Sonny Kunchick,

Hazard Mitigation Specialist, FEMA

Sonny Kunchick

Undergraduate Research Assistant 2007

What are they doing now?

Sonny is a Hazard Mitigation Assistance Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 10, Mitigation Division, in Bothell, WA. He reviews and processes Hazard Mitigation Grant Program(HMGP) applications. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to States and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. Authorized under Section 404 of the Stafford Act and administered by FEMA, HMGP was created to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters.

Before taking his current position he served as a FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) in the Disaster Operations Division as a Planning Specialist. In this position he responded to disasters in Texas, Washington and Alaska.

Sonny Kunchick has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Planning and Environmental Policy his degree focus was on the Disaster Reduction and Emergency Planning (DREP) track through Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment. As an Intern at the Institute for Global and Community Resilience (ICGR - now The Reslilience Institute) Sonny provided research support for staff and faculty and also coordinated special events.

Sonny served as President of the Social Action Connection, a student organization that worked to promote social justice. Sonny has also worked with a local community action agency to reduce low income people’s home energy cost burden and to provide them with healthy and safe homes.

He is also Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Certified and volunteered on the Bellingham, Washington, Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Council’s subcommittee for Disaster Preparedness.

In Sonny’s spare time, he enjoys skiing, biking, and hiking with his wife, Kristine, and his two daughters, Azriel and Solea.