Dooley, provost and vice president for academic affairs. 鈥淭he new rankings reflect our focus on student success and faculty excellence and puts us one step closer to reaching our goal of becoming a 21st-century university committed to fueling the talent, ideas and innovation that will drive our community and state forward.鈥�

麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 top-ranked program this year, Emergency and Crisis聽Management, tied for No. 7, above programs at Texas A&M University, American University and George Washington University. The program is under the direction of Associate Professor Claire Connolly Knox, who says the course builds on the strength of the faculty, advisory board and alumni who mentor students.

鈥淓ffective emergency and crisis management is vital for every community,鈥� Knox says. 鈥淪ince 2016, four聽hurricanes 鈥� Matthew, Irma, Maria聽and Michael 鈥� and three聽mass casualty events聽鈥� Pulse nightclub,聽Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School and Fort Lauderdale Airport 鈥斅爃ave greatly impacted Florida communities. There is an聽increasing need for聽emergency management specialists聽to expand聽their knowledge, skills and abilities through an advanced degree so they can聽more ethically manage emergencies and crises.鈥�

The next highest 麻豆映画传媒 rankings are the Nonprofit Management at No. 8 (moving up from 12) and聽Counselor Education at No. 9 (moving up from 10).

Other programs ranked in the top 50 are:聽Optics and Photonics (No. 12), Elementary Education (No. 22), Public Administration (No. 23), Criminal Justice (No. 26), Industrial Engineering (No. 36) and Health Administration (No. 46).

麻豆映画传媒 programs with the biggest point-gain improvements this year were in nursing. 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 master鈥檚 nursing school ranked No. 61 overall, moving up 26 points, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice ranked No. 72, improving by 29 points.

Other programs in the top 100 are:
Computer Engineering (No. 52)
Communication Sciences and Disorders (No. 53)
Electrical Engineering (No. 53)
Overall best public administration graduate school (No. 53)
Materials Science and Engineering (No. 57)
Physics (No. 61)
Environmental Engineering (No. 63)
Civil Engineering (No. 65)
Mechanical Engineering (No. 65)
Social Work (No. 70)
Overall best graduate engineering school (No. 75)
Overall best graduate education school (No. 78)
Computer Science (No. 82)
Overall medical research school (No. 88)
Part-time MBA (No. 89)

This was the first time in the top 100 for the part-time MBA, which includes both the 麻豆映画传媒 Evening MBA and the 麻豆映画传媒 Part-time Professional MBA.