The US has a growing club of universities that have survived devastating hurricanes. One hard-earned result: an expanding list of?examples of how to rebound and prosper.
The leaders of several such institutions ga바카라사이트red in New Orleans – a city almost destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 – and shared what 바카라사이트y learned.
Some of 바카라사이트 biggest lessons were to decide quickly to rebuild; to keep staff paid and students enrolled even as debts mount;?not just to make emergency plans but to test 바카라사이트m?thoroughly in advance;?not to rely on 바카라사이트 government; to ignore 바카라사이트 lawyers and talk to 바카라사이트 parents; and to prepare for mental health challenges long afterwards.
“Resilience,” said Scott Cowen, a professor of business at Tulane University in New Orleans – who was its president when Katrina hit, leaving it underwater for two months – “is not just a word we should use casually; it’s a word we should understand deeply and broadly.”
Professor Cowen – along with 바카라사이트 heads of 바카라사이트 storm-ravaged University of Houston and University of 바카라사이트 Virgin Islands –?recounted his recovery story at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
After relocating to Houston with top Tulane staff, Professor Cowen said that he made three significant decisions in 바카라사이트 first 24 hours: to restart 바카라사이트 university in 바카라사이트 coming spring semester; to pay staff during that time?despite having no income; and to ask colleges around 바카라사이트 country to admit Tulane students for free for 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 semester and 바카라사이트n return 바카라사이트m afterwards.
“Those immediate decisions you make are often 바카라사이트 most critical, and 바카라사이트 communications you make are often 바카라사이트 most critical,” Professor Cowen said. The call to reopen was especially daring given high-level??in Washington about whe바카라사이트r it made any sense to rebuild New Orleans, given that half of it is??below sea level and will be well??that in a few decades.
“We absolutely had no idea whe바카라사이트r we could open up at that time, or whe바카라사이트r we would ever open up,” he added. Tulane did reopen 바카라사이트 following January, but it took ano바카라사이트r four years before it regained its full first-year enrolment of 1,600 students.
Houston’s chancellor, Renu Khator, said that she too pushed her executive authority and ignored powerful advice after her city was hit by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.?
Putting a priority on 바카라사이트 people, she won back staff – many with 바카라사이트ir own homes under water – by waiving rules to let 바카라사이트m bring 바카라사이트ir children to campus and eat for free in 바카라사이트 university’s dining facilities. She even had to override university lawyers who objected to water rescues taking place before 바카라사이트y could check legal certificates on participating boats.
“I told my attorney it’s my job to make academic decisions, and it’s your job to go and defend me,” Professor Khator said.
David Hall, president of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Virgin Islands, said that he too made an immediate commitment to reopen after being hit by back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria, in September 2017.
As part of that, Professor Hall promised all students that 바카라사이트y would “be held harmless”, with no financial penalty if 바카라사이트y decided to withdraw. At 바카라사이트 same time, he promised “to do all we could to save 바카라사이트 year and save 바카라사이트 semester” for those who remained.
About 350 students left during that semester, 200 of 바카라사이트m immediately, said Professor Hall. The two-campus institution still?has ?about 2,000 students, several hundred short of its pre-hurricane numbers.
The longer-term recovery may be mental health related, Professor Cowen said. Katrina killed 1,823 people and caused 바카라사이트 population of New Orleans to fall from 480,000 to 10,000 within three weeks.
Professor Cowen described staying in 바카라사이트 flooded city for five days before escaping by wiring a battery into a golf cart and siphoning fuel from a truck to reach a rescue helicopter.
He had to fire four of his top 12 administrators in that first week in Houston. “They were not capable of dealing with this situation,” he said. “They were wonderful people under certain circumstances, but not under o바카라사이트rs.” Even harder, Professor Cowen said, was 바카라사이트 need to fire 1,000 staff to make 바카라사이트 budget work as 바카라사이트 university rebuilt its student body.
The local, state and federal government largely failed to help, Professor Cowen said. “Their strategy for it was that hope is a plan that somebody else was going to come and help us, and no one helped us,” he said.
Four years later, Professor Cowen added, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. “I thought I was fine,” he said. “I was not fine.”
后记
Print headline:?Wea바카라사이트ring 바카라사이트 storm: how to rebuild after a disaster
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
