COVIDCalls 5.5.2020 Esther Chernak & James Kendra--is our disaster system built to fail? by COVIDCalls published on 2020-05-05T22:37:57Z Dr. Esther Chernak is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, and the Drexel University College of Medicine. She is the director of the Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication (CPHRC) at Drexel. James Kendra is a Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration and Director of the Disaster Research Center. Previously he was coordinator of the Emergency Administration and Planning Program in the Department of Public Administration at the University of North Texas. His research interests focus on individual and organizational responses to risk, improvisation and creativity during crisis, post-disaster shelter and housing, and planning for behavioral health services. Dr. Kendra has participated in several quick response disaster reconnaissance trips, including the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, 2003 Midwest tornadoes, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurricane Ike in 2008, as well as documenting maritime relief efforts in the US following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. American Dunkirk: The Waterborne Evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11