Samantha Taylor ('16, '20 M.P.A.) was visiting family when Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in 2013.
"As the typhoon made landfall, we felt the forceful winds in our hotel rooms, lost power and witnessed flooded streets," she says.
After the storm, her family helped distribute cases of water with the American Red Cross -- and she found her purpose.
"Helping distribute basic necessities on someone's worst day made me realize my mission in life is to continue helping others."
Taylor was named director of emergency management for Denton County this summer and will oversee disaster response efforts. She learned from UNT professors in emergency management and disaster science, whose fieldwork has taken them across the U.S. to assist in the preparation and recovery of communities after natural disasters.
Professor Tristan Wu and his team were awarded a three-year grant by the U.S. National Science Foundation to study how people search for tornado risk information and make decisions to protect themselves and their families.
Associate Professor Ronald Schumann III is collaborating on a study that examines the efficacy of community-level wildfire risk reduction efforts.
Samantha Taylor ('16, '20 M.S.)
Director of Denton County Office of Emergency Management
"Plan for what your next steps would be, how you'll communicate with loved ones and how you can stay self-sufficient until help can arrive."
Tristan Wu
Professor in UNT's Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science and associate editor of the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters
"Educate yourself on where your local tornado shelters are and keep your phone charged when a storm is coming to check live weather updates."
Ronald Schumann III
Associate professor in UNT's Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science
"If you are able to afford it, have a kit put together of canned goods, bottled water, cash and prescriptions. Have a plan for where to go for safety and share your plan with family and friends so they know where you will be."
View Ronald Schumann III discussing emotional attachments and disasters.
