
Leading Through Catastrophe with Seamus Leary
From Disaster Podcast by Jamie Davis, Sam Bradley, Joe Holley, Kyle Nelson
February 7, 2026 · 39 min
About this episode
Seamus Leary discusses leadership in emergency management during catastrophic events.
This week on the Disaster Podcast we chat with Seamus Leary ,MPA, CEM about leading through catastrophe: when systems fail. He is President of Meridian Strategic Services, Inc. and is an emergency management expert who worked at the state and local levels and later with FEMA at the Federal level. With responses to numerous major disasters, Seamus brings a unique perspective to how emergency managers can cope when all the usual systems break down. The episode is co-hosted by Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis. Scroll down for Podcast Discussion Summary Thank you as always to Paragon Medical Education Group for their long-term support of the Disaster Podcast. Dr. Joe Holley and the team at Paragon continue to provide excellent and customized disaster response training to jurisdictions around the U.S. and internationally as well. Podcast Discussion Summary FEMA’s Disaster Response Methods Seamus Leary, president of Meridian Strategic Services, discussed his experience in emergency management, including his role as a federal coordinating officer for FEMA Region 2 and his work as a county emergency manager. He explained FEMA’s disaster classification system, highlighting that…
People in this episode
Hosts: Sam Bradley, Jamie Davis
Guest: Seamus Leary
Topics covered
- emergency management
- disaster response
- leadership
- FEMA
- catastrophic events
Keywords
- emergency management
- FEMA
- disaster response
- catastrophic disasters
- leadership
Sponsors
Paragon Medical Education Group
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Meridian Strategic Services, Inc., FEMA
More episodes of Disaster Podcast
- Dry Decon Tools and Techniques with Amit Kapoor · June 12, 2026 · 32 min
- Hot Weather Medical Emergencies with Dr. Joe Holley · June 4, 2026 · 32 min
- 2026 Hurricane Season Forecast Review · May 16, 2026 · 34 min
- Sam’s Move to Tornado Alley and Hurricane Messaging Updates · May 9, 2026 · 31 min
- IBHS Supports Research into Hailstorms and Other Disasters · April 25, 2026 · 34 min
- Disaster Trauma and Mental Health with Sonnet Daymont · April 17, 2026 · 44 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Disaster Podcast podcast page.