Disaster Resistant University Project
The Disaster Resistant University (DRU) Project was established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist universities and colleges in the drafting of a pre-disaster hazard mitigation plan and the implementation of mitigation goals.
A DRU hazard mitigation planning and implementation process seeks to protect students, faculty, facilities and assets in the event the university is affected by a disaster. In FY2004, FEMA chose North Dakota State University, along with thirty other universities and colleges nationwide, to take part in the Disaster Resistant University Project. NDSU received $100,000 in funding for its planning efforts.
NDSU's DRU plan was submitted to the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) and FEMA Region VIII in July 2007. The plan received final approval by FEMA on September 28, 2007. North Dakota State University is now eligible for Pre-Disaster Mitigation project funds.
The NDSU DRU planning and implementation effort is overseen by an advisory committee (DRUAC) comprised of university and community members from both the private and public sectors. The DRU Project is headed by Dr. Daniel Klenow, chair of the Sociology, Anthropology and Emergency Management Department.
For additional information regarding the Disaster Resistant University project at North Dakota State University, please contact Carol Cwiak, Project Coordinator at (701) 231-5847.
DRUAC meetings are held bi-annually and are open to the public. The next DRUAC meeting will be in the Fall of 2007.
