Hurricane Florence: Resources for Journalists

Hurricane and disaster experts within Columbia’s Earth Institute are available to answer questions from the media about hurricane physics, emergency response, recovery efforts, the role of climate change in creating strong storms, and more. Journalists can reach out to our scientists directly. For assistance, please contact Kyu-Young Lee (klee@ei.columbia.edu | 212-851-0798) or Sarah Fecht (sf2878@columbia.edu | 212-854-8050). You can also read some of their perspectives on Hurricane Florence here.

EXTREME WEATHER/HURRICANES/FLOODING

Suzana Camargo is a professor of ocean and climate physics at Lamont-Doherty. She is an expert on hurricanes and cyclones, their genesis, intensity, and their relationship to climate, from intraseasonal to centennial time scales.  suzana@ldeo.columbia.edu | 845-365-8640

Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, does a wide variety of interdisciplinary work on the physics of storms, their interaction with climate, and the socioeconomic risk factors. He has advised New York City and the U.S. president on climate and weather risks.  rh142@columbia.edu | 646-320 -9938

Timothy Hall, a senior research scientist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, assesses the physics of cyclones and hurricanes, their landfall, and their threats to coastal communities.  timothy.m.hall@nasa.gov | 212-678-5652

Chia-Ying Lee, associate research scientist at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, is an expert on tropical cyclones, their physics, how they intensify, their relationship to climate, and how we assess the potential risk of tropical cyclones. Clee@iri.columbia.edu  845-680-4523

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE

Irwin Redlener, physician and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, is a leading thinker regarding emergency planning and response, and in dealing with the aftermaths of all kinds of disasters, including epidemics and terrorism.  ir2110@columbia.edu | 212-535-9797

Jeffrey Schlegelmilch is managing director for operations at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, overseeing projects relating to both practice and policy relating to disasters.  js4645@columbia.edu

Steven Cohen, professor of environmental policy and former EPA official, has long studied how communities can make themselves more resilient to disasters and longer-term challenges. sc32@columbia.edu | 212-854-4445

A more comprehensive list of sources can be found here.