Incorporating Lessons Learned During COVID-19 into Future Planning for Emergencies and Disasters

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for disaster planners and responders, bringing to light both shortfalls and opportunities. The rapid pace of operations and ongoing evolution of the public health emergency have prompted modifications to plans and procedures in emergency response; however, many of the leaders within local and state agencies involved in these activities have not yet had an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned or to incorporate them into emergency plans and mitigation strategies.

The observed impacts of the pandemic itself, as well as other disasters that have intersected with it, have also shined a light on the deep inequities that contribute to and reproduce unjust outcomes among marginalized communities.

How do use what we’ve learned since the appearance of the novel coronavirus to create more equitable and just systems that support the whole community? What steps can we take to better equip disaster preparedness systems to respond to this ongoing threat and future emergencies? This webinar will bring together perspectives from emergency management, public administration, public health, and disaster science to discuss lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how those lessons can inform future planning for emergencies and disasters.

Moderator:

Nnenia Campbell, Research Associate, Natural Hazards Center

Panelists:

• Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness
• Curtis Brown, State Coordinator, Virginia Department of Emergency Management
• Donell Harvin, Senior Homeland Security Researcher, Defense and Political Science, RAND Corporation
• Leila Darwish, Independent Community Organizer and Bioremediation Educator

Please visit NASEM’s Incorporating Lessons Learned During COVID-19 into Future Planning for Emergencies and Disasters meeting page for more information.