"Calling hurricanes, floods, wildfires and extreme heatwaves 'natural' obfuscates our human responsibility. It lets us off the hook for the death and destruction." By the end of this jaw-dropping talk with disaster mitigation and recovery expert Sarah Tuneberg, you'll rethink everything you thought you knew about so-called natural disasters. Pay attention – it just might save your life.

For over a decade, Sarah Tuneberg worked in public health and emergency management in places like South Sudan and post-Katrina New Orleans. She founded Geospiza on the belief that data can save lives. Her interdisciplinary team develops data-driven, evidence-based solutions that reduce risk and enhance resilience, especially for the most vulnerable populations who suffer disproportionately in disaster. When she’s not protecting us from hurricanes, fires, floods, and tornadoes, she’s catching up on the latest celebrity gossip, her guilty pleasure.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx