2008 Woodie Awards
Communication a problem with Hazard Mitigation Plan
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Opinion
Preventing natural and human disasters is essential to a university community. SRU recently announced tentative plans for its own Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan aims to address potential disasters before they take place. Hazard mitigation consists of a series of actions taken to prevent or reduce the risks to life and property from disasters that may occur. If a Hazard Mitigation Plan is to be effective at this university, communication is a key step to the process. The presentation of SRU's Hazard Mitigation Plan, however, has been poorly communicated to the community that it affects-the students of SRU.
When the link on the university's main page reads, "Hazard Mitigation Plan" one would think the content inside is important. But why are we creating this project now? Shouldn't it have been in place already?
Students need to be aware of all potential scenarios that create hazardous problems. Unfortunately, to this point the university has left students with vague generalizations about its future plan without specific reasoning for its decision.
An open-ended questionnaire is currently being administered on SRU's Web site, asking respondents for their opinions of potential natural and human hazards. A hazard plan survey should focus on how to effectively understand different situations that may cause hazards, rather than administering an over-generalized set of questions without a clear focus or purpose, which is exactly what SRU did on its Web site.
Questions focus on natural hazards, including flash floods, winter storms and tornados. General questions, such as "Which buildings get flooded?" or "Which buildings don't have a basement or backup power?" These questions can't possibly be answered in a preliminary survey. How is it possible for the majority of students to know where these problems exist at SRU?
A campus-wide assessment is necessary for an accurate understanding of where potential hazards may exist. This assessment must include which buildings are susceptible to flooding as well as the effects of a flash flood or winter storm, to name a few. The Hazard Mitigation Plan needs to be viewed as a way to find answers to potential problems before those problems occur. But that information needs to be properly communicated to the public.
When the link on the university's main page reads, "Hazard Mitigation Plan" one would think the content inside is important. But why are we creating this project now? Shouldn't it have been in place already?
Students need to be aware of all potential scenarios that create hazardous problems. Unfortunately, to this point the university has left students with vague generalizations about its future plan without specific reasoning for its decision.
An open-ended questionnaire is currently being administered on SRU's Web site, asking respondents for their opinions of potential natural and human hazards. A hazard plan survey should focus on how to effectively understand different situations that may cause hazards, rather than administering an over-generalized set of questions without a clear focus or purpose, which is exactly what SRU did on its Web site.
Questions focus on natural hazards, including flash floods, winter storms and tornados. General questions, such as "Which buildings get flooded?" or "Which buildings don't have a basement or backup power?" These questions can't possibly be answered in a preliminary survey. How is it possible for the majority of students to know where these problems exist at SRU?
A campus-wide assessment is necessary for an accurate understanding of where potential hazards may exist. This assessment must include which buildings are susceptible to flooding as well as the effects of a flash flood or winter storm, to name a few. The Hazard Mitigation Plan needs to be viewed as a way to find answers to potential problems before those problems occur. But that information needs to be properly communicated to the public.
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