When it comes to natural disasters, Penn's motto seems to be "better safe than sorry."
With several Louisiana universities still reeling in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Penn administrators say that they have a backup plan when it comes to all aspects of emergencies -- including crisis management, evacuation plans and insurance.
"If we had warning of a storm coming, we'd activate the crisis plan and make sure we got everyone to safety, pending it is not a statewide issue," Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. If the crisis-management team felt that students need to be evacuated, "Business Services would work with Facilities in identifying shelters."
Students might also be relocated to sister schools in the short term.
Rush added that the University follows the orders of the American Red Cross as well as those of the Philadelphia Police and Fire departments in emergencies. The University also maintains contact with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency -- both larger governmental organizations that specialize in handling disasters.
"In the emergency planning process, we have several layers of [our] organization that get involved," Rush said.
Penn follows a crisis plan that is led by a crisis management team including President Amy Gutmann, Provost Ron Daniels and Rush.
The crisis team regularly evaluates Penn's emergency plan to ensure appropriate responses are in place.
The school also has an etensive insurance plan to protect them from the possibly devastating impact of a major disaster.
"The University has risk property insurance which protects all of the University buildings and its contents," Executive Director of Risk Management and Insurance Kenneth Hoffman said. "It's a comprehensive policy that provides coverage for all sorts of weather and related incidents."
Hoffman said that the University is worth roughly $7 billion and is insured at a high level of coverage by a major insurance provider, which he declined to identify. Thirteen of Penn's peer institutions have the same insurance plan, although Hoffman would not name them.
Although dorms are insured under the University's insurance plan, damage to student property is not.
"Students' property is generally covered by the student through homeowner insurance provided by the student's parents," Hoffman said. "The University would not cover that property."
Tulane sophomore Holly Kallman was just settling in to her new room in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck.
"I had just finished setting up my apartment," Kallman said. Her apartment included furniture, printers and televisions, all of which Kallman was forced to leave behind as she evacuated New Orleans.
Kallman still does not know how much damage was done to her belongings, but she is hoping her homeowner's insurance will cover it.
College sophomore Alex Distell said he understands why the University does not insure personal belongings.
"It is not the University's responsibility to cover personal possessions," he said. A natural disaster "is not the fault of the administration."
Looking beyond the physical aspects of a possible disaster, Counseling and Psychological Services works to maintain mental health after a traumatic event such as a natural disaster.
"Our goal is to help students who need emotional support," Director of CAPS Ilene Rosenstein said. She added that after natural disasters, students may feel vulnerable and may be reminded of past traumatic experiences.
She said that her office aims to provide students with "healthy coping techniques" so that they can "return to a healthy functional level."
