How colleges and universities respond to natural disasters

How colleges and universities recover from natural disasters is important to study because every state and every college or university is at risk from a natural disaster. Understanding how institutions have recovered from natural disasters may help other institutions in similar crisis situations. This study examined how three institutions of higher education responded to natural disasters.;Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota was struck by a tornado on March 29, 1998 causing over fifty million dollars of insurable damage to the institution. East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina was chosen because of the extensive flooding following Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd in September 1999. Approximately five million dollars in damage was done to the university and an estimated 3,000 students lost their housing due to the flood. Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky was hit by an F-3 tornado on January 3, 2000 and approximately five million dollars of damage was caused.;Three research questions were studied: First, what steps were taken by the institutions within the first forty-eight hours to respond to the natural disaster? Second, what were the priorities or goals for responding to the natural disaster and how were they determined? Third, what were the longer, one to two-year, effects of the disaster on the institution?;This study found that much of the foundation for the recovery of the institution occurs within the first forty-eight hours following the disaster. Colleges are universities are well-organized organizations that have a specific purpose in place for recovery, to restart classes. Post-disaster, the organizational structure of the institution changes to one that is run solely by a senior administrative team. Safety and security students, staff the institution are first priorities. Once people are safe and the campus secure, the recovery of the institution begins by making telephone calls to insurance companies and construction companies.;Communication during a crisis is difficult but is essential for a successful and quick recovery. Leadership by staff members, institutional missions and institutional type are factors in the recovery. The role of staff members in the recovery should not be forgotten, as many staff members work extraordinary hours post disaster and may experience burnout. Each institution used symbols throughout the recovery process. Finally, although not intentionally, faculty members and students, key constituencies, were excluded by the management team in almost all aspects of recovery at the three sites.