The Columbia Climate School Research Seminar Series presents Risk Communication to Bridge the Generations of Tribal Voices. This seminar will examine emerging approaches to disaster risk communication in partnership with U.S. Tribal Nations. The seminar will be offered in a hybrid format, with light refreshments provided for in-person participants.
This session will introduce a new one-year grant to advance culturally grounded, community-driven strategies for disseminating and receiving time-sensitive emergency information. The project centers on the co-development of multi-directional communication tools that enable Tribal communities and emergency managers to exchange actionable information during crisis events. A core component of the seminar will be a demonstration of two-way text based cell phone technologies designed to support evacuation decision-making and facilitate real-time communication between Tribal households and emergency managers. Presenters will outline how this initiative expands upon NCDP’s prior research work in disaster risk communication and addresses documented gaps in conventional systems that often overlook Tribal Nation priorities, cultural contexts, language needs, and historical barriers to trust. The seminar will further highlight the disproportionate impacts of floods, wildfires, and severe storms on Tribal communities and the need for communication strategies that reflect Tribal governance structures and values.
Presenters:
Thomas Chandler, PhD, Managing Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Climate School, Columbia University, focuses on post-disaster housing and economic recovery, mass care, pandemic preparedness and response, and risk communication. He is also the Director of NCDP’s education and training programs.
Dan Osgood, PhD, Director of the Financial Instruments Sector Team at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Climate School, Columbia University, has conducted research on uncertainty in decision-making, environmental valuation, remote sensing proxies, information, and work specific to index insurance and economic development.
Marty Antone, former Director of Homeland Security for the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin has held Tribal law enforcement leadership positions to build relationships, liaison, and development of coordination of public safety, including communication network technologies and resources.
Dion Tapahe, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University student researcher and member of the Diné / Navajo Nation focuses on COVID-19 virus hotspots. Before starting her graduate studies, she served as the Program Coordinator at NavajoStrong, a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare and technology resources to the Navajo Nation.
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