The Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1. Researchers at the University of South Carolina are available to discuss multiple aspects of the 2025 hurricane season, including preparation and communication, environmental impact and historical perspectives.
To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with the entry.
Preparation and communication
Cary Mock, professor of geography and a climatologist, can discuss the meteorological characteristics,
climate, tracks and forecasting aspects of hurricanes, as well as hurricane history.
By studying 18th- and 19th-century plantation records, newspapers, diaries, ship logbooks
and early meteorological records, Mock created a perspective on hurricanes during
the last several hundred years, which provides a better understanding of their patterns
and the relationship between hurricanes and climate change.
News contact: Bryan Gentry, brgentry@sc.edu, 803-576-7650.
Brett Robertson, is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications (SJMC)
and associate director of the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute (HVRI).
He studies how people prepare for and respond to hurricanes, with a focus on public
messaging, risk communication and emergency information access. His research looks
at how tools like social media and mobile alerts influence decision-making before,
during and after a storm. He also works with emergency managers and public health
professionals to improve how life-saving information is delivered during major weather
events.
News contact: J. Scott Parker, j.scottparker@sc.edu, 803-777-2696.
Susan Cutter, Carolina Distinguished Professor of geography, is director of the university's Hazards
Vulnerability and Resilience Institute, one of the country's top facilities for integrating
hazards research and geospatial information and training the next generation of emergency
managers. Cutter can discuss emergency preparedness, response and recovery, social
vulnerability to hazards and disasters, and the impact of storms as a function of
community vulnerability and resilience and long-term recovery in communities. Cutter
and colleagues at the institute have conducted field work on evacuations and evacuation
behavior (Hurricane Matthew in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) and monitored
long-term recovery along the Mississippi coast after Hurricane Katrina.
News contact: Bryan Gentry, brgentry@sc.edu, 803-576-7650.
Shannon A. Bowen, professor in the College of Information and Communications, studies ethics and how
governmental and emergency management agencies use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
media to keep the public informed and quell misinformation. Bowen is the executive
director and founder of the Global Strategic Communication Consortium and runs its
AI Ethics Advisory Board. Her research is funded through a National Science Foundation
grant. She can discuss the challenges citizens and these agencies face during evacuations,
floods, hurricanes and other disasters, as well as ethical challenges for AI and public
affairs. She can also share recommendations for national, state, and local agencies
for their disaster communication and recovery efforts.
News contact: J. Scott Parker, j.scottparker@sc.edu, 803-777-2696.
Infrastructure and innovation
Fabio Matta is an associate professor of civil engineering whose research focuses on construction
materials and their structural performance, ranging from affordable and high-quality
earth masonry to advanced cement- and polymer-matrix composites. Emphasis is placed
on extreme stressors such as high winds (tornadoes, hurricanes), flying-debris impact,
earthquakes and corrosion of steel and concrete structures. His recent work in the
Molinaroli College of Engineering led to the prototyping of a low-cost unfired earth
masonry reinforced with recycled plastic that can resist hurricane and tornado wind
pressures and flying-debris impacts. Research sponsors include National Science Foundation,
the Department of Energy and the Federal Highway Administration.
News contact: Gregory Hardy, ghardy@sc.edu, 352-362-7052.
Inthuorn Sasanakul, associate professor of civil engineering at the Molinaroli College of Engineering
and Computing, studies how to make infrastructure safer during hurricanes, earthquakes
and other natural disasters. Her work was inspired by firsthand experience investigating
structural failures after Hurricane Katrina. She uses specialized lab equipment—including
an earthquake simulator and a NASA geotechnical centrifuge—to test how roads, bridges
and dams hold up under extreme conditions. Her goal is to help communities build smarter
and stronger before the next big storm hits.
News contact: Gregory Hardy, ghardy@sc.edu, 352-362-7052.
Environmental impact and policy
Subra Bulusu is a professor of satellite oceanography and physical oceanography and head of the
Satellite Oceanography Laboratory in the School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment.
He can discuss a hurricane's impact on oceans using remote-sensing techniques, satellite
oceanography and ocean modeling.
News contact: Bryan Gentry, brgentry@sc.edu, 803-576-7650.
Josh Eagle, Solomon Blatt Professor of Law, specializes in natural resources and coastal law
and can discuss environmental-policy implications and regulatory requirements related
to hurricanes. Eagle is an authority on coastal law, which encompasses land use and
development, property and the preservation of natural resources.
News contact: Andersen Cook, cookea2@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-8058.
Health and well-being
Patrice Penney is an assistant professor in the University of South Carolina’s College of Social
Work. She specializes in how individuals, families and communities recover from traumatic events
during natural disasters. Her expertise includes mental health and resilience—including preparing
for, responding to and rebuilding after disasters. Penney can speak to issues such
as access to mental health care, long-term recovery for youth and families, and community-based
support systems.
News contact: Victoria Montgomery, vmontgom@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-9462.
Jill Michels, managing director of the Palmetto Poison Center, can discuss health and safety risks
that individuals and families might face during hurricane season. She can address
issues including carbon monoxide poisoning caused by improper generator use, food-borne
illnesses from spoiled food as well as medication-related concerns during storm evacuations—such
as the dangers of improperly stored or mixed medications and the importance of maintaining
accurate medication records. The Palmetto Poison Center, staffed by toxicology experts,
offers free guidance to South Carolina residents on exposure to poisonous materials
and supports public well-being before, during, and after severe weather events.
News contact: Christina Derienzo, derienzo@poison.sc.edu, 803-394-7279.
Risk management and financial impact
Robert Hartwig is a finance professor in the Darla Moore School of Business and one of the nation’s leading authorities on insurance. He can discuss risk assessment, insurance pricing and public policy issues related to insurance for coastal residents and businesses. Specific topics include catastrophe modeling, catastrophe bonds, catastrophe reinsurance and the National Flood Insurance Program. Hartwig was appointed in December 2022 to the Federal Reserve Board Insurance Policy Advisory Committee and can provide insights and economic analysis related to the insurance industry.
News contact: Marjorie Riddle Duffie, marjorie.duffie@moore.sc.edu, 803-576-7337.
Tamara Sheldon is an associate professor of economics at the Darla Moore School of Business. Part
of her research examines how natural disasters can impact household housing and financial
decisions in the years after a disaster.
News contact: Marjorie Riddle Duffie, marjorie.duffie@moore.sc.edu, 803-576-7337.
Rich Harrill is a research professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. He is
a native of South Carolina who has firsthand experience with the powerful Hurricane
Hugo in 1989. He can discuss the long and short-term impact of natural disasters on
tourism. He also can discuss how businesses in storm-threatened areas prepare for
and recover from storms. Because weather is unpredictable, he makes himself available
24/7.
News contact: Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu, 803-777-5667.
Drew Martin, a professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, can discuss how
businesses prepare for and recover from storms as well as how the possibility of damage
affects business plans. He also can discuss the broad impacts of natural disasters
on tourism.
News contact: Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu, 803-777-5667.
Lori Pennington-Gray is director of the Richardson Family SmartState Center for Economic Excellence in
Tourism and Economic Development. She focuses on tourism destination resilience, crisis
management and preparedness. Her work has been featured in numerous national media
outlets.
News contact: Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu, 803-777-5667.
Scott Smith, associate professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, is widely
recognized as a leading expert on theme parks. He can discuss the impact of storms
on parks and other tourist destinations. He also provides consulting to the hotel,
resort and theme park industries and can discuss how they prepare for storms and their
economic impact.
News contact: Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu, 803-777-5667.