When Disaster Hits, Data Isn’t Enough with Jeremy Greenberg

In this episode of The Reality Layer, Dave Tobias sits down with Jeremy Greenberg, a veteran emergency and risk management leader with more than two decades of federal service, to explore what insurers can learn from the way FEMA prepares for and responds to disasters.

Having helped coordinate responses to hundreds of presidentially declared disasters, Jeremy explains why growing unpredictability is forcing organizations to rethink preparedness. His advice starts with a simple principle: do the basics brilliantly. Know your plans, understand your resources, practice under stress, and identify gaps before a real event exposes them.

This conversation also explores a growing challenge: organizations have more data than ever but still struggle to turn it into knowledge. In the first 24 to 48 hours after a disaster, imagery, property intelligence, and faster analysis can help answer critical questions about damage, accessibility, infrastructure, and where resources should go first.

Jeremy also emphasizes the value of relationships built before disaster strikes. Insurers should know local emergency managers, make communication easier for people under stress, and prepare for the possibility that their own teams and systems could be affected by the same event.

Ultimately, better response comes down to knowing how information moves, turning it into action quickly, and building a trusted network before you need it.

Jeremy Greenberg is a Senior Advisor at The Aspen Institute and an emergency and risk management leader with more than 23 years of federal service, including five years as a member of the Senior Executive Service.

Most recently, Jeremy led FEMA’s Response Operations Division, overseeing national capabilities responsible for identifying, alerting, and stabilizing threats and hazards. His portfolio included the National Watch Center, FEMA Operations Center, National Response Coordination Center, and National Urban Search and Rescue program.

During his FEMA career, Jeremy also served as Chief of the National Response Coordination Center and FEMA Team Leader for the Domestic Emergency Support Team, helping coordinate responses to hundreds of presidentially declared disasters spanning hurricanes, wildfires, cyber incidents, terrorist attacks, and other major emergencies.

Beyond his federal career, Jeremy has spent more than 20 years serving his community as a volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician, and instructor.

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