The monthly Community Webinars promote collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing within the FEMA Higher Education Program, ultimately enhancing the capacity of higher education institutions to contribute to disaster preparedness, response, and resilience efforts.
September 20, 2024 |
Living in a Waterworld: How Climate Change Intensifies Flooding of Atlantic Tropical Storms
Climate change is altering the characteristics of storms, making them more frequent while intensifying their rainfall, thereby increasing the flood risk for affected communities.
This presentation offers an in-depth exploration of this phenomenon from a physical science and atmospheric science perspective. It will examine specific case studies, such as Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and Hurricane Ian in Central Florida, where relatively low-category hurricanes led to significant flooding events.
Additionally, the presentation will address the challenges encountered by emergency managers and public information officers in effectively communicating these risks to communities. It aims to foster interactive discussions among the audience to brainstorm solutions and strategies for overcoming these communication challenges. |
Dr. Sara Belligoni, University of Central Florida |
October 18, 2024 |
Incorporating the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool into Emergency Management Courses
The Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool gives emergency managers access to powerful data and GIS mapping that helps them better understand their community. This session discusses how this tool can be incorporated into emergency management higher education programs, and provides sample lesson plans for faculty to use. |
Dr. John Carr, Argonne National Laboratory; Benjamin Rance, Analysis and Capacity Division, Resilience Analysis Branch, FEMA |
November 15, 2024 |
“We were ready for fire, but not flood”: Exploring Whole-Community Recovery and Resiliency in the Rural Intermountain West
The recovery from the 2022 regional flooding in Montana’s Yellowstone Country began immediately after the acute response concluded. It is recognized that communities which experience successful disaster recovery are more resilient when confronting future disasters (Demiroz & Hu, 2014) – yet there is no consensus of what constitutes efficient and effective whole-community recovery among scholars or practitioners (Rubin, 2009). Furthermore, prior research on disaster recovery processes suggest recovery is not experienced uniformly across all groups within a community (Tierney & Oliver-Smith, 2012). Ultimately, much of community recovery activity emphasizes the navigation of federal aid processes and programs. Paradoxically, rural communities like those in Montana’s Yellowstone Country tend to be more susceptible to natural disasters like floods, droughts, and wildfires (Manuele & Haggerty, 2022), yet have smaller governmental structures, less diversified economies, and fewer financial reserves to handle disaster recovery and resiliency than their larger, urban counterparts (Waugh, 2013; Kapucu et al., 2013).
Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, this study explores the differential experiences of disaster recovery across Montana’s Yellowstone region. By understanding gaps in post-disaster recovery, this project offers solutions to advance wholistic, equitable, and resilient preparedness and resiliency efforts in the future. |
Dr. Lauren McKeague, University of Montana
Dr. Christina Barsky, University of Vermont |
December 20, 2024 |
Accessing Instructor Resources to Support Curriculum Design and Development
The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) will provide information regarding the access of instructor resources to support curriculum design and development. |
Steve Recca, University and Agency Partnership Program, CHDS/NPS. |
January 17, 2025 |
A Multi-Disciplinary Research Approach of Emergency Management, Public Health, and Environmental Justice.
The 10 States Project analyzes crucial divides in services and historical divestments in African American communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia that can be replicated in other areas of the country. African American communities in these states are more likely to be impacted by the effects of climate change, and experience drastic differences in access to information and essential public services. The 10 States Project created a set of interactive tools that explore the intersection of the digital divide, environmental justice, climate change, and emergency management. |
Monica Sanders, Georgetown University, The Undivide Project |
February 21, 2025 |
The Current Landscape of the Emergency Management Workforce
To date, there is no comprehensive study that addresses the current landscape of the emergency management workforce. Because of the critical work emergency managers engage in within their community, the landscape of emergency management needs to be representative of all demographics that they serve. Within the emergency management profession, there have been limited steps taken to address diversity in the workforce. Having more demographic information, as well as qualitative data about the concerns of current emergency managers, can inform further efforts. This project aims to be the first nationally representative study conducted to understand the current landscape of the emergency management workforce and identify areas of improvement. The results from the survey and focus groups can be used to inform emergency managers and emergency management organizations to address their organizational needs and capacity-building efforts. |
Dr. Rita Burke, University of Southern California; Lorraine Schneider, The Resiliency Initiative |
March 21, 2025 |
Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education Initiative (FESHE)
Learn how the National Fire Academy (NFA) is working through the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) initiative to standardize training, education, experience, and certification activities for the fire service.
FESHE is a national program designed to enhance and streamline professional development for fire and emergency services, reducing duplication and improving overall training. It collaborates with coordinators of academic fire and EMS management programs and the NFA to achieve several goals. These include developing national professional development models for both fire and EMS, creating the National Professional Development Matrix to apply these models effectively, and designing model course outlines and textbooks for fire and EMS degree programs. Additionally, FESHE works to build an integrated system that combines higher education, training, and practical experience, identifies collegiate programs that meet standards of excellence, and promotes cultural changes to prevent line-of-duty deaths. |
Mike Bercaw, National Fire Academy |
April 18, 2025 |
Lean Innovation Curriculum Development
North Dakota State University (NDSU)has effectively adapted the lean innovation curriculum, originally designed for national defense and commercial entrepreneurship, to enhance Emergency Management practices and inform policy development. This webinar will detail the development process, curriculum content, and results from a pilot program, providing valuable insights for other institutions interested in creating their own models. |
Dr. Caroline Hackerott, NDSU; Dr. Carol Cwiak, NDSU; Daniel Green, FEMA R8 |
May 16, 2025 |
Current and Emerging Trends in the International Management of Disasters |
Dr. David McEntire, Utah Valley University; Dr. Laura Phipps, University of Texas at Arlington |
