FEMA Awards University Of Louisville Nearly $95,000 To Become Resistant To Disasters
Release Date: December 1, 2004
Release Number: R4-04-242
ATLANTA, Ga. -- The University of Louisville has received a $94,958 grant to implement a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program. This grant will enhance existing efforts to make the University more disaster resistant and provide further protection to its significant resources from research, its facilities, and facility, staff and students to reduce overall risk to students, faculty, facilities and research assets.
The grant is part of $3.2 million being awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Emergency Preparedness & Response Directorate (EP&R)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under FEMA’s Disaster Resistant University (DRU) program.
“The University of Louisville should be proud of their selection as a participant in FEMA’s Disaster Resistant University program,” said Mary Lynne Miller, FEMA RIV’s Acting Regional Director. “To be selected as a recipient of a grant in such a competitive arena is truly noteworthy.”
In the past decade, disasters have affected university and college campuses with increasing frequency, bringing with them injuries and in some instances deaths. Nearly all instances have brought monetary losses and disruptions of the institution’s teaching, research and public service functions.
Damage and interruption to the institutional mission can result in significant losses that can be measured by faculty and student departures, loss of irreplaceable research assets, decreases in research funding and increases in insurance premiums. The DRU program is designed to lessen or eliminate such losses.
In fiscal year 2004, the DRU funds were competitively awarded with a national priority of ensuring that program funds benefit a representative range of universities, based on hazard type as well as size, location and academic community served, which included consideration of historically black colleges and universities and tribal colleges and universities.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 01-Dec-2004 14:36:41