Hailey Anderson

Background

About Hailey Anderson

I currently work in the Office of Floodplain Management within the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Every day brings something new, and it is currently my job to learn as much as I possibly can about floodplain management, the NFIP, and CRS in order to better serve the State of Florida. A little bit about myself: While working on my bachelor's in International Affairs, I went through a couple of career planning changes and happened to stumble upon emergency management in the process. I know, typical! While my EM classes have certainly prepared me for a career in the field, I believe my International Affairs courses also hold value in EM. In my degree program, I have learned about world religions, conflict, social problems, transnational organized crime, human rights, and even how climate change and conservation efforts tie in with the social sciences. I was granted the wonderful opportunity of attending the NEMA Annual Forum in Stowe, Vermont in my last semester of college. While networking and getting to know professionals within the field, I realized just how diverse EM is. I met people from various backgrounds: public safety, biology, social sciences, data analytics, social work, and more. It was a wonderful experience! Upon my return to Tallahassee, I went straight back to work in the FSU Disaster Intelligence Analysis Lab. My internship there has proven to be an invaluable learning opportunity for me. The most memorable experience I had while interning with DIAL was assisting FDEM with information gathering in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. I felt fulfilled in this period of time because I knew that the information we provided was being used to directly help those in need. Now I get to wake up every day to work in a field I love!