The Jackson State presenters recommended that Dillard, SUNO and Xavier collaborate on a joint emergency preparedness plan that would be developed with the assistance of government and private funding.

Other presenters suggested special planning for preserving archives and collections, developing community-campus partnerships with organizations such as United Way and faith-based programs and assisting elderly citizens and residents of nursing homes in their surrounding communities.

Charlotte Hurst, a Dillard nursing professor, said Dillard’s strategic planning includes a component for helping to meet the needs of the elderly. It includes such practical items as survival kits, identification and medical information cards, she said.

“We are putting Dillard together with the community for recovery,� Hurst added. She outlined a program developed by Dillard President Dr. Marvalene Hughes, titled “A Katrina Recovery Initiative,� which includes oral history interviews, artistic programs and a summer institute research camp.

Presenters also recommended that institutions develop risk-assessment plans to determine how much loss — direct and indirect — they might sustain in major disasters.

Kimberly Reese, director of the Center for Student Leadership and Service at Xavier, noted in her presentation that many of the school’s valuable collections were preserved because of their emergency planning procedures.

Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, associate vice president for research at Florida A&M University, explained that some government funds are available to institutions only if they have a disaster plan in place.

Abdullah said the losses to institutions are more than physical. “Since Katrina, there is much more awareness of how a natural disaster can affect the research and service mission of the institutions. How do you put a price tag on that?�

—    By Pearl Stewart