Suzanne Bernier CEM, CBCP, MBCI

I am a certified, award-winning, and internationally-recognized emergency management and business continuity consultant, instructor and speaker, who has helped governments, communities, and companies plan for and respond to disasters for nearly twenty years.

I have been personally and professionally involved in numerous high-impact crises, including the 1998 ‘Ice Storm of the Century,’ the 2003 Northeast Blackout, the 2003 SARS outbreak, the H1N1 pandemic, Hurricane Sandy, and Hurricane Katrina, as well as numerous severe storms, floods, and forest fires.

Prior to my career in emergency management, I worked extensively as a news reporter and anchor.

My critically-acclaimed 2015 book, Disaster Heroes, tells the stories of ordinary men, women, and children who have done remarkable things to help respond, recover, and rebuild following some of the world’s most significant modern disasters, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Japan tsunami.

In the foreword to Disaster Heroes, the Honorable Tom Ridge, first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security writes, “Suzanne Bernier has compiled a moving selection of stories from philanthropic men and women around the globe who acted with compassion and love in the face of catastrophe, be it natural or man-made. They didn’t just talk about what should be done; they did it. They helped rescue, rebuild, and restore a faith in humanity that, especially in the face of such misfortune, can at times seem a foregone idea.”