Weathering the Storm: The Importance of Environmental Health Preparedness and Response Part I
Virtual
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time
Join ASTHO for part one of a two-part webinar series to explore the accomplishments of various jurisdictions’ preparedness and response tactics during extreme weather events. The first webinar will feature work done by North Carolina and South Carolina. The second webinar will be held in January (date to be determined) and will feature work done by Florida and Puerto Rico.
In 2022, Hurricanes Fiona and Ian caused significant damage and loss of life across several states and Puerto Rico. The following year, CDC awarded funding to ASTHO to assist health agencies in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Puerto Rico in building their capacity to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from the environmental health impacts brought on by these hurricanes. Since these projects began, each jurisdiction has identified their key priorities, developed new resources and processes, and hosted training opportunities for health agency staff and community members. As part of this project, ASTHO worked with a staffing agency to place temporary staff in each of the host health agencies to carry out specific activities of interest to the health agency.
For part one of the series, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will highlight their activities to update existing guidance and communication materials and develop a new training curriculum to improve community groups’ food safety knowledge. The South Carolina Department of Public Health will describe their efforts to create the Post-Disaster Surveillance System, a platform that helps determine health-related issues following a disaster. The webinar will also feature remarks from CDC/ATSDR on the goals and impact of this project.
Secure your spot now for this informative session focused on real-world response strategies.
Speakers:
- Veronica Bryant, Emergency Preparedness and Outbreak Coordinator, Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- CeCe George, MBA, Disaster Surveillance Lead, Bureau of Emergency Preparedness and Response, South Carolina Department of Public Health
- James Gooch, MPH, REHS/RS, Commander, United States Public Health Service, Disaster Risk Reduction Team Chief, Emerging Environmental Hazards and Health Effects Branch, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, CDC/ATSDR