Contact: Phillip Brown, 910/962-7223 or [email protected]
WILMINGTON, NC -- Universities can play a major role in helping lessen the impact of disasters in their communities and speeding their recovery, according to Dr. Stephen Meinhold, a UNC Wilmington political science professor who researches public preparedness for hurricanes.
His field is especially relevant considering that Wilmington and North Carolina's Cape Fear Coast were targets of two major hurricanes in 1999, Dennis and Floyd, along with a near miss by Irene.
"As researchers, scholars, teachers and administrators, we are an important and, as yet, underutilized resource for disaster mitigation in our communities," said Meinhold, who has organized the first Project Impact Higher Education Conference scheduled from 8-4 p.m., Wednesday, July 26, at University Union Room 100 at UNC Wilmington. "Universities can provide key research to reduce the economic and social costs that occur as a result of natural or technological disasters."
This national two-day event will bring together more than 25 participants from colleges and universities nationwide to explore how higher education institutions can become more involved with Project Impact, an initiative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), within their communities. Project Impact helps communities protect themselves from the devastating effects of natural or technological disasters by taking actions that drastically reduce disruption and loss.
Meinhold, chair of the New Hanover County/Wilmington Project Impact Public Information Committee, said the goal of the conference is to develop a plan for use by FEMA to establish partnerships similar to the relationship of UNCW and Project Impact/New Hanover County in other communities nationwide.
The 1999 and 2000 Hurricane Preparedness Expos, held at UNCW's Trask Coliseum, resulted from the alliance created by the university and Project Impact/New Hanover County. The expos provided education and information on hurricane preparedness to more than 14,000 attendees. Cosponsored by the New Hanover County Emergency Management Office and various public and private businesses and organizations, the events featured dozens of exhibits including one from Clemson University which illustrated how homeowners could protect their property against high winds. UNCW researchers have also studied the economic, environmental and psychological impact of hurricanes in efforts to help prepare the community for future storms.
"I'm honored UNCW was chosen to host this national conference," said Meinhold. "It is an opportunity to recognize the relationship established between the university and the local disaster preparedness communities."
Among the colleges and universities which will be represented at the conference are Clemson University, Cornell University, Purdue University, Texas Tech University, the University of California Berkeley, University of Colorado and the University of Miami. There will also be representatives from FEMA and the Sea Grant College Program.
Conference sessions will be audiotaped for future availability on the Internet, said Meinhold who added that he will create an electronic listserv for future discussions on how researchers can work with their respective communities to be better prepared in the event of a natural or technological disaster.
Located between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is committed to becoming the best undergraduate teaching university in the South. An internationally recognized undergraduate marine biology program, coupled with a new facility for its Center for Marine Science, has put UNCW at the forefront of research to learn how the world's oceans affect human health and quality of life. In addition, the university has a critically acclaimed Creative Writing Department that attracts Pulitzer Prize-winning visiting writers and a growing Film Studies Program that works closely with Wilmington-based EUE Screen Gems Studios and other productions filmed locally, such as Dawson's Creek which uses the university's campus as a primary filming location.
NOTE TO THE MEDIA: While the conference is not open to the public, you are invited to cover the event. For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr. Meinhold or conference participants, call 910/962-3223, or Phillip Brown, university relations, at 910/962-7223, or [email protected].
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