Preventing future tragedies; Dr. Irwin Redlener shares his advice

Newtown, Connecticut is a community in the prayers of the entire country today. As the nation grieves the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, experts are examining how it could have been prevented. Dr. Irwin Redlener is the Head of Columbia University National Center for Disaster Preparedness. He joins Soledad O’Brien live in Newtown this morning with his advice. Dr. Redlener is also the President and Co-Founder of the Children's Health Fund.

Dr. Redlener reflects on the response the administrators and students had during the tragedy. He says the Sandy Hook Elementary School faculty was actually very prepared and had trained for emergencies. Dr. Redlener says there was “heroism and a really defined plan of action” here.

He stresses the need for schools all over the country to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies. “It is very important that people are keeping their heads, they’re following a plan, they know what to do and they’re keeping things under as much control as possible under the worst possible circumstances.”