A planning team consisting of University of Wisconsin staff and consultants are in the middle of a two-year Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded grant to develop a Disaster-Resistant University plan for the Madison campus and outlying properties. The goal of this plan is to help mitigate and minimize potential damage from natural, technological or political hazards or disasters.

University community members, including faculty, staff and students, are invited to attend a meeting Tuesday to learn more about the UW DRU plan and provide input on identifying hazards and mitigation ideas important to you. The meeting will be held from 4-6 p.m. in room 240 of the Steenbock Memorial Library.

The DRU Plan will facilitate cooperation between federal, state and UW authorities as well as enhance a planning network to better enable UW to articulate accurate needs for mitigation. The UW DRU Plan will also assure eligibility for future funding opportunities through The Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and Wisconsin Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation grant programs.

The DRU steering committee consists of university representatives including Campus Police, Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility, Facilities Planning and Management University Housing, Ag Research Stations, UW Hospital & Clinics, Risk Management, the City of Madison, Wisconsin Department of Administration and two consultants, Integrated Solutions Consulting and the Polis Center at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

The DRU plan requires assessing the risks from the identified hazards to university property, operations and safety of humans. University community members will also have an opportunity to identify perceived threats at the public meeting Jan. 31. Staff at the LICGF center on campus are integrating spatial information and databases from different sources, including campus structures, demographics and hazard locations on campus using Geographic Information Systems. These GIS layers are helping the planning team model potential disaster scenarios and estimate risks.

Mitigation strategies will be developed by the DRU Committee Jan. 31 prior to the public meeting. These strategies will be available for the public to review and comment on during the 4-6 p.m. public meeting. 

Goal #1: Increase public understanding of emergency management and build support for hazard mitigation. 

Goal #2: Develop, promote and integrate mitigation actions. 

Goal #3:  Continue to improve and enhance UW’s all-hazard preparedness program.

Goal #4: Increase the economic stability, core values and quality of life of UW Madison.

Tom McClintock ([email protected]) is UW LICGF outreach program manager. For further information, visit lic.wisc.edu/dru or call 608-263-0009.