Following are additional experts who are available to discuss various issues
surrounding this week's earthquake in Haiti. To view the original Topic Alert,
distributed yesterday, that featured 40+ experts, visit
http://budurl.com/haitiexperts
1. ALAN McCURRY, former chief operating officer of the AMERICAN RED CROSS, is a senior member on the Board of Advisors for LIFE+GEAR, an emergency and disaster preparedness manufacturer: "This disaster in Haiti is extremely difficult for response agencies to adequately support the survivors: The infrastructure for movement of relief supplies, certainly weak before the earthquake, is practically nonexistent; and the earthquake destroyed or heavily damaged basic humanitarian support necessary to provide basic aid to the survivors, which forces relief agencies to be totally self-sufficient for aid to survivors as well as for relief staff. In an international relief such as this, it is hard for the American public to see the tragedy and not see the kind of relief they are used to seeing in a domestic disaster -- it is much more difficult to respond to a disaster on foreign soil. All that said, the warmth and generosity of the American people will greatly help the people of Haiti in the coming days, week and months of recovery." McCurry served as COO at the American Red Cross from 2002-2007 and throughout the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina disasters. He was formerly military legislative assistant to Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas. Before joining Roberts' staff as the principal adviser on issues ranging from homeland security to foreign affairs, McCurry enjoyed a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy as acting commander of the Navy Recruiting Command. News Contact: Tammi Pederson, [email protected] Phone: +1-858-755-2099, ext. 40 Web site: http://www.lifegearcompany.com (1/15/10)
2. LOUISE COMFORT, professor of public and urban affairs in the UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and director of the school's Center for Disaster Management, is available to discuss issues relating to Haiti's recovery following Tuesday's devastating earthquake: "The coordination of international assistance will be critical in this disaster, since Haiti has endured very difficult political and economic conditions for decades. There is very little capacity at the governmental level to deal with such an extreme event, and there is little awareness or enforcement of building codes, as demonstrated by the substantial destruction of buildings. Haiti urgently needs international assistance to cope with this event, and although there is the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Response Agency, little progress has been made in Haitian disaster management. Haiti has been in a continuing chaotic situation where it has been difficult to introduce any kind of management, let alone that directed specifically for extreme events like an earthquake." Comfort has conducted studies of emergency responses to most major earthquakes over the past two decades. She is located in Pittsburgh. News Contact: Amanda Leff, [email protected] Phone: +1-412-624-4238 Cell: +1-412- 337-3350 (1/15/10)
3. FATHER MARK HYDE is the executive director of SALESIAN MISSIONS, headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., which provides humanitarian aid and education to the world's poorest children in more than 130 countries, including Haiti where they serve 25,000 children in Port-au-Prince: "Salesian Missions has been in Haiti since 1936, and despite this setback and our personal losses, we will continue to provide hope to Haiti's poorest children. While some of the schools have been destroyed, we can still partner with aid organizations in carrying out a food aid distribution program or any other humanitarian relief effort. The situation is critical and overwhelming. Salesian Missions is working hard to respond to the need for disaster relief and is calling for emergency donations. Salesian Missions is working frantically to help survivors with little resources. Help is needed immediately." Hyde was recently in Haiti traveling the entire country to see the many mission programs operated by Salesian Missions, which has lots of photos and video footage of Port-au-Prince before the earthquake that can be made available to the media upon request. Schools have been lost, and at least 200 students, staff and mission workers are believed to be buried in the rubble at the ENAM School. Salesian Missions is international and has offices all over the world. News Contact: Hannah Gregory, [email protected] Phone: +1-207-512-2407 Web site: http://www.findyourmission.org Web site: http://tinyurl.com/y9tded7 (1/15/10)
4. Following are experts from DePAUL UNIVERSITY, the largest Catholic university in the country, who are available to provide analysis of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath, including its impact on Haiti from economic, historical, sociopolitical and governance standpoints, natural disasters, the effect on economic development and poverty in Haiti, and the role that social media has played in disseminating news and information out about the disaster:
-- NADIA ANDRE, French instructor, Department of Modern Languages, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is a native of Haiti who has relatives still living there. Andre can speak about how hard it has been to find out if relatives in Haiti are OK and how social media networks like Facebook have helped provide information: "It has been two days without news. Finally, I have found out that my relatives are all right. Physically, they are fine, but it has been very traumatizing for them. The aftershocks are still happening and are worse than the original earthquake."
-- PAUL BOOTH, assistant professor, College of Communication, can discuss the role that social media is playing in disseminating news and information about the impact of the Haiti earthquake: "What we're witnessing with the 2010 earthquake in Haiti is an upswell of immediate, on-the-ground reporting matched by a similar immediacy in forming online social network groups to help. Social media helps make events thousands of miles away sit close to our hearts."
-- LUDOVIC COMEAU JR., associate professor, School for New Learning, is a former chief economist at the Central Bank of Haiti and an expert on Haiti matters. He can discuss economic, historical, sociopolitical and governance issues related to Haiti: "The impact of this catastrophic earthquake on all aspects of life in Haiti will be of major proportions and will be felt for months and years to come. It will cause an already very poor country to regress substantially. However, as efforts are underway to address this dire situation, Haitians and their friends throughout the world should start thinking of ways to turn the tragedy into an opportunity for rebirth and re- launch."
-- KEVIN DOWNING, professor, School for New Learning, can discuss the geological circumstances of the Haiti earthquake: "The Haiti earthquake was generated along a strike-slip fault near where the North American Plate and the smaller Caribbean plate grind and slide against one another. Predicting such earthquakes in real time to prevent human tragedy is not yet possible. Even in California, where there are numerous sensors and vast data on earthquakes, the best that geologists can do is to provide a probability of future occurrence and magnitude along a particular fault. The Haitian earthquake appears to have involved a locked strike-slip fault that had stored up energy for a significant amount of time and gave way catastrophically, rather than releasing energy more frequently and gently."
-- LAURA HARTMAN, professor of management and research director, Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, College of Commerce, can discuss the earthquake's impact on economic development and poverty in Haiti and on aid organizations based in the country. A frequent visitor to Haiti, Hartman is coordinating DePaul's participation in a micro-finance project by the Vincentian religious community and Haitian partners to encourage investment in the economy, create jobs and support education in the Caribbean nation, which is the poorest in the western hemisphere: "At a time when Haiti was on the cusp of one of its most optimistic economic horizons, when not only the United States, but also the rest of the world was gaining faith in its stability and its promise, this disaster strikes a devastating and demoralizing blow. More than ever before, Haiti needs investment in sustainable projects that stimulate and support its economic development."
News Contact: Deborah Snow Humiston, [email protected] Phone: +1-312-362- 8508 Cell: +1-815-600-2283 (1/15/10)
5. SALLY COWAL, chief liaison officer, POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL (PSI), can serve as a technical expert regarding the situation in Haiti. She is an expert in water-related health issues in developing countries and in the aftermath of natural disasters. She also has extensive experience in Haiti. From 2003-2007, she supervised PSI programs in Haiti as regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. In her former position as deputy assistant secretary of state for Latin America and the Caribbean, she oversaw the transition of Haiti from a military dictatorship to the election of civilian leadership with President Aristide. Cowal is located in Washington, D.C., and fluent in Spanish. Editor's Note: Cowal has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Anna Dirksen, [email protected] Phone: +1-202-469-6673 Cell: +1-646-544-8492 Web site: http://www.psi.org (1/15/10)
6. KARL HOFMANN, president and CEO, POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL (PSI), can serve as a technical expert regarding the situation in Haiti. He can speak in-depth about relief efforts for Haiti, including PSI's efforts to provide an ongoing supply of safe drinking water to the victims of the earthquake. Prior to joining PSI, he served as a director on President Clinton's National Security Council staff, with responsibility for Haiti. Having traveled to the country several times and having interacted with a number of senior government officials, he can speak in detail about the country, its problems and the health issues expected following this disaster. Hofmann is located in Washington, D.C., and is fluent in French. Editor's Note: Hofmann has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Anna Dirksen, [email protected] Phone: +1-202-469-6673 Cell: +1-646- 544-8492 Web site: http://www.psi.org (1/15/10)
7. ROBIN H. GURWITCH, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist, is a professor and program coordinator of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER, and a member of the AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION's Disaster Response Network. Gurwitch specializes in work with children, particularly those considered at-risk. She has responded to a number of national disasters, including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Since then, she has devoted much time to understanding the impact of trauma and disaster on children. She has served on state and national committees and task forces focusing on trauma, disaster, terrorism and violence. Most recently, she was appointed to the Human Services Recovery Subcommittee of the National Commission on Children and Disasters and the Planning Committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), on pediatric issues in emergency response. Gurwitch has co-authored a treatment manual for use with young children after a trauma. As an active American Red Cross volunteer, she helped the American Red Cross develop materials related to terrorism and disaster for use in schools and for disaster mental health training. News Contact: Angel Brownawell, [email protected] Phone: +1-202- 336-5955 (1/15/10)
8. RAYMOND F. HANBURY JR., Ph.D., licensed psychologist, is the AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION's Disaster Response Network coordinator for New Jersey. He has served on numerous national response teams through the National Disaster Medical System and American Red Cross, including Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City. As a consulting psychologist for the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Disaster and Terrorism Branch, Hanbury has been actively involved in helping the state of New Jersey establish a rigorous disaster response system that involves extensive training, credentialing, and registering of eligible disaster mental health responders. News Contact: Angel Brownawell, [email protected] Phone: +1-202- 336-5955 (1/15/10)
9. WAYNE D. PENNINGTON, professor of geophysical engineering, MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, is developing strategies for countries to rebuild their infrastructure, particularly in post-disaster and post-conflict settings. He can discuss better energy development and distribution, and earthquake hazard mitigation. (1/15/10)
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit an Opportunity by e-mail: [email protected] To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on ProfNet Expert Alerts: [email protected]
SOURCE ProfNet
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1. ALAN McCURRY, former chief operating officer of the AMERICAN RED CROSS, is a senior member on the Board of Advisors for LIFE+GEAR, an emergency and disaster preparedness manufacturer: "This disaster in Haiti is extremely difficult for response agencies to adequately support the survivors: The infrastructure for movement of relief supplies, certainly weak before the earthquake, is practically nonexistent; and the earthquake destroyed or heavily damaged basic humanitarian support necessary to provide basic aid to the survivors, which forces relief agencies to be totally self-sufficient for aid to survivors as well as for relief staff. In an international relief such as this, it is hard for the American public to see the tragedy and not see the kind of relief they are used to seeing in a domestic disaster -- it is much more difficult to respond to a disaster on foreign soil. All that said, the warmth and generosity of the American people will greatly help the people of Haiti in the coming days, week and months of recovery." McCurry served as COO at the American Red Cross from 2002-2007 and throughout the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina disasters. He was formerly military legislative assistant to Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas. Before joining Roberts' staff as the principal adviser on issues ranging from homeland security to foreign affairs, McCurry enjoyed a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy as acting commander of the Navy Recruiting Command. News Contact: Tammi Pederson, [email protected] Phone: +1-858-755-2099, ext. 40 Web site: http://www.lifegearcompany.com (1/15/10)
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2. LOUISE COMFORT, professor of public and urban affairs in the UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and director of the school's Center for Disaster Management, is available to discuss issues relating to Haiti's recovery following Tuesday's devastating earthquake: "The coordination of international assistance will be critical in this disaster, since Haiti has endured very difficult political and economic conditions for decades. There is very little capacity at the governmental level to deal with such an extreme event, and there is little awareness or enforcement of building codes, as demonstrated by the substantial destruction of buildings. Haiti urgently needs international assistance to cope with this event, and although there is the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Response Agency, little progress has been made in Haitian disaster management. Haiti has been in a continuing chaotic situation where it has been difficult to introduce any kind of management, let alone that directed specifically for extreme events like an earthquake." Comfort has conducted studies of emergency responses to most major earthquakes over the past two decades. She is located in Pittsburgh. News Contact: Amanda Leff, [email protected] Phone: +1-412-624-4238 Cell: +1-412- 337-3350 (1/15/10)
3. FATHER MARK HYDE is the executive director of SALESIAN MISSIONS, headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., which provides humanitarian aid and education to the world's poorest children in more than 130 countries, including Haiti where they serve 25,000 children in Port-au-Prince: "Salesian Missions has been in Haiti since 1936, and despite this setback and our personal losses, we will continue to provide hope to Haiti's poorest children. While some of the schools have been destroyed, we can still partner with aid organizations in carrying out a food aid distribution program or any other humanitarian relief effort. The situation is critical and overwhelming. Salesian Missions is working hard to respond to the need for disaster relief and is calling for emergency donations. Salesian Missions is working frantically to help survivors with little resources. Help is needed immediately." Hyde was recently in Haiti traveling the entire country to see the many mission programs operated by Salesian Missions, which has lots of photos and video footage of Port-au-Prince before the earthquake that can be made available to the media upon request. Schools have been lost, and at least 200 students, staff and mission workers are believed to be buried in the rubble at the ENAM School. Salesian Missions is international and has offices all over the world. News Contact: Hannah Gregory, [email protected] Phone: +1-207-512-2407 Web site: http://www.findyourmission.org Web site: http://tinyurl.com/y9tded7 (1/15/10)
4. Following are experts from DePAUL UNIVERSITY, the largest Catholic university in the country, who are available to provide analysis of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath, including its impact on Haiti from economic, historical, sociopolitical and governance standpoints, natural disasters, the effect on economic development and poverty in Haiti, and the role that social media has played in disseminating news and information out about the disaster:
-- NADIA ANDRE, French instructor, Department of Modern Languages, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is a native of Haiti who has relatives still living there. Andre can speak about how hard it has been to find out if relatives in Haiti are OK and how social media networks like Facebook have helped provide information: "It has been two days without news. Finally, I have found out that my relatives are all right. Physically, they are fine, but it has been very traumatizing for them. The aftershocks are still happening and are worse than the original earthquake."
-- PAUL BOOTH, assistant professor, College of Communication, can discuss the role that social media is playing in disseminating news and information about the impact of the Haiti earthquake: "What we're witnessing with the 2010 earthquake in Haiti is an upswell of immediate, on-the-ground reporting matched by a similar immediacy in forming online social network groups to help. Social media helps make events thousands of miles away sit close to our hearts."
-- LUDOVIC COMEAU JR., associate professor, School for New Learning, is a former chief economist at the Central Bank of Haiti and an expert on Haiti matters. He can discuss economic, historical, sociopolitical and governance issues related to Haiti: "The impact of this catastrophic earthquake on all aspects of life in Haiti will be of major proportions and will be felt for months and years to come. It will cause an already very poor country to regress substantially. However, as efforts are underway to address this dire situation, Haitians and their friends throughout the world should start thinking of ways to turn the tragedy into an opportunity for rebirth and re- launch."
-- KEVIN DOWNING, professor, School for New Learning, can discuss the geological circumstances of the Haiti earthquake: "The Haiti earthquake was generated along a strike-slip fault near where the North American Plate and the smaller Caribbean plate grind and slide against one another. Predicting such earthquakes in real time to prevent human tragedy is not yet possible. Even in California, where there are numerous sensors and vast data on earthquakes, the best that geologists can do is to provide a probability of future occurrence and magnitude along a particular fault. The Haitian earthquake appears to have involved a locked strike-slip fault that had stored up energy for a significant amount of time and gave way catastrophically, rather than releasing energy more frequently and gently."
-- LAURA HARTMAN, professor of management and research director, Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, College of Commerce, can discuss the earthquake's impact on economic development and poverty in Haiti and on aid organizations based in the country. A frequent visitor to Haiti, Hartman is coordinating DePaul's participation in a micro-finance project by the Vincentian religious community and Haitian partners to encourage investment in the economy, create jobs and support education in the Caribbean nation, which is the poorest in the western hemisphere: "At a time when Haiti was on the cusp of one of its most optimistic economic horizons, when not only the United States, but also the rest of the world was gaining faith in its stability and its promise, this disaster strikes a devastating and demoralizing blow. More than ever before, Haiti needs investment in sustainable projects that stimulate and support its economic development."
News Contact: Deborah Snow Humiston, [email protected] Phone: +1-312-362- 8508 Cell: +1-815-600-2283 (1/15/10)
5. SALLY COWAL, chief liaison officer, POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL (PSI), can serve as a technical expert regarding the situation in Haiti. She is an expert in water-related health issues in developing countries and in the aftermath of natural disasters. She also has extensive experience in Haiti. From 2003-2007, she supervised PSI programs in Haiti as regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. In her former position as deputy assistant secretary of state for Latin America and the Caribbean, she oversaw the transition of Haiti from a military dictatorship to the election of civilian leadership with President Aristide. Cowal is located in Washington, D.C., and fluent in Spanish. Editor's Note: Cowal has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Anna Dirksen, [email protected] Phone: +1-202-469-6673 Cell: +1-646-544-8492 Web site: http://www.psi.org (1/15/10)
6. KARL HOFMANN, president and CEO, POPULATION SERVICES INTERNATIONAL (PSI), can serve as a technical expert regarding the situation in Haiti. He can speak in-depth about relief efforts for Haiti, including PSI's efforts to provide an ongoing supply of safe drinking water to the victims of the earthquake. Prior to joining PSI, he served as a director on President Clinton's National Security Council staff, with responsibility for Haiti. Having traveled to the country several times and having interacted with a number of senior government officials, he can speak in detail about the country, its problems and the health issues expected following this disaster. Hofmann is located in Washington, D.C., and is fluent in French. Editor's Note: Hofmann has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Anna Dirksen, [email protected] Phone: +1-202-469-6673 Cell: +1-646- 544-8492 Web site: http://www.psi.org (1/15/10)
7. ROBIN H. GURWITCH, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist, is a professor and program coordinator of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER, and a member of the AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION's Disaster Response Network. Gurwitch specializes in work with children, particularly those considered at-risk. She has responded to a number of national disasters, including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Since then, she has devoted much time to understanding the impact of trauma and disaster on children. She has served on state and national committees and task forces focusing on trauma, disaster, terrorism and violence. Most recently, she was appointed to the Human Services Recovery Subcommittee of the National Commission on Children and Disasters and the Planning Committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), on pediatric issues in emergency response. Gurwitch has co-authored a treatment manual for use with young children after a trauma. As an active American Red Cross volunteer, she helped the American Red Cross develop materials related to terrorism and disaster for use in schools and for disaster mental health training. News Contact: Angel Brownawell, [email protected] Phone: +1-202- 336-5955 (1/15/10)
8. RAYMOND F. HANBURY JR., Ph.D., licensed psychologist, is the AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION's Disaster Response Network coordinator for New Jersey. He has served on numerous national response teams through the National Disaster Medical System and American Red Cross, including Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City. As a consulting psychologist for the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Disaster and Terrorism Branch, Hanbury has been actively involved in helping the state of New Jersey establish a rigorous disaster response system that involves extensive training, credentialing, and registering of eligible disaster mental health responders. News Contact: Angel Brownawell, [email protected] Phone: +1-202- 336-5955 (1/15/10)
9. WAYNE D. PENNINGTON, professor of geophysical engineering, MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, is developing strategies for countries to rebuild their infrastructure, particularly in post-disaster and post-conflict settings. He can discuss better energy development and distribution, and earthquake hazard mitigation. (1/15/10)
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit an Opportunity by e-mail: [email protected] To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on ProfNet Expert Alerts: [email protected]
SOURCE ProfNet
