JOHN R. SCALA, Ph.D.
Weather & Environmental Hazards –
The Challenges of Awareness, Research, and Education in NJ
Friday, November 14, 2008
Dr. Scala is a broadcast meteorologist for WGAL-TV (NBC) in Lancaster, PA. He is also employed as a private consultant, preparing expert opinions on cases involving personal injury, questionable death and storm-related damage. Previously, Dr. Scala held a tenure-track faculty position at Millersville University of Pennsylvania from 2002-2005, and served as the Associate Director of Millersville’s Center for Disaster Research and Education. He was employed by The Weather Channel between 1998-2002 as their on-camera Storm Analyst and Meteorology Training Coordinator.
Dr. Scala began his professional career at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where he focused on the observation, and numerical modeling of storms. Dr. Scala holds a BS (1980) degree in Biology and Geology from the University of Rochester, and MS (1984) and PhD (1990) degrees in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Scala is President of the National Weather Association (NWA), a professional nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting excellence in operational meteorology. Membership in the NWA is approximately 3000, including 50 corporate members and over 250 subscribers including many colleges, universities and weather service agencies. Dr. Scala has been a member of the National Weather Association since 1995, serving as a Councilor, and as a member of the Professional Development Committee.
Dr. Scala is also a member of the American Geophysical Union, the North American Forensic Entomology Association, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Meteorological Society where he served on the Committee on Cloud Physics, and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.
Dr. Scala is frequently asked to address public schools, community service organizations, insurance underwriters and claims adjusters, first responders, and emergency managers and coordinators at the municipal and county level on disaster preparedness, severe weather awareness and hazard mitigation. He maintains a close working relationship with the National Weather Service by collaborating on research projects designed to improve operational forecasting as well as assisting in site surveys of tornado and severe storm damage. Dr. Scala also consulted with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association where he developed curricular-based materials for integrating service learning, scientific knowledge, and emergency response and preparedness activities.
JOHN R. SCALA
717-799-6700
scalawx@comcast.net
Session Abstract
DISASTER AWARENESS, EDUCATION AND ASSESSMENT
The demographics of world populations reveal that 44% of Earth’s inhabitants reside within 150 km of a coastline. An even more shocking statistic is that eight of the ten largest cities on our planet are located directly on the coast (Resio and Westerink 2008). The 2000 census indicated that 40% of the U.S. population lives in coastal regions or areas at risk for a natural disaster. In addition, a large percentage (~67%) of our population occupies urbanized zones accounting for only 2% of the land mass (Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology). The percentage of urban dwellers is expected to reach 60% worldwide by the year 2025 (Shepherd and Jin 2004).
These numbers suggest a growing U.S. and global population will exert even greater pressure upon emergency managers, first responders and health professionals already straining to cope with a society intent on placing life and property in the direct path of a potential disaster (natural or manmade). These actions carry an enormous socio-economic price tag beyond the often catastrophic loss of life. The objective of this talk is to raise individual, community and regional awareness of the events that can lead to a disaster, their consequences and the importance of societal action that emphasizes hazard education as a key to mitigating future catastrophes.