Crisis Management & Preparedness to Discuss Natural Hazard Mitigation Strategies

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Mar. 30, 2015) — Natural disasters, such as severe storms, tornados, and floods, can cause loss of life; damage buildings and infrastructure; and have devastating consequences for the university and your well-being.  Hazard mitigation reduces disaster damages and is defined as a sustained action to take to reduce risk to the campus community.

So what is UK doing to reduce risk?  How can you become better prepared?  Join UK Police and its Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness(CMP) Tuesday, March 31, 10 a.m. to noon in the Student Center, Center Theater for a discussion on the university’s mitigation strategy for making UK's campus a safer place when faced with natural hazards. 

In addition, CMP is happy to welcome Joe Sullivan, Meteorologist from the National Weather Service, as he will address the campus community on “Building a Weather Ready Nation”.

University of Kentucky’s Hazard Mitigation Plan has kept the University in compliance with federal hazard mitigation planning standards resulting from the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, as contained in 44 CFR 201.6.  As a result, the university is an eligible applicant for state and federal funds for mitigation and disaster assistance grant programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  University of Kentucky’s Hazard Mitigation Goals include:

1.      Protect lives and reduce injuries from hazards and threats.

2.      Protect university property, organizational information, and research from hazards and threats.

3.      Enhance existing, or develop new University policies and practices that are designed to reduce damaging effects from hazards and threats.

4.      Build stronger partnerships between government, educational institutions, business, and the community.

5.      Build disaster preparedness though mitigation education and outreach.

The 2015 update to University of Kentucky’s Hazard Mitigation Plan has been a collective effort on the part of UK Police:  Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness, the UK Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee, state and local agencies, and University of Louisville’s Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development.  The risks identified and the priority placed upon them throughout this planning process will guide the university and influence opportunities for FEMA funding over the next five years, until the time comes for another update.  A series of steering committee meetings have been held on UK’s campus over the last several months in an effort to accomplish the following:

1.       Update UK’s hazard vulnerability assessment

2.       Measure progress and update UK’s five-year mitigation action plan

3.       Commit to plan maintenance measures for the next five-year cycle

For more information on this important project, please visit:  http://www.uky.edu/EM/hazardmitigationplan.html