Jim Chesnutt
Jim Chesnutt is an American crisis communications specialist and former public information officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He was the first FEMA videographer assigned to Ground Zero following the September 11 attacks.[1]
Early life and education
Chesnutt was born in San Jose, California, and grew up in Rochester, Minnesota.[2] He attended John Marshall High School, Rochester Community College, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in 1989 with a degree in journalism.[2] During college, he worked at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire. He later worked for KAAL-TV in Austin, Minnesota, and KTTC-TV in Rochester.
In 1991, Chesnutt became public information officer for the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross in Denver, Colorado. In 1997, he was appointed public information officer for the Colorado Office of Emergency Management under Governor Roy Romer.[3] He joined FEMA in 1999. His first federal deployment was following the Columbine High School massacre.[3]
FEMA service
Chesnutt served on FEMA’s management team for more than 30 presidentially declared disasters.[4]
In 2005, he deployed to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, where he and FEMA staff member Dan Martinez helped coordinate the evacuation of residents from the Lafon nursing home in New Orleans. At the time, 22 residents had died when floodwaters entered the building, and 59 others required evacuation.[5]
September 11 attacks
Chesnutt was the first FEMA videographer assigned to Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.[1] He documented search and rescue operations using his personal Canon XL1 camera. His footage was transmitted by CNN from New York to media organizations worldwide.[6] Chesnutt’s work appeared in coverage by NBC News, CBS News, and USA Today, and he appeared on The Today Show as a FEMA spokesperson.[7]
News Corps International
After leaving FEMA, Chesnutt co-founded News Corps International with journalist Mark Amann to report on humanitarian crises. The group produced video reports from Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Mali, Malawi, Indonesia, and Central America. Some material was used by nonprofits for advocacy and fundraising.[8]
Nusura and SimulationDeck
Chesnutt later co-founded Nusura Inc. with Amann and Gary Gleason. The company developed SimulationDeck, a digital simulation platform for crisis response exercises. SimulationDeck was used by government agencies, the U.S. military, and Fortune 500 companies.[9]
Media coverage
Chesnutt’s work has been featured in USA Today, The Washington Post, NBC News, CBS News, Mediaite, Wired, TVTechnology, and Los Angeles Times. His StoryCorps interview is archived by the Library of Congress.[10]
See also
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- September 11 attacks
- Ground Zero
- Hurricane Katrina
- SimulationDeck
- Urban search and rescue
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Levine, Jon (September 11, 2021). ""Everyone Deserved to Know What Was Being Done": FEMA Photographers Share Stories of Their Work at Ground Zero". Mediaite. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
Jim Chesnutt was the first FEMA videographer on the ground at Ground Zero, documenting recovery operations.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Fighting famine in Ethiopia". Aspen Times. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Message". Westword. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ↑ "National Defense Magazine: Consulting Firm Develops Crisis Simulator". Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ↑ Bridges, Tyler (September 23, 2005). "At Nursing Home, Katrina Dealt Only the First Blow". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
The bodies of 22 residents were found inside Lafon Nursing Home... More than 59 others were rescued after floodwaters isolated the building.
- ↑ "Capturing History at Ground Zero". TV Technology. September 7, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
His video was broadcast globally by CNN and became one of the primary visual records of the recovery operations.
- ↑ "Colorado search and rescue team at Ground Zero". 9News. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ↑ "News Corps in Africa". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Training Day: A Tweet Dictates When to Send SWAT". Wired. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
Nusura developed SimulationDeck, a simulated social media environment used by the U.S. military and Fortune 500 companies for crisis training.
- ↑ "StoryCorps Interview with Jim Chesnutt". Retrieved July 26, 2025.
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