MIAMI, FL (July 26, 2007) – Every time a hurricane looms on the horizon, faculty and staff at universities across the Southeastern United States scramble to secure millions of dollars worth of computer equipment with valuable data and experiments that have been years in the making. Then they bunker down and hope that their projects survive the storm.
In an effort to help protect billions of dollars worth of research, the Federal government created the Disaster Resistant University (DRU) program. Florida International University recently became the first public university in Florida to have its disaster mitigation plan vetted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and earn the DRU designation.
“In the last 15 years since Hurricane Andrew, we have been at the forefront of developing disaster mitigation processes and technologies,” said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “Now we are applying the fruits of our extensive research and our expertise to our own campuses.”
With the DRU designation, FIU joined 28 universities nation-wide that meet federal disaster plan requirements. This makes FIU eligible to apply for up to $3 million for each mitigation project it undertakes. Currently the federal government has $100 million available for such projects nationwide. Participation in the DRU Program will afford opportunities for FIU to reduce and manage its vulnerability to disasters.
Carolyn Robertson, a member of the advisory committee that designed FIU’s plan, explained that while all disasters are contemplated by the DRU program, hurricanes have accounted for about two thirds of all insured property losses in the past 50 years.
In FIU’s case, hurricanes are the leading threat, said Robertson, who serves as assistant director of FIU’s International Hurricane Research Center.
The plan which FIU presented to FEMA and the State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, explains how the university would invest in its resiliency, which would ensure continuity of operations. The plan establishes the broad vision and guiding principles for reducing hazard risks to students and employees, and further proposes specific mitigation actions to eliminate or reduce identified vulnerabilities.
Robertson said FEMA awards the DRU designation after carefully reviewing the plans.
FIU is currently in the process of identifying and prioritizing mitigation projects, which may include protecting climate control systems for laboratories and installing impact resistant windows in key areas, among other projects.
“Now that we have received the DRU designation, we are working with academic areas to identify the most pressing needs,” said Robertson.
She added that FIU’s plan received high compliments from both FEMA officials and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
“Investing in mitigation will save us tens of millions of dollars in rebuilding costs,” said Robertson. “Besides, much of what we’ll be protecting is irreplaceable.”
Other universities that have earned the DRU designation include the University of Southern California, University of Georgia and University of Miami.
For more information on the FIU’s DRU program go to http://dru.ihrc.fiu.edu/newsRoom.html
Florida International University was founded in 1972 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 21 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelors, masters and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will open in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association and ranked first in the state in the latest administration of the Bar exam.
—FIU—
Media Contact:
Jose D. Parra at 305-348-2716, or parraj@fiu.edu
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