It's a wrap for season 1 of COVID-19 Heroes, but the pandemic is far from over. We can all continue to play our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
If the many Emergency Management guests on the show sparked your interest in our field, I hope you'll consider jumping in it yourself, and if you are a practitioner looking to strengthen and popularize our field, I invite you to check out the Emergency Management Growth Initiative at https://www.emginitiative.org and get involved.
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What happens once someone passes away during the COVID-19 pandemic? To date, close to half a million people have died from the novel coronavirus. In the span of three months, New York City experienced over 35,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 and other unrelated causes, forcing the megacity to undertake the largest domestic fatality management operation in recent history. Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management for the Virginia Department of Transportation, John Scrivani, shares his experience returning to his hometown to help coordinate the city's transfer and recovery of decedents.
Guest Bio
John Scrivani has been working in the Emergency Response / Management community for over 27 years. John has served as the Deputy State Coordinator for Disaster Services at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, as the Incident Commander of the New York City Hurricane Sandy Debris Task Force where he was charged with overseeing the removal of all storm related debris in New York City and as New York City Office of Emergency Management Deputy Commissioner of Operations. Scrivani also serves Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division at the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), where he also oversaw operations and safety for the World Trade Center Potential Human Remains Recovery Project and managed the ME Special Operations Response Team. For 14 years, John worked as a member of the NYPD, where he retired as Commanding Officer of the Emergency Services Unit Hazardous Materials-Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team and Training School. He was also a member of the NYPD elite Emergency Service Unit. John currently serves as the Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
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For weeks, the entire world caught its breath and set its eyes on New York City, the new epicenter of COVID-19 after Wuhan, China and Lombardy, Italy. To date, the metropolis has experienced over 200K confirmed cases and 20,000 related deaths. A city with a long history of trauma and resilience following 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, we wonder: How has the pandemic redefined the notion of a catastrophic event? Kelly McKinney, a long-time Emergency Management leader and the current Senior Director of Emergency Management and Enterprise Resilience at NYU Langone Health, provides a detailed answer.
Guest Bio
Kelly McKinney has had a leadership role in every major disaster in New York City for more than fifteen years, from the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to the present day. As Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Office of Emergency Management, he led the city’s response to Hurricane Sandy. As Chief Disaster Officer for the American Red Cross he rushed to the aid of people affected by train crashes and building collapses, most notably the March 2014 Con Edison gas explosion on 125th Street in Harlem. He is the founding principal of Emergency Management Americas, a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to advance the profession and practice of emergency management. Nationally known for his writing and speaking on the principles and practice of disaster management, he is the author of Moment of Truth: The Nature of Catastrophes and How to Prepare for Them. He is a professional engineer with a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Kansas and an MPA from Columbia University in the City of New York. He is a board member of the All-Hazards Consortium and of the Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management in New York City. Currently, he is the Senior Director of Emergency Management and Enterprise Resilience at NYU Langone Health, a world-class academic medical center based in New York City. Twitter - @kellymnyc
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"Black and Brown women are one of the most vulnerable populations during disaster and they're being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus as a result of their race, class, and gender." PhD Student & Bill Anderson Fund Fellow, Felicia Henry, talks about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, its link to other societal issues, including systems of stratification, and describes a path forward.
Support the B(L)K/WMN "I Got You, Sis" Fund:
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Guest Bio
Felicia A. Henry is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include race, ethnicity, gender, criminal justice/mass incarceration, social vulnerability and resilience in disasters, and communities. A Licensed Social Worker (LMSW), Felicia received her Master of Social Work degree from the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Felicia is a Bill Anderson Fund Fellow and Recipient of the Unidel Award in Sociology & Criminal Justice and the University Unidel Distinguished Graduate Scholar Award. Previously, Felicia was a Program Manager for Diversion and Reintegration at the New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, where she oversaw the implementation of an array of diversion, re-entry, and gender-specific programming that served individuals leaving New York City's jails. Felicia is the founder of Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL) and B(L)K/WMN. Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL) is a movement to deepen the awareness of the legacy of racial inequity in America, particularly within the criminal justice system, and inspire activism aimed at its dismantlement. B(L)K/WMN will be a brick + mortar space dedicated to and for Black and Brown Women in Brooklyn, NY. This space will support women in the pursuit of their dreams through classes, workshops, and events, provide a space to increase skills and strategies for health and wellness through therapy, counseling, and other techniques, and allow women to be free in their identities as Black Women, surrounding them with a network and tribe. B(L)K/WMN will cultivate the reality that Black women are visible, that they show up and dream the impossible and defy the improbable every single day.
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-- This episode is sponsored by GoGyft - the gyft that keeps on giving. To create your GoGyft, visit https://www.gogyft.com/covid.
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