Translated article from the South Korean newspaper The Segye Times , written by reporter Yeongjun Park from; published in Dec. 2023.

“The nature and components of disasters vary widely, requiring training and ongoing education of key personnel.”

Claire Rubin, a researcher who works as a disaster prevention consultant in the U.S., emphasized training and education as an iteration of responding to various disasters on Sept. 26 (local time). She is a disaster prevention and safety expert who has taught disaster management for decades at the George Washington University Crisis Response Center in Washington, D.C…..

“New and more complex threats continue to emerge, including more frequent and powerful hurricanes, more destructive wildfires, and cyber threats,” Rubin said of recent disaster trends. “The current state of disaster management is reasonably responsive to common threats, but recent emerging hazards pose significant challenges to current U.S. preparedness and response efforts,” she said.

Regarding innovations in disaster response, Rubin noted that while “new technologies, including social media, are being utilized in many aspects of disaster management,” there are limits to relying on technology alone, as “it can be misleading or misinformative, and it may not work well (in a crisis).”

Regarding the preparations needed to strengthen disaster management capacity, Rubin emphasized that “there are many elements to competent disaster response, management, and recovery,” and that “(ultimately) the key to success is for governments to have well-educated and trained emergency managers.” “The nature and components of disasters vary widely, requiring training and ongoing education of key personnel,” she urged.

She emphasized the importance of building disaster management capacity at the community level.

“The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides grants to state agencies, which in turn support local emergency management organizations and activities,” Rubin said. “FEMA also provides training courses to state agencies and many universities that offer emergency management training and degrees.” “State government works with citizens,” he said, “and collaboration between public and private organizations, such as community emergency response teams, is critical.”