DISASTER RESISTANT UNIVERSITY PLAN
INTRODUCTION
This section provides a general introduction to Disaster Resistant University (DRU) plans and an
overview of the University of South Carolina (USC) Disaster Resistant Plan. This plan was prepared
to meet the guidelines of Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Subsections in this section include:
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Background
Purpose
Scope
Authority
Summary Plan Contents
BACKGROUND
Natural hazards, such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, are a part of the world around us.
Their occurrence is natural and inevitable, and there is little we can do to control their force and
intensity. We must consider these hazards to be legitimate and significant threats to human life,
safety and property.
The planning area of the University of South Carolina Disaster Resistant University Plan includes
locations throughout the state of South Carolina. The state is vulnerable to a wide range of natural
hazards such as hurricanes, flood, winter storms, and wildfires. These hazards threaten the life
and safety of residents on the USC campuses, and have the potential to damage or destroy
university facilities, disrupt the university operations, and impact the overall quality of life of
individuals who reside, work, and/or study within the university boundaries (and beyond).
While the threat from hazardous events may never be fully eliminated, there is much we can do to
lessen their potential impact upon our community and our citizens. By making our built
environment more resistant to disasters, we can prevent such events from resulting in disasters.
The concept and practice of reducing risks to people and property from known hazards is generally
referred to as hazard mitigation.
FEMA Definition of Hazard Mitigation:
“Any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the longterm risk to human life and property from hazards.”
Hazard mitigation techniques include both structural measures (such as strengthening or protecting
buildings and infrastructure from the destructive forces of potential hazards) and non-structural
measures (such as the adoption of sound land use policies and the creation of public awareness
programs). It is widely accepted that the most effective mitigation measures are implemented at
the local government level, where decisions on the regulation and control of development are
ultimately made. A comprehensive mitigation approach addresses hazard vulnerabilities that exist
today and in the foreseeable future. Therefore it is essential that projected patterns of future
development are evaluated and considered in terms of how that growth will increase or decrease a
community’s overall hazard vulnerability.
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As the University of South Carolina works to become more disaster resistant, a key component is
to develop, adopt, and update a university-wide hazard mitigation plan. A hazard mitigation plan
establishes the broad community vision and guiding principles for reducing hazard risk, and further
proposes specific mitigation actions to eliminate or reduce identified vulnerabilities. The USC DRU
Plan is such a plan. This is a logical step towards incorporating hazard mitigation principles and
practices into the routine activities and functions of the university. At its core, the plan identifies
the greatest hazard threats and recommends specific actions to combat hazard vulnerability,
thereby protecting its “community” (i.e., faculty, staff, students, and visitors) and assets from
losses to those hazards. This plan is designed to be a living document with implementation and
evaluation procedures included to help achieve meaningful objectives and successful outcomes
over time.
Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000
In an effort to reduce the Nation's mounting natural disaster losses, the U.S. Congress passed the
Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) in order to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act. Section 322 of DMA 2000 emphasizes the need for state and local
governments, as well as other eligible grant recipient entities, to closely coordinate on mitigation
planning activities, and makes the development of a hazard mitigation plan a specific eligibility
requirement for any local government/entity applying for federal mitigation grant funds. These
funds include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM)
program, both of which are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
under the Department of Homeland Security. Universities with an adopted and federally-approved
hazard mitigation plan thereby become pre-positioned and more apt to receive available mitigation
funds before and after the next disaster strikes.
Disaster Resistant University (DRU) Initiative
The Disaster Resistant University (DRU) initiative was introduced in 2000 by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an outreach of that agency's Project Impact Program to
help universities improve life safety and continuity of operations in the event of a natural disaster.
Initially, a national pilot program including six universities across the county was employed. A howto guide was developed based on the pilot program. Over the past ten years, FEMA has awarded
billions in disaster assistance to public and private universities in the United States.
FEMA's Disaster Resistant University Initiative is intended to support efforts by universities to
reduce and manage their vulnerability to hazards. A Disaster Resistant University understands the
threats posed by natural hazards to its campus and its mission. It actively implements policies,
programs, and practices to address its risks. It integrates loss reduction into its teaching, research
and public service activities. It has the leadership and plans necessary to reduce risk to the level
the campus community believes appropriate. The committed leadership understands the need to
sustain the university's research and teaching standards in the face of the damages, repair delays
and financial diversions a disaster can bring. Ultimately, the organization will be able to withstand
the impacts of foreseeable hazard events without unacceptable losses or interruptions to its
instruction, research and community service missions.
A Disaster Resistant University is committed to becoming resilient in a selected period of time.
Resilience is characterized by structures that meet life safety standards, an emergency response
that will rescue those in danger and minimize additional damage, and limited interruption to
teaching and research. Each campus will vary in its definition of acceptable losses and interruption
because these decisions depend on the community, the nature of the hazard and available
resources. Resilience does not imply there will be no damage in large events. Hurricanes,
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tornadoes, floods, fires, earthquakes are similar in that the damage varies by the force of the event
and the location where the energy is focused.
A Disaster Resistant University commits to changing its policies and practices to reduce its potential
losses and manage its ongoing risk. A DRU will also promise to involve government, private
utilities, and businesses in its loss reduction and risk management. Risk management policies,
plans, and practices are integrated into the day-to-day decisions of the campus. Management also
involves ongoing education for the campus community on the impacts of natural hazards, the
implications of hazard events, and appropriate measures to reduce the risks.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the University of South Carolina DRU Plan is as follows:
 Protect life and property by reducing the potential for future damages and economic losses;
 Make the university a safer place to live, work, and learn;
 Identify hazards for each of the USC campuses;
 Identify critical facilities for each of the USC campuses;
 Qualify for grant funding in pre-disaster and post-disaster environments;
 Speed response, recovery, and redevelopment in disaster situations;
 Demonstrate a commitment to hazard mitigation principals;
 Increase awareness and education of hazard mitigation;
 Comply with state and federal regulations for hazard mitigation plans.
SCOPE
The greatest focus of this plan will be comprehensive hazard identification and risk assessment for
each campus in order to determine what hazards pose the greatest risk to each regional campus.
From here, the planning team and campus representatives will work to identify the most critical
buildings on each campus based on campus visits and a scoring sheet developed for this project.
Buildings determined to be “critical” will be investigated in greater detail to identify relevant hazard
mitigation projects. These mitigation projects will be identified in the Mitigation Strategy and
Mitigation Action Plan Sections.
In addition, a record of the planning process, including meetings and discussion, will be kept.
The geographic scope of this plan includes USC senior and regional campus locations across the
state of South Carolina:
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USC
USC
USC
USC
USC
Aiken
Baruch
Beaufort
Columbia
Lancaster
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USC
USC
USC
USC
Salkehatchie
Sumter
Union
Upstate
AUTHORITY
This Plan has been developed in accordance with current state and federal rules and regulations
governing local hazard mitigation plans:
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Section 322, Mitigation Planning, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act, as enacted by Section 104 of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (P.L. 106390);
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FEMA's Interim Final Rule published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2002, at 44 CFR
Part 201; and
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Section 9G-6.0023 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).
This Plan shall be routinely monitored and revised to maintain compliance with the above
provisions, rules and legislation.
SUMMARY OF PLAN CONTENTS
The remaining sections of the plan are designed to be organized and user-friendly. The document
describes the planning process, defines hazard risks and vulnerabilities, and concludes with actions
to reduce the identified vulnerabilities.
In Section 2: Planning Process a narrative of the process used to prepare the Plan is provided.
This includes an overview of hazard mitigation planning process, the identification of participants
on the planning team, and a detailed summary of key meetings held.
Section 3: University System Profile provides a general overview of each of the USC senior and
regional campuses. This includes prevalent geographic, demographic, and enrollment
characteristics. In addition, an overview of the campus buildings is discussed. This baseline
information provides a snapshot of the planning area and helps local officials recognize those
social, environmental and economic factors that ultimately play a role in determining the region’s
vulnerability to hazards.
The Risk Assessment is presented in three sections: Section 4: Hazard Identification; Section 5:
Hazard Profiles; and Section 6: Vulnerability Assessment. Together, these sections serve to
identify, analyze and assess hazards that pose a threat to the USC campuses.
The Risk
Assessment also attempts to define any hazard risks that may uniquely or exclusively affect
specific areas or critical buildings in the USC DRU planning area.
The Risk Assessment begins by identifying hazards that threaten the USC campuses. The
identification process was completed for each campus given their varying geographic locations.
Next, detailed profiles are established for each hazard, building on available historical data from
past hazard occurrences, spatial extent, and probability of future occurrence. This section
culminates in a hazard risk ranking based on conclusions regarding the frequency of occurrence,
spatial extent, and potential impact highlighted in each of the hazard profiles. In the vulnerability
assessment, FEMA’s HAZUS®MH loss estimation methodology is used to evaluate known hazard
risks by their relative long-term cost in expected damages. In essence, the information generated
through the risk assessment serves a critical function as the university seeks to determine the
most appropriate mitigation actions to pursue and implement—enabling it to prioritize and focus its
efforts on those hazards of greatest concern and those structures or planning areas facing the
greatest risk(s).
The Mitigation Strategy found in Section 7, consists of broad goal statements as well as an
analysis of hazard mitigation techniques for the university to consider in reducing hazard
vulnerabilities. The strategy provides the foundation for a detailed Mitigation Action Plan, found
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in Section 8, which links specific mitigation actions for each regional campus to implementation
mechanisms and target completion dates. Together, these sections are designed to make the Plan
both strategic, through the identification of long-term goals, and functional, through the
identification of immediate and short-term actions that will guide day-to-day decision-making and
project implementation.
In addition to the identification and prioritization of possible mitigation projects, emphasis is placed
on the use of program and policy alternatives to help make the university less vulnerable to the
damaging forces of hazards while improving the economic, social and environmental health of the
community. The concept of multi-objective planning was emphasized throughout the planning
process, particularly in identifying ways to link, where possible, hazard mitigation policies and
programs with complimentary community goals related to disaster recovery, housing, economic
development, recreational opportunities, transportation improvements, environmental quality, land
development, and public health and safety.
Plan Maintenance Procedures, found in Section 9, includes the measures that the university will
take to ensure the Plan’s continuous long-term implementation. The procedures also include the
manner in which the Plan will be regularly evaluated and updated to remain a current and
meaningful planning document.
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Disaster Resistant University Plan