Colleges and universities are faced with disasters and crises from many causes. Care-ful and thorough advance planning strongly affects how quickly institutions respond and recover from them. This article provides an overview of key steps in preparing for and responding to disasters and crises. It is a Sunday night in September. You are checking a weather Web site, comparing computer models that show a Category-4 hurricane meandering through the Gulf of Mexico. Data indicate that the storm is strengthening, and computer models show possible landfall over an area of several hundred miles. Your organization is in the landfall zone in some models but not others. The storm is projected to hit in about 72 hr. You are a leader in your organization. What do you do? Although this sounds like a case simulation, it is not. It is the situation that con-fronted me in September 2004 just before Hurricane Ivan devastated Pensacola and inflicted damage on the University of West Florida that remains the worst ever in Florida history. However, this is not an isolated incident from a leadership per-spective. Similar situations confront organizational leaders more often than you might think. Although hurricanes have dominated the headlines for the past several months, disasters and crises of many types affect organizations: tornadoes, earth-quakes, floods, fires, blizzards, ice storms, chemical spills, armed intruders, em-ployee violence, student problems, and various other types of events. It is not a matter of whether a disaster or emergency scenario will confront an organization, but when. The purpose of this article is to share some lessons learned by an experienced executive leadership team. While holding senior leadership positions at the Uni-versity of Delaware, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the Uni-versity of West Florida (UWF), I experienced six major hurricanes and several other situations involving, among other things, individuals claiming to be armed, employee-on-employee violence, students blocking the entrances to the adminis-tration building, and violent behavioral outbursts by students in classrooms. On the recent weather front, between September 2004 and September 2005, UWF experi-enced Hurricanes Ivan, Dennis, and Katrina, as well as tropical storms Arlene and Cindy. Consequently, I have confronted numerous emergency situations requiring rapid decisions. I have overseen several campus evacuations and extended closures that threatened the institution's academic program and ability to continue operat-ing. In Hurricane Ivan alone, on UWF's main campus, 95% of all buildings and 110 of 114 classrooms had to be partially or completely rebuilt, while the campus and community infrastructure—water, electricity, sewage, and communications— was completely lost for extended periods. Amazingly, and with nothing short of Herculean efforts by staff and contractors, the university was back in operation in 3 weeks; just barely able to salvage the fall 2004 semester. Dealing with the long-term trauma people faced was a humbling and daunting experience that con-tinues well over 1 year after the storm. What does it take to successfully lead an organization during a crisis? If your best response to the opening scenario was to ask whether there was a disaster plan, it is unlikely that you would be successful. Based on my experience, I believe that to be successful, your organization and its leaders must demonstrate four elements: 1. Planning that is comprehensive and fully integrated. 2. Decisiveness through a willingness to make tough choices. 3. Execution based on extensive knowledge of the plan. 4. Personal touch in remembering that people and their safety are primary.
