Reducing Our Risk

National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies (NIMSAT) Institute at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA, USA
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An Overview Of Our Solution

The NIMSAT Institute is a homeland security and emergency management research center conceived based on the experiences of researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, under the leadership of Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, during the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. From its inception, the NIMSAT Institute has been a leader in the development of public-private partnership model research, innovative applications, tools, and groundbreaking technologies. In 2008, the Institute provided operational support to the state during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and immediately addressed the gaps in technology and public-private partnerships in disaster management. The NIMSAT Institute launched a campaign to develop and foster public-private partnerships for disaster management, leading the effort to establish the Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center (LA BEOC) and virtual portal. The LA BEOC enhances Louisiana’s efforts and the coordination of private-sector involvement and support during a time of crisis. The LA BEOC provides situational awareness and response support, supporting whole community recovery, mitigation and economic stabilization.

Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Oceans
Oceans/Coasts
Urban Built Environment
Urban/Built Environment
Community Type
Urban
Urban
Suburban
Suburban
Additional Information
  • Population Impacted: 4,648,924
  • Continent: North America
General Info

Address

635 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
United States

Email

clay.rives@louisiana.edu
Problem

Hazard

Storm Surge

Identify the likelihood and frequency of this hazard

Louisiana, a coastal state, is at a very high risk for flooding, storm surge, drought, wind, extreme temperatures, precipitation, oil spills, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. The state regularly experiences many of these hazards each year.

Explain how vulnerable the community is to this hazard

Louisiana is highly vulnerable to disasters because its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, waterways, and high temperatures that create an array of natural hazards annually. Louisiana also has many critical infrastructures and key resources (CI/KR). Disruption of Louisiana’s CI/KR can cause significate national economic impact, particularly within the energy sector. Louisiana’s small businesses that drive local economies are particularly vulnerable and have a lower chance of reopening if they experience significant damage or loss.

List the potential affects of this hazard

There are numerous hazards to consider. For each hazard, multiple scenarios may unfold depending on timing, magnitude and location of the hazard. Business owners run into a mass of issues during a disaster. Often, the consequences of disruption from a disaster on businesses are so significate the businesses close, thus causing negative economic impact and supply chain loss to the local community and/or nation.

Identify how sensitive the community is to these affects

Since 2005, Louisiana has been hit by numerous tropical storms and hurricanes, including devastating Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike (2005, 2008 respectively), as well as severe heat, flooding, pandemics and oil spills. Since 2005, Louisiana has made important strides in improving emergency management practices and mitigation processes. The LA BEOC has been activated for every declared state-wide major disaster since 2008.
Action

Preparedness Goal

NIMSAT created the LA BEOC virtual portal improving whole community disaster preparedness and communication before, during and after disaster events.

Implementation Actions

The LA BEOC virtual portal, created by the NIMSAT Institute, integrates advanced interactive communications technologies to both the public and private sector. In partnership with First Call Network Inc., the LA BEOC can send real-time alerts and notifications to facilitate communication of critical information between the public and private sector stakeholders in emergency preparedness and response. Response plus self-sufficiency is the ultimate goal of businesses affected by a disaster. By increasing the use of Louisiana businesses able to help during an incident, the state reduces reliance on FEMA or other federal and out of state providers. Post-event, the LA BEOC also helps businesses identify critical supply chains and prioritize re-entry to a disaster site. The LA BEOC also plays a critical role in preparedness planning by pre-event training and access to emergency management specialist. More than 40 Louisiana business leaders and industry trade associations along with representatives from the Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (LA VOAD) have physical seats at the LA BEOC facility. More importantly, the virtual portal allows for interaction with over 1800 registered Louisiana businesses. The LA BEOC virtual portal serves as an outlet for the private sector to provide information to the public sector, and for the private sector to obtain information from the public sector. It also provides an opportunity for businesses to support the state when traditional resources are exhausted, as well as for the opportunity for businesses to help one another through the network of associations. The LA BEOC increases the speed, efficiency and impact of disaster management.

Solution

Describe Your Solution

The LA BEOC reduces risk through a strong communication system and situational awareness. Communication failures have been identified as a root cause of many failed disaster responses. The LA BEOC provides communication throughout the disaster lifecycle and during blue-sky days as well. As an annex to the state’s Emergency Operations Center, the LA BEOC enhances Louisiana’s communication channel to the private sector resulting in a coordinated all hazards whole community response. The LA BEOC also reduces risk by providing blue sky interaction and communication resources to businesses that need help with planning, training and/or exercising their plan. After a disaster, the LA BEOC provides businesses an outlet to provide damage assessments and business status to aid the Governor, State Unified Command and local emergency managers.

Results

Economic?

The LA BEOC encourages businesses to have a disaster management/business continuity plan. During the disaster, the LA BEOC will notify businesses regarding the availability of supplies, materials and resources or seek out what is needed amongst the members. Businesses can also report their status on the portal to allow the emergency management officials to make a decision as whether to open a point of distribution (POD) in the area or get the help they need if impacted.

Environmental?

N/A

Social?

Improving public-private partnerships during a disaster is the main goal. The LA BEOC effort builds relationships before the disaster. The LA BEOC uses an association model and provides a physical location and the virtual portal allows any business to register and become a member of the LA BEOC. The LA BEOC also allows for social networking. Businesses that register with the LA BEOC have access to the latest situational awareness as an emergency and/or disaster progresses. The portal may also send immediate notice of state and parish decisions that may affect businesses. Over 1,800 businesses are currently registered with labeoc.org.

What were the negative or unintended impacts (if any) associated with implementing this solution?

None.

Replication/Scale

Return on Investment: How much did it cost to implement these activities? How do your results above compare to this investment?

In 2008 during Hurricane Gustav, members of the NIMSAT Institute acting in the capacity of the LA BEOC coordinated with the Louisiana Restaurant Association to locate local food kitchens and restaurants to support mass feeding operations for impacted people. This effort saved taxpayers approximately $1.5 million compared with the cost of requesting FEMA-purchased Meals Ready to Eat (MRE). Using local vendors also infused some much-needed revenue into the hurricane-damaged economy, and offered people displaced from their homes a comforting plate of hot Louisiana jambalaya instead of MREs to sustain themselves. In 2010, the state used $262,000 in State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) funds to officially establish a physical location for the LA BEOC as a partnership between the business community, the state, and local universities. During Hurricane Isaac in 2012, the state requested private sector support through the LA BEOC in order to prevent flooding from an overtopping levee in Lafourche Parish. The private sector donation of approximately $6,000 in supplies saved a community from certain destruction and costly recovery. The LA BEOC’s quick coordination protected Lafourche Parish and the donation of supplies freed the state to invest in other areas of disaster response.

What are the main factors needed to successfully replicate this solution

The NIMSAT Institute is in the process of creating the national Virtual Business Emergency Operations Center (VBEOC). The national platform will allow any state or local jurisdiction to replicate the Business EOC through the online portal. The VBEOC is designed to: • Leverage “lessons learned” and best practices • Support for cross-jurisdiction information exchange • Create standards-based for interoperability • Customizable to stakeholders needs • Provide centralized maintenance and support

Overview
Problem
Results