Helen Murphy is a retired epidemiologist and former Family Practice Nurse Practitioner with the US Public Health Service. She worked internationally for twenty years with a variety of NGOs and UN agencies, primarily in emergency relief in politically sensitive refugee camps that at times were under military bombardment.  

Her epidemiological research involved developing a home technology to prevent dehydration among Afghan refugee children and spent a number of years studying and preventing the health effects of pesticides among Southeast Asian farmers.  She also completed a short tour of duty with the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. On returning to the US and before retiring, she ended her working career in occupational health. She was outreach director in an agricultural health and safety research center within the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.  

She enjoys volunteering for OEM because she can use her multi-cultural training background and disaster management experience. After so many years out of the country, it is now important for her to serve her city of Seattle and get to know its community groups. EOM has proved the most inclusive organization with whom she has ever volunteered because it offers superb educational seminars.  It also highly values their volunteers making them feel part of their team. She has been impressed how EOM allows the volunteers to introduce new training methods and cross-pollinate innovations with each other.

The training is fun to deliver and well accepted by community groups. The biggest hit includes the end-of-session ‘Disaster Jeopardy’ game and the 2- bucket emergency sanitation system complete with pool-noodle-adapted comfortable seats. Her personal favorite disaster preparedness tool is a lantern constructed from an empty plastic gallon water bottle and head lamp which, when turned inward and on, provides excellent lighting. More recently, Helen has been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic acceptance of the SeattleAlert system when handing out information posters and cards for the program to local businesses.

Although 2020 was a challenge, it has allowed one to be grateful for surviving the pandemic, tightening one’s bonds with friends and family, albeit remotely, and the opportunity to build resilience.    

OEM thanks Helen and all our volunteers for their contributions to a safer Seattle! To learn more about volunteering with OEM, visit http://www.seattle.gov/emergency-management/about-us/volunteer