Researcher drafting new LSU disaster plan

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By Charles Nunmaker

On January 12, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti and its capital Port-Au-Prince. With the capital and the surrounding areas of Haiti in shambles, aid was almost unable to be brought in due to the destruction, but now, Haiti is finally getting more and more aid as it is starting to get its citizens to safer areas.

Haiti has again shown how destructive a natural disaster can be. Over the last decade, several other disasters, such as the tsunamis in 2004, have shown the destructive power of nature.

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav have taught inhabitants of Louisiana and the Gulf region nature's destructive power. But more importantly, hurricanes, floods and other disasters have specifically shown that you can never be too prepared for a disaster and that disasters can happen anywhere at any time.

To better prepare LSU for future calamities, whether they are natural or man-made, a LSU researcher has been funded to create a new disaster response plan.

Melanie Gall is a researcher for the LSU Disaster Science and Management Program. Gall was recently chosen to lead in the development of the "multi-hazard mitigation plan." The new mitigation plan will improve upon certain response areas, and once the plan is completed, it could apply not only to LSU's Baton Rouge campus but also to the LSU campuses located in Shreveport, Eunice and Alexandria.

"The LSU System does not yet have a hazard mitigation plan. A hazard mitigation plan is different from an emergency operations plan or a business continuity plan," Gall said.

"This plan is a baseline assessment of hazards, vulnerabilities, consequences and proposed mitigation measures to reduce future losses. Having a mitigation plan in place is a great planning tool that comes with a few financial incentives. For instance, the plan will make the university eligible to apply for federal disaster dollars to implement those proposed mitigation strategies."

The plan is being funded through a $680,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA - and also with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Gall is also working with different departments of LSU to further the plan's effectiveness.

"As of now, we [Rusti Liner in the Department of Geography & Anthropology is the project manager] are working directly with Sgt. Joe Thompson from the LSU Police Department, Jerry Stewart from the Office of Occupational & Environmental Safety, and Marc Levitan from Civil and Environmental Engineering Department," Gall said. "We are also relying on the input of a technical working group with representatives from across campuses, GOHSEP and FEMA as well as an advisory planning committee."

Melanie Gall and the plan's development committees will also be holding public forums for feedback on the plan's details. As the plan is currently being developed, Gall said that they want to keep people as informed as possible and invites people to find out more information through the Twitter account LSUMitigation.

The project is expected to be completed around August 2012.

Originally Published: Issue 863 - February 3, 2010

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