Influential Woman · Emergency Management
Emily L Allen
Children's Book Author, Disaster Management Consultant, unPREPARED, LLC
Houston, TX 77063
Built from real disaster experience, unPREPARED, LLC was founded to close the gap in children's emergency education by giving kids the knowledge, confidence, and skills to be part of the safety plan.
Emily L Allen · In Her Own Words
Her Story
About Emily
Emily A. is a crisis management professional, author, and founder of unPREPARED, LLC, an organization dedicated to preparing children and families for emergencies through education and practical safety training. With extensive experience in emergency management and disaster response, she has worked in high-pressure environments alongside organizations such as the American Red Cross, AmeriCorps, FEMA collaborations, and NYC Health + Hospitals, supporting large-scale shelter operations, disaster preparedness initiatives, and community recovery efforts. Her career spans over a decade of hands-on disaster response, including deployments to hurricanes, wildfires, flooding events, and major emergency operations across the United States and abroad. In these roles, she has led teams, trained volunteers, coordinated shelter operations for thousands of displaced families, and developed community-based preparedness programs. She later expanded her impact into education and authorship, creating child-focused crisis management resources that translate real-world emergency experience into accessible, age-appropriate learning tools. Through unPREPARED, LLC, Emily now focuses on empowering children and families with confidence and practical skills to navigate crises safely. She is the author of the Crisis Management for Kids book series, which includes guides on home fire safety, hurricanes/flooding, and coping strategies. Her work is rooted in the belief that preparedness can build confidence rather than fear, equipping children to respond thoughtfully and safely in moments of uncertainty.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emily
01What do you attribute your success to?
I credit my success with my upbringing and my deep-seated drive to assist others. Growing up with a minister father and a missionary mother, I traveled with them to various communities, witnessing their dedication to service. This passion for helping others has guided my life. After over 20 years in corporate environments and Wall Street, I realized something was missing. Wanting to make a greater impact, I joined AARP to assist seniors and later became part of AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross, responding to disasters. In these roles, I focused on the needs of displaced families and discovered that children are the most vulnerable. This realization inspired me to help young learners become future leaders. Initially, I volunteered for free, but the fulfillment I found in helping others was the real reward. I am committed to assisting those in need, regardless of my own situation. Even during tough times, I will support others, believing in the power of giving back.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is don't just do your job... keep smiling and keep moving, even when things feel uncertain or difficult. Identify gaps and fix them, solve bigger problems and make an impact. Progress comes from staying consistent and taking the next step forward.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
We are strong, and don't ever underestimate yourself. You can do it. Never give up. There's gonna be times when you're discouraged, you're disappointed. You take one step forward and somebody pushes you three steps backwards, but just keep going. You're at the finish line for what you want to do in life, and there's gonna be that one obstacle that's gonna either make you or break you. What don't kill you makes you stronger. Let nothing break that chain of thinking this is a man's world - no, this is a female's world as well, because we're the ones that take care of the households, we're the ones making sure the family is together, making sure everything is running smoothly. When you're opening up a business, think about how you handle your daily life - that's how you can handle your business. You always find ways to feed your family, and you'll find a way to open up your business. Women are always in the forefront, even though half the time we don't get credit.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is getting school districts to approve and adopt child-focused preparedness programs, as well as building strong vendor relationships that allow this work to be integrated into curricula. There’s also the growing concern of children being exposed to risky or misleading information online, which makes accurate, accessible preparedness education even more critical. At the same time, there’s a major opportunity to scale this work through school-based programs, digital platforms like webinars, podcasts, and coaching, and practical products such as Kids Ready backpacks that make preparedness more widely accessible.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Values are significant in both work and personal life. This includes humanitarian service, helping others, having the courage to make bold and risky decisions, perseverance, practical preparedness, and empowering children to act safely and confidently in moments of uncertainty.
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