As Hurricane Florence was bearing down on the eastern coast of the U.S. in mid-September, Richard Serino of Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health spoke about the importance of having a “culture of preparedness.”
In a September 14, 2018 opinion piece in The Hill, Serino, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, and co-author Mary McElman wrote that, during a disaster, “Life and safety of citizens is always the priority, second is preservation of property, and lastly protection of the environment.”
Serino was also interviewed on BBC America about the dangers of the hurricane. “The majority of people die from flooding, not necessarily from the winds,” he said. “That’s why when the local officials say to evacuate, people should listen to those orders.”
On September 17, Serino appeared on CNBC to discuss the response to the hurricane by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Serino is a former FEMA deputy administrator.
Read opinion piece in The Hill: Preparedness priorities: Protect life, then property, then the environment
Watch the BBC interview: Preparing for Hurricane Florence
Watch the CNBC interview: Evacuations are still happening from Florence’s flooding, says former FEMA deputy admin.