Disaster Resistant University Project
| Welcome to the UAF Disaster Resistant University Project web site. |  |
The Disaster Resistant University Project, (DRU) is a matching grant program begun by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an outreach of that agency's Project Impact to help universities improve life safety and continuity of operations in the event of a natural disaster. Here at UAF it is being administered jointly through the departments of Codes and Safety and Facility Services - www.uaf.edu/fs/ . At this stage we are primarily concerned with two hazards, earthquakes and winter weather; though we will be looking into others as well in the future.
The University of California Berkeley has already done a similar study and the results from that prompted the current round of research. The other four universities associated with the DRU project are: Tulane in New Orleans, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, University of Miami in Florida, and the University of Washington in Seattle. Along with UAF, each of these universities submitted a proposal to FEMA to study their vulnerability to natural disasters, with an eye toward mitigating hazards as opportunities arise.
Each university has a distinct and difficult set of challenges, and the results will be of great value to other universities and agencies. For its part, UAF not only has the danger of frequent and serious earthquakes, but also extreme winter conditions for more than half the year. The climate in Fairbanks requires planning and preparation on a daily basis, to say nothing of what would be required during a major natural disaster. Check back for more information as progress is made in honing our preparedness.
UAF Objectives
UAF has four objective for the Disaster Resistant University Project grant. These objectives will be compounded in the Strategic Loss Reduction Plan, a document that will integrate UAF's present Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), and Incident Management System with new information gleamed during the DRU project. UAF would like to gratefully acknowledge University of California Berkeley for their assistance in sharing their Strategic Plan for Loss Reduction and other information beneficial to our progress.
Our Four Objectives for the Disaster Resistant University Project:
1.
Structural Surveys of Critical Buildings
2. Non-Structural Mitigation
of Facilities
3. Form Partnerships
with Federal, State, and Local agencies whenever possible.
4. Strategic Loss Reduction
Plan
4a. Create a Business Resumption
Plan
Information on Earthquakes in Alaska and on Disaster Preparedness at UAF
Alaska has 11% of the world's earthquakes, and 52% of those in the United States. Three of the seven largest earthquakes in the world occurred in Alaska, and ten of the fifteen largest earthquakes in the United States also occurred in Alaska.
Fact is - Alaska has between 5,000 and 6,000 earthquakes per year.
Here at UAF the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) details response to a variety of crises, including an earthquake. Implementing the EOP constitutes organizing many people and resources from every part of UAF under the structure of the Incident Command System. Even without resorting to emergency operations; however, you can take action to prepare for an earthquake or other emergency incident.
How to prepare your work site or home for an earthquake:
Office Earthquake Safety Checklist
Lab Earthquake
Safety Checklist
Residence Hall Earthquake Safety Checklist
Home Disaster Preparedness Kit
Vehicle Emergency Kit
Follow the links for information on what to do during an earthquake:
In a Residence Hall
In an Office
In a Laboratory
For more information, or to find out how to better prepare your home, family, or vehicle for emergencies, click on our links to FEMA and ADES below.
Links to Federal, Local and State Agencies
For more information about this program, please contact Edie Curry, 907-474-7681. Email fneic@uaf.edu
Page last update on 6/9/05 by A.Chism