Carl A. Flores serves as Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness for the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of the Surgeon General. With over 30 years in EMS and disaster management, he is recognized nationally for advancing emergency preparedness and public health response. A former Chief of EMS for the City of New Orleans, Flores led the department’s post–Hurricane Katrina rebuilding and modernization. At University Medical Center New Orleans, he developed critical COVID-19 response protocols and directed hospital operations during Louisiana’s most active hurricane season. As Southern Region Burn Disaster Coordinator and Chair of the American Burn Association Disaster Committee, he spearheaded key national initiatives, including a standardized burn disaster plan and real-time burn bed tracking system. Flores continues to strengthen healthcare resilience and emergency response across Louisiana and beyond.