About PDC


Reduce disaster risk.
Step into a safer world.

LATEST EARLY WARNING ALERTS

  • Air Quality - Smithers, British Columbia, Canada

    7 minutes ago ADVISORY

  • Volcano - Sabancaya, Peru

    14 minutes ago ADVISORY

  • Volcano - Marapi, Indonesia

    24 minutes ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Dukono, Indonesia

    44 minutes ago WATCH

  • Volcano - Reventador, Ecuador

    44 minutes ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Fuego, Guatemala

    2 hours ago WARNING

  • Earthquake - 5.5 - 64 km WNW of Nushki, Pakistan

    5 hours ago WATCH

  • Volcano - Semeru, Indonesia

    2 hours ago WARNING

  • Earthquake - 5.5 - Kermadec Islands region

    3 hours ago WATCH

  • Wildfire - W of Pai, Mae Hong Son, Thailand

    3 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Wildfire - W of Chauk, Magwe, Myanmar

    3 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Flood - Liao He Basin, China, South Korea and North Korea

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Al Hasakah, Al Ḥasakah, Syria

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Merauke, Papua, Indonesia

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Izmayil, Odessa, Ukraine

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Blizzard - Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Rio De La Plata Basin, Argentina and Uruguay

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NE of Rio Branco, North Brazil

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Port Arthur, TX Region, United States

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Nyimba, Eastern, Zambia

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NW of Kondoz, Kunduz, Afghanistan

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NW of Canavieiras, Bahia, Brazil

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Sangay, Ecuador

    3 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Zagros Mountains, SW of Khorramabad, Lorestan, Iran

    4 hours ago WATCH

  • Landslide - Cordillera Real, S of Yaupi, Morona Santiago, Ecuador

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Sahara Ranges, E of El Tur, Janub Sina, Egypt

    4 hours ago WATCH

  • Landslide - Patagonian Andes, W of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Continental Southern Patagonian Andes, W of Cochrane, Chile

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Central Range, NE of Kundiawa, Chimbu, Papua New Guinea

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Marungu Highlands, S of Moba, Tanganyika, Congo, DRC

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Birds Head Peninsula, SW of Manokwari, Papua Barat, Indonesia

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Landslide - Northern Zagros, E of Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah, Iran

    4 hours ago WATCH

  • Landslide - Arabian Peninsula, S of Al Aqabah, Aqaba, Jordan

    4 hours ago WATCH

  • Landslide - Eastern Highlands, S of Popondetta, Oro, Papua New Guinea

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Ibu, Indonesia

    4 hours ago WATCH

  • Landslide - Barisan Mountains, N of Bengkulu, Bengkulu, Indonesia

    4 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Philadelphia, MS Region, United States

    5 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Blountstown, FL Region, United States

    5 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Santa Maria, Guatemala

    6 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Slidell, LA Region, United States

    6 hours ago WARNING

  • Wildfire - NE of Omeo, Victoria, Australia

    8 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Severe Weather - Barrie, Ontario, Canada

    9 hours ago ADVISORY

  • Flood - Cuanza Basin, S of Cuanza River, Angola

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Tecuala, Nayarit, Mexico

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Nile Basin, W of White Nile River, Uganda

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Paraiso, Tabasco, Mexico

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Parana Basin, Parana, Paraguay and Salado Rivers, Argentina

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Sao Luis, Maranhão, Pará and Piauí, Brazil

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Rio Branco, North Brazil

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NE of Dolores, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SW of Parnaiba, Piauí, Brazil

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Macapa, Amapá, Brazil

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Zareh Sharan, Paktika, Afghanistan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Parana Basin, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - N of Pedro Luro, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Conakry, Conakry, Guinea

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Hari Basin, SE of Hari River, Indonesia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Derby, Western Australia, Australia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - N of Bourke, New South Wales and Queensland, Australia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Karumba, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, Australia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Raba, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Orange Basin, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Camooweal, Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Halls Creek, Northern Territory and Western Australia, Australia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Chad Basin, Middle Africa, Cameroon, Western Africa, Niger, Nigeria and Chad

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Kapuas Basin, Kapuas and Mahakam Rivers, Indonesia and Malaysia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Tarakan, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Telangana, India

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Maues, Amazonas, Pará and Santa Catarina, Brazil

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Cauvery Basin, Sri Lanka

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Karachi, Sind, Pakistan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Pakchan Basin, N of Pakchan River, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Irrawaddy Basin, Bangladesh and Myanmar

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, India

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Indus Basin, India and Pakistan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SW of Atamyrat, Chardzhou, Turkmenistan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Yangtze Basin, China and Taiwan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NW of Karachi, Sind, Pakistan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Congo Basin, Middle Africa, Angola, Eastern Africa, Burundi, Dem Rep of the Congo, Republic

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Shatt Al Arab Basin, Iran and Iraq

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Abadan, Khuzestan, Iran

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Atrek Basin, Azerbaijan, Iran and Caspian Sea

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Limbe, Sud-Ouest, Cameroon

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NE of Asosa, Benshangul-Gumaz, Ethiopia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Lake Turkana Basin, Eastern Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Shatt Al Arab Basin, Southern Asia, Iran, Western Asia, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Turkey

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of EdDamer, River Nile, Sudan

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Massawa, Debub, Eritrea

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Amazon Basin, W of Mamore River, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Chiromo, Nsanje, Malawi

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Tana Basin, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Zambezi Basin, Mozambique

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SW of Quelimane, Zambezia, Mozambique

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Tuban Basin, Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Nile Basin, Eastern Africa, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Okavango Basin, Middle Africa, Angola, Southern Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Eastern Africa an

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - NE of Wilcannia, New South Wales, Australia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Nile Basin, Middle Africa, Dem Rep of the Congo, Eastern Africa, Ethiopia, Northern Africa,

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Alexander Bay, Northern Cape, South Africa

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Blizzard - Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Minden, LA Region, United States

    10 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Popocatepetl, Mexico

    10 hours ago ADVISORY

  • Avalaches - Central Europe

    12 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia

    12 hours ago WARNING

  • Severe Weather - Vietnam

    12 hours ago WARNING

  • Severe Weather - Central India

    12 hours ago WARNING

  • Severe Weather - Northern Brazil

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Severe Weather - Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    13 hours ago ADVISORY

  • Extreme Heat - Southern Brazil

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Wildfire - E of Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico

    13 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Extreme Heat - Northern Agentina

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Avalanches - Northern India

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Sri Lanka

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Drought - Italy

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Drought - Spain

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Floods - United Kingdom

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Avalanches - Western Canada

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - La Cumbre, Fernandina Island, Ecuador

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Wildfires - Eastern Colombia

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Wildfires - Villa Nueva, Guatemala

    13 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Wildfires - Southern Chile

    13 hours ago WARNING

  • Avalanches - Southwest Europe

    14 hours ago WARNING

  • Winter Storm - Northwestern Iceland

    14 hours ago WARNING

  • Storms - Mexico

    14 hours ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Mexico

    14 hours ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Australia

    14 hours ago WARNING

  • Severe Weather - Germany

    15 hours ago WARNING

  • Storms - Peninsular Malaysia

    15 hours ago WARNING

  • Storms - Eastern Malaysia

    15 hours ago WARNING

  • Tropical Cyclone - Megan

    22 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Reykjanes, Iceland

    2 days ago WARNING

  • Avalanches - Northwest United States of America

    15 hours ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Aira, Japan

    15 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - Jesup, GA Region, United States

    16 hours ago WARNING

  • Earthquake - 5.3 - Volcano Islands, Japan region

    17 hours ago ADVISORY

  • Wildfire - SW of Ciudad Bolivar, Bolívar, Venezuela

    17 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Wildfire - NW of Fuerte Olimpo, Alto Paraguay, Paraguay

    17 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Wildfire - S of Antonio, Roraima, Brazil

    17 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Winter Storm - Alaska, United States

    18 hours ago WARNING

  • Tropical Cyclone - Eighteen

    22 hours ago INFORMATION

  • Flood - NW of Chattogram, Chittagong, Bangladesh

    23 hours ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Zillah, Al Jufrah, Libya

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Edirne, Edirne, Turkey

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Guayas Basin, Daule, Babahoyo and Guayas Rivers, Ecuador and Peru

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Tillaberi, Tillabéry, Niger

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - SW of Remanso, Northeast Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Tanjungpinang, Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Parana Basin, E of Parana River, Argentina

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Venice, Veneto, Italy

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Tsiribihina Basin, Madagascar

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Volcano - Suwanosejima, Japan

    1 day ago ADVISORY

  • Flood - Ogooue Basin, Middle Africa, Dem Rep of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Equatorial G

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Zambezi Basin, S of Luangwa River, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - SE of Coari, Amazonas, Mato Grosso and Rondônia, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - N of Saint-Louis, Saint-Louis, Mauritania

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - La Paz, Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Alvorada, Mato Grosso, Pará and Tocantins, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Parana Basin, South America, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Rukwa Basin, S of Rungwa River, Tanzania

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Breves, Pará, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Pascua Basin, E of Pascua River, Argentina and Chile

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - NW of Itupiranga, Pará, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Tamale, Northern, Ghana

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Parana Basin, SE of Paraguay River, Argentina and Paraguay

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - NW of Canavieiras, Bahia, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Cairns, Queensland, Australia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Bengawan Solo Basin, Indonesia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Windorah, New South Wales and Queensland, Australia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Mildura, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, Australia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Newcastle Waters, Northern Territory, Australia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - W of Pannawonica, Western Australia, Australia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Wewak, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Irrawaddy Basin, W of Irrawaddy River, Myanmar and Thailand

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Huai He Basin, NW of Huai He River, China

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Hai He Basin, SE of Daqing He River, China

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Aral Sea Basin, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Irrawaddy Basin, W of Irrawaddy River, Myanmar

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Aral Sea Basin, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Mekong Basin, Mekong, Sap and Hau Rivers, Cambodia and Vietnam

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Brahmaputra Basin, Eastern Asia, China, Southern Asia, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Ganges Basin, India and Bangladesh

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Mekong Basin, Cambodia and Vietnam

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Mekong Basin, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Shatt Al Arab Basin, Iran

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Nei Mongol, China

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Dasht Kaur Basin, Iran and Pakistan

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Shatt Al Arab Basin, Southern Asia, Iran, Western Asia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - S of Tocantinopolis, Tocantins, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Ural Basin, W of Ural River, Russia, Kazakhstan and Caspian Sea

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Abhe Bad Basin, Eastern Africa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Rufiji Basin, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - SW of Moatize, Tete, Mozambique

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Rosso, Trarza, Mauritania

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Niger Basin, Nigeria

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Benin City, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo, Nigeria

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Okavango Basin, Angola and Namibia

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Tukuyu, Mbeya, Tanzania

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - E of Maues, Amazonas, Pará and Santa Catarina, Brazil

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Congo Basin, Tanzania

    1 day ago WARNING

  • Flood - Lafayette, IN Region, United States

    2 days ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Haiti and Dominican Republic

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Central United States

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Hawaii, United States of America

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Southern United States

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - US Virgin Islands, United States of America

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Northwestern United States

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Central America

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Central America

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Puerto Rico, United States of America

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Heavy Snow - Central Asia

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Central Asia

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Western Africa

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Drought - Southern Africa

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Extreme Heat - Southern Africa

    4 days ago WARNING

  • Cholera - Somalia

    1 month ago WARNING

  • Cholera - Mozambique

    1 year ago WARNING

  • Dengue - Guatemala

    6 months ago WARNING

  • Malaria - Texas, United States

    8 months ago WARNING

  • Malaria - Florida, United States

    8 months ago WARNING

  • Cholera - Haiti

    1 year ago WARNING

  • Measles - American Samoa

    10 months ago WARNING

  • Drought - Djibouti

    1 year ago WARNING

Working together to create a Safer World

Pacific Disaster Center (PDC Global) is an applied research center managed by the University of Hawaii that supports the most demanding governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide in helping to create a safer, more disaster resilient world. For more than 25 years, we’ve helped our partners enhance disaster management capacity, save lives, and reduce disaster losses through the application of our advanced tools and technologies, evidence-based research, and analytical information.

 

The Center’s DisasterAWARE platform is used by tens of thousands of disaster management professionals—from the senior-level decision maker to the operational practitioner. It provides global multi-hazard early warning, hazard monitoring, and risk intelligence to support rapid and effective disaster response, preparedness, recovery, and mitigation. DisasterAWARE includes the highest resolution all-hazards impact models, advanced analytical reports, and augmented information through artificial intelligence. The system features the largest, scientifically-vetted big data catalog for disaster management decision making in the world—derived in part from PDC’s unique National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment as well as its Global Risk and Vulnerability data.

 

DisasterAWARE provides near real-time analytics about impacts to population, capital, and key infrastructure for multiple hazards, calculating likely humanitarian needs down to a scale of 30 x 30 meters. DisasterAWARE is free to disaster management practitioners and the humanitarian assistance community at https://disasteraware.pdc.org.

 

 Customized versions of DisasterAWARE have been deployed by PDC in locations around the world and are used operationally by national and regional disaster management agencies for all aspects of disaster management.

 

PDC’s mobile app, Disaster Alert, is also free and designed for use by the public as well as disaster managers on-the-go. It offers customizable early warning alerts for any type of natural hazard in any location around the globe. Visit https://disasteralert.pdc.org.

 

In addition to offering advanced decision support technology, PDC is pioneering the scientific application of artificial intelligence for disaster risk reduction through its AI for Humanity™ program. Learn more about these innovations at www.pdc.org/aiforhumanity.
The Center also provides specialized research on a range of topics ranging such as national fragility, national disaster preparedness, women, peace and security, and climate change. PDC also supports disaster preparedness training and exercises.

A brief history of PDC

Following the devastating effects of Hurricane Iniki to the Hawaiian Islands in 1992, Pacific Disaster Center was conceived as a center to improve systems of communication and technology for disaster prevention at home and beyond. PDC now serves a global audience, helping to increase disaster management capacity and embolden more effective decisions, policies, and actions for a safer world.

Our Team

Executive Management

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Ray Shirkhodai is responsible for PDC’s strategic development, market and partnership expansion, and all aspects of the enterprise operation. Serving in information management and senior leadership roles since 1991, Ray first joined PDC in 2002 as the Chief Information Officer before his selection for Executive Director in 2007. During his tenure at PDC, Ray architected PDC’s flagship DisasterAWARE® risk intelligence platform and mobile applications, developed and oversaw strategies for PDC’s expansion into the global hazard and risk reduction markets, and increased the Center’s competitive project revenues, augmenting PDC’s base research and operating budgets. Ray has led the Center’s support of major international disaster relief operations. He has served as a chief technology advisor to regional and national disaster management offices around the world. Ray has written for numerous United Nations publications on analytical software design for risk reduction. He has been an invited keynote speaker, lecturer and participant at many international events focused on technologies for risk reduction and resilience. Ray is on the advisory board of the University of Hawaii Maui College Applied Business and Information Technology (ABIT) program. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from George Mason University followed by graduate studies in Artificial Intelligence at George Mason University.

Ray Shirkhodai

Executive Director

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Chris Chiesa has more than 30 years of experience developing and leading enterprise applications of geospatial information technologies and has been actively involved in disaster management activities for the past two decades. He directs international deployments of PDC’s disaster management decision support DisasterAWARE® platform. Chris has extensive programmatic and institutional experience in the Asia Pacific region. His work has also taken him to Europe, Central and South America, and Africa. In 2005, Chris received Esri’s prestigious Special Achievements in GIS Award in recognition of the Center’s support to the Indian Ocean tsunami response. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BSME, MSNR) and the University of Arizona (MBA).

Chris Chiesa, MS, MBA

Deputy Executive Director

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Dr. Joseph Green is an expert in the practical application of risk information for humanitarian assistance and resilience-building initiatives worldwide. His analytical work spans more than two decades, with specialized focus on the examination of the intersection between social vulnerability, health outcomes, and disaster resilience. Joseph earned his PhD in epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Prior to earning his PhD, Joseph earned a master’s degree in medical geography from the University of South Florida and worked as a research fellow at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Joseph Green, PhD

Director of Applied Science

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Dr. Erin Hughey is the Director of Global Operation for the Pacific Disaster Center. A recognized leader in global disaster management and disaster risk reduction, Dr. Hughey developed the only operationalized approach to the United Nations Sendai Framework for Action. Known as the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA), this program has been implemented by more than 20 countries worldwide and aids national, regional and international disaster risk reduction initiatives. With a PhD in geography, Dr. Hughey has dedicated her life’s work to the innovation and the application of new science and technology for disaster management—empowering practitioners and senior leadership alike with the tools and information needed to support data-driven decision making.

Erin Hughey, PhD

Director of Global Operations

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Cassie Stelow brings with her more than 10 years of experience in the development and execution of enterprise-wide IT solutions and strategies. She oversees PDC’s data management solutions and was the key architect for transforming the organization’s data services into a single source. Cassie is responsible for the implementation of data governance, adherence to IT standards and the institutionalization of enterprise tools. She holds a Master of Science in Geospatial Information Science and Technology from North Carolina State University.

Cassie Stelow, MS

Acting Director of Information Technology

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Scott Okada is responsible for PDC’s fiscal planning and management in all areas of budgeting, financial analysis, procurement, and business information technology applications. He has experience and training as a financial forecaster, auditor, tax-compliance officer, and report compiler for national and governmental organizations. His experience also includes high-level oversight of human resources management and loss prevention, as well as cash management and cost control functions. He earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Scott Okada, BBA, MBA

Director of Finance & Administration

Other Staff

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Bear (Bernd) McConnell

Senior Advisor

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Steve Recca has held several security policy positions with the State Department, Department of Defense, and in academia. He was Director of the University of Colorado Springs Center for Homeland Security where he managed research programs in civil security, defense-related topics, as well as institutional and government agency collaborative relationships. He is on the Editorial Review Board of four peer-reviewed journals and is a frequent guest lecturer on civil security topics for academic institutions across the United States. Steve holds a Master’s in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Steve Recca

Humanitarian Assistance Programs Senior Advisor

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