05/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/06/2024 07:29
York is Canada's preeminent disaster and emergency management university with undergraduate and graduate DEM degrees
TORONTO, May 6, 2024 - Droughts, historic flooding, the possibility to beat last year's worst wildfire season on record, stronger hurricanes and shifting tornado corridors, and that's just in Canada. It may be Emergency Preparedness Week but managing the escalating disasters plaguing the world is a year-round effort, say York University's DEM experts.
Fires are still smoldering underground in British Columbia and Alberta, while new ones are already igniting, and the upcoming 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to generate the most named storms on record prompted by warmer than usual ocean temperatures.
Are the forecasted disasters unmanageable? York's experts from the Disaster and Emergency Management (DEM) Program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies are available to discuss how to identify, prepare for, mitigate and recover from disasters wherever they occur. They can also talk about emergency response, community training, disaster management and evacuation.
Nirupama Agrawal, director of the master's DEM program, coordinator of the bachelor's DEM program at York, is a working group member at the Canadian Dam Association on dam safety and emergency management issues, an adjunct professor at the United Nations University - Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), and a Co-Director of the CDSN-MINDS project on domestic operations for natural hazards in Canada. Agrawal's book, Natural Disasters and Risk Management in Canada - An Introduction (2018), provides a comprehensive approach for disaster risk evaluation, including identifying early warning systems for various types of hazards.
She can speak to:
Ali Asgaryis associate director of Disaster & Emergency Management & Associate Director of Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid Response Simulation (ADERSIM) and York's disaster institute Y-EMERGE, director of the Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (CIFAL), and an expert in disaster and emergency planning and policy. His research includes creating disaster simulations for various types of natural, technological, and human made disaster events.
He can speak to:
Eric B. Kennedy, an associate professor in Disaster & Emergency Management, associate director of Y-EMERGE, and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management, is an expert in wildfire and forest fire management in Canada and around the world. He also specializes in the use of science, evidence, and science advice in disaster management.
He can discuss:
Evalyna Bogdan, an assistant professor and environmental and disaster sociologist, examines complex socio-environmental problems.
She can discuss:
Aaida Mamuji, associate professor, looks at social vulnerability and capability during and after disasters, risk assessment, as well as hosting and resettlement issues. She is currently working on a book project capturing the lived experience of various vulnerable groups facing disasters across Canada. She is the principal investigator on Emergency Management for All, which is currently investigating the development of a stigma-focused agenda for emergency management. Mamuji is a member of the Digital Global Health and Humanitarianism Lab in the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, which examines how digital technologies are used in emergencies and disasters, as well as the challenges, risks, benefits and opportunities involved in their use.
She can speak to:
Jennifer Spinney, assistant professor and sociocultural anthropologist, examines the connection between various individuals and social groups living and working at the intersection of environment and society, particularly when faced with extreme weather events, emergencies and disasters, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and unusual heat, such as heat domes, in Canada and the United States.
She can discuss:
About York University
York University is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for success. York's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. York's campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.
Media Contact: Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-272-6317, [email protected]