Thursday, September 07, 2017

Do you know how to stay informed and prepared for a disaster?

In our latest Get Ready Report podcast, we talk to preparedness expert Linda Landesman about preparing for the next public health emergency.

With Americans on the West Coast reeling from wildfires and people on the East and Gulf Coasts struggling with hurricanes, Landesman’s advice is especially timely.

Landesman, who teaches a course on public health emergency management at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, is co-author of “Landesman’s Public Health Management of Disasters: The Practice Guide, Fourth Edition.”

Published by APHA Press, the book shows how disasters over the past few years have shaped emergency preparation and response. It also gives guidance on how best to handle new challenges.

So basically, when it comes to preparedness, Landesman knows her stuff. The Get Ready team talked to her about lessons learned from past disasters, the next possible pandemic and the importance of resilience, a concept that is growing in popularity.

“There’s a national push for communities to develop resilience,” Landesman says. “Communities and individuals who are resilient are better prepared when they plan for the potential impacts that they can anticipate, instead of just planning to respond to whatever may happen.”

Listen to the podcast now, or read the transcript.

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