UW receieves $300,000 grant to prepare for disasters

Kayla Webley
2004-11-17
The Daily

If a fire rages through campus or if an earthquake shakes its walls, the UW's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will be more prepared thanks to a grant designed to aid in disaster prevention and response.

The UW was one of 28 universities selected to receive a disaster resistant grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grant was receieved in October.

The UW received $300,000, which is the highest sum awarded to any of the universities receiving disaster grants. Typical grants ranged from $18,000 and $226,000.

"In comparison to other colleges and universities of similar size, we are seen as a national leader (in campus emergency preparedness)," said Steven Charvat, director of the OEM.

With the $300,000 it received, the OEM funds programs designed to prevent and lessen damage if a disaster should occur.

"The seven programs that have been funded are for providing additional planning, training and exercises for the UW to prepare for disasters," said Charvat. "These are things we have recognized that are projects and activities that need to be addressed on our campus."

One program the grant funds will be allocated $43,000 to develop, implement and evaluate a major functional tabletop for the UW. This, according to Charvat, would allow staff to perform a drill in a simulated disaster in order to train staff on how to deal with disasters in their buildings.

Another program, funded with $18,000 from the grant, will focus on developing programs for specific groups.

"We want to do some emergency planning for what we call special needs populations, which are the mentally or physically handicapped, non-English speakers and patients in our hospitals; the people that would need additional assistance if there is a disaster," said Charvat.

The office will use $23,000 of the grant funds to host a two-day disaster resistant workshop and best practices symposium, to be held in January 2005.

"The workshop is for the best minds around the country to learn how to deal with disasters on college campuses," said Charvat.

The other programs funded were expanding the campus emergency response team, the development of a business continuity plan and resumption model, co-hosting a campus-wide safety fair and updating the office's Web site.

The UW is also waiting to execute an eighth program designed to seismicly retrofit the Bryant Building, which is where both the University of Washington Police Department's 911 dispatch center and the University's Emergency Operations Center are located.

"We are optimistic about receiving the additional $200,000 for the additional project," said Charvat.

The first seven projects are slated for completion by October 2006.

"Our job is to see that we are as best prepared as we can be with the resources we have. As a staff we feel we are very prepared," said Charvat.