GeoTrek

Arctic weather outbreaks can inflict large loss of life and financial losses to the economy in the Central and Eastern U.S. Judah Cohen, climatologist at MIT, describes the influence of the Polar Vortex and Siberian snowpack on these weather patterns, as well as some insights on predicting their timing.

The 2022 Christmas Week Blizzard killed 44 people in western New York, making it the deadliest winter storm on record. Meteorologist Don Paul explains the meteorology and impacts of a remarkable storm that inflicted catastrophic impacts on a region accustomed to severe winter weather.

Julie Shiyou-Woodard, President and CEO of Smart Home America, shares how this non-profit partners with locally-based organizations to foster better building in disaster-prone communities.

Murphy Buggs, Property Claims Manager at CNC Catastrophe and National Claims, shares insights on many different angles of work in insurance adjusting.

The top 10 memories on the GeoTrek podcast in 2022 include stories about hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, southwestern monsoons, outdoor explorations and sinkholes. They contain much geographic diversity, as they were recorded in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, South Dakota and West Virginia. Happy New Year everyone and we’ll see you in 2023!

On February 12, 2014, a sinkhole suddenly opened up under the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, gobbling up eight vintage sports cars. This podcast explores the story behind the sinkhole in a live recording from the National Corvette Museum.

Sinkholes and caves commonly form in the limestone-rich, karst landscape of Eastern West Virginia. This episode explores the causes of this phenomenon, impacts on buildings and roads, and some surprising stories about the Federal government’s use of classified and declassified bunkers in this region.

Award-winning meteorologist Rob Perillo shares insights about navigating social media, humanizing weather forecasts and reminding listeners to stay tuned for changes.

Award-winning meteorologist Rob Perillo draws from his 33 years of experience forecasting weather to share how meteorologists can better communicate extreme weather risks and how people can better prepare for these events.

This interactive episode answers listeners questions about Hurricane Season 2022. This content provides insights on risk assessment and communication, which relates to other hazards as well.

Jon Stewart shares insights from more than 24 years of working in emergency management and homeland security. His perspectives will help people prepare for and respond to a wide range of disasters, including hurricanes, snowstorms, earthquakes and wildland fires.

This podcast assesses risk at the interface of insurance and real estate with Andrea Pelletier, Client Advisor and Agency Partner at Gulfshore Insurance. While much of the content relates to the industry in Florida, we also discuss why Superstorm Sandy’s transition to an extratropical cyclone saved homeowners money on their insurance deductible in New Jersey and New York.

Superstorm Sandy devastated the mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S. states with 72 direct deaths in the region and over $50 billion in damage. This podcast looks back at the storm with interviews from Long Island, New York.

This episode shares insights on how to better communicate complex wind and flood hazards related to landfalling hurricanes, with guests Bill Read, Jonathan Brazzell and Brian and Lisa Flanakin.

Brandy Mai, emergency management consultant and disaster communications specialist, provides insights on how to best communicate risk, with a look back at Hurricane Ian.

This podcast features interviews with storm survivors in southwest Florida in the week after Hurricane Ian’s landfall, where catastrophic flood and wind impacts were observed.

Hurricane Ian struck southwest Florida as a cat-4 hurricane on Sep 28, 2022. This podcast provides field work insights from before, during and after landfall.

Alex Cary, FORTIFIED Market Development Manager at The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), shares insights about how to build better to minimize storm damage.

Mississippi observes the highest storm surges in the Western Hemisphere. Scott Sundberg, a structural engineer who lives in this hurricane-prone area, educates us about how to build better in this region.

Hank Hodde, Sustainability and Resiliency Coordinator for Pinellas County, Florida, shares insights about how to make disaster-prone communities more resilient.

Episode #44 is interactive, as Dr. Hal answers career questions from a high school student interested to one day work in meteorology, climatology or disaster science.

Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast 17 years ago today. We reflect on the upheaval this disaster caused in the region, and get hurricane forecast/ communication tips from Chris Franklin, Chief Meteorologist of WWLTV, in New Orleans.

Catastrophic Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast 17 years ago this month. This podcast remembers Katrina in an interview with Chris Franklin, New Orleans native and Chief Meteorologist with WWL-TV, in part 1 of a 2-part podcast.

Sea-level rise is emerging as a high-profile topic related to climate change. Renee Collini shares the science behind rising seas, some surprising impacts right at the coast and inland, as well as some adaptation options to mitigate the impacts of this hazard.

Franziska Elmer and Paola Diaz share insights about sargassum seaweed inundations, which have a growing impact in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean. Sargassum can inflict a coastal hazard for the ecosystem, economy, and public health.