Moment of Truth: The Nature of Catastrophes and How to Prepare for Them

About Kelly McKinney

Kelly McKinney has had a leadership role in every major disaster in New York City for more than fifteen years from the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to the present day. As Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Office of Emergency Management he led the city's response to Hurricane Sandy. He assembled a Task Force of hundreds led by the FDNY and the National Guard to knock on thousands of doors across the coastal areas devastated by the storm. He rebuilt the city's disaster planning program including the Coastal Storm Plan about which the New York Post said Planning makes perfect. As Chief Disaster Officer for the American Red Cross he rushed to the aid of people affected by train crashes and building collapses most notably the March 2014 Con Edison gas explosion on 125th Street in Harlem. He is the founding principal of Emergency Management Americas a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to advance the profession and practice of emergency management Nationally known for his writing and speaking on the principles and practice of disaster management his 5-minute video The Essential Emergency Manager has been viewed more than 70000 times on YouTube. He is a professional engineer with a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Kansas and an MPA from Columbia University in the City of New York. He is a board member of the All-Hazards Consortium and of the Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management in New York City Currently he is the Senior Director of Emergency Management and Enterprise Resilience at NYU Langone Health a world-class academic medical center based in New York City.