Media advisory: Hurricane Helene experts from UW–Madison available  

Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida late Thursday night, bringing 140 mile per hour winds and pounding rain. It left destruction, flooding and at least 22 people dead with more fatalities expected to be found. Experts from UW–Madison are available for insight and analysis as cleanup begins.  

Hurricane Helene, property damage and inequality 

Associate professor of sociology Max Besbris is available for interviews about how storm damage can exacerbate inequality, and how residents decide whether to rebuild or leave after extensive property damage.  

Contact: besbris@wisc.edu 

Forecasting hurricanes 

Sarah Griffin, an associate research scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, is an expert on tropical cyclone meteorology and validating the accuracy of forecasts. She can speak about the use of satellite data to track and predict tropical cyclones and hurricanes. 

Contact: sarah.griffin@ssec.wisc.edu 

Hurricane intensity forecasting 

Derrick Herndon, an assistant researcher with the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, uses satellite data to study the intensity of hurricanes and has been monitoring Hurricane Helene as it approached Florida. He can speak to reporters about forecasting and the intensity of the storm. 

Contact: dherndon@ssec.wisc.edu 

The cost of natural disasters 

Shane Hubbard, a research scientist at the Space Science and Engineering Center, is available for interviews about impacts from the hurricane and flooding. Hubbard is an expert in loss and damage estimation following natural disasters. 

Contact: shane.hubbard@ssec.wisc.edu 

More experts on news and current events can be found on the UW–Madison Experts Database.