Office of the Associate Provost for Research
Medical University of South Carolina

This document is intended only as a practical guideline and information source for research programs in the event of a major disaster (e.g. hurricane, flood, fire, explosion, attack).  These guidelines do not replace the official MUSC emergency information which can be found on the Web at: www.musc.edu/emergency.shtml and severe weather plan at: www.musc.edu/weatheremergency/.  Each departmental unit, division, and office must have an emergency preparedness plan that is reviewed annually and discussed among members of the unit. 

The office of the Associate Provost for Research (APR) has reviewed various campus units for preparedness in terms of continuity of the research programs in situations involving major disasters.  Emergency plans reviewed include:

• Offices of Research Facilities Administration (Leslie Kendall, Director),
• Research Sponsored Programs (Darren McCants, Director),
• Research Development (Peggy Schachte, Director),
• Research Integrity (Robert Malcolm, M.D., Director),
• Contracts and Grant Accounting (Velma Stamp, Director),
• Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (Michael Swindle, DVM, Director),
• Foundation for Research Development (W.C. Hood, JD, Director),
• Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Patrick Wamsley, CFO),
• Engineering and Facilities (John Malmrose, Facilities Chief), and
• Libraries and Learning Resource Center (Thomas Basler, Ph.D., Director).

In addition, the Associate Provost for Research, along with Wayne Brannan, Director of Risk Management, and John Malmrose, Chief of Facilities, meet regularly to consider effectiveness of communication and disaster preparedness.  However much one prepares for a major disaster from a professional standpoint, there will always be unexpected issues with which to contend.  Knowledge of established lines of communication is crucial to ensure some degree of continuity of research operations following major disasters. 

Our intention is to increase awareness of disaster preparedness and recovery in the research community on campus.  The emergency preparedness policy developed by the University of California Berkeley for research continuity offers a broader perspective of the issues faced and actions to be taken in the context of disaster management (http://research.chance.berkeley.edu/DOCS/ResearchFNLApr14.041.pdf).

Disaster events may be without warning (e.g. fire, explosion, earthquake) or may allow advance notification such as with a hurricane. In all events there may be damage to buildings and short-term or extended loss of power.  Individuals may be away from their laboratory for several days in the event of mandatory evacuation. The key components of any plan are Advance Preparation, Communication, and Recovery.    

Only key personnel with numbered emergency badges approved through the Office of Risk Management (ORM) will be allowed to remain on campus in the event of a mandatory evacuation.  The ORM will request this list in anticipation of a hit to the Charleston area.  Typically non-designated personnel would be required to leave their labs when the Governor mandates closure of all state agencies in an impacted area AND senior leadership orders the closure of MUSC.  The order from the Governor would be expected 36 hours or more in advance of tropical storm-force winds.

It is critical that each person have a personal preparedness and evacuation plan in the event of an approaching hurricane. The public transit system will be unavailable in a mandated evacuation; therefore, individuals need to have alternative plans. Students and postdocs without such options should contact the Office of Student Programs in early spring to arrange transportation to a secure location in the event of severe weather.

ADVANCE PREPARATION

1. Communication Plan

• Each principal investigator should create a Contact List for laboratory personnel.  Maintain hard copies at both work and home, as well as on file with departmental/divisional administration.

Phone information (i.e. mobile, land-lines, office, home, and alternate phone numbers).  Text messaging often works when phones do not.
Email address (office and alternate)
Home and alternate (evacuation) addresses

• Make sure that each member of your laboratory has a plan for evacuation of family and pets.   Remind lab personnel that weathering a storm or hurricane at MUSC is not allowed.

• Each clinical trial group should provide enrolled patients with remote contact information if evacuation is required.

• Be sure that there are no specially-keyed rooms in your laboratory area as in the event of a disaster, designated personnel must be able to access all rooms in the building.

• Clearly list all special equipment safety precautions in the event personnel not familiar with equipment must access area. Include cell phone number of knowledgeable individuals.

• It may be advisable to identify designated personnel on each floor who can access and assist other laboratories in the event those personnel are not able to return for immediate recovery operations.

• Individual laboratories may set up a remote Web site (e.g. Yahoo) to facilitate communication post event.

• Update essential vendor phone numbers/Web sites bookmarks

• Update information on funding organization/program officer contact info for funded research programs.

2. Laboratory
   1. Lab organization

• Maintain updated inventory of all perishable items.
• Maintain updated laboratory map indicating function of individual rooms and location of freezers, refrigerators and liquid nitrogen dewars.  Copies should be a component of the departmental, division or office preparedness documentation. 
• Make sure each laboratory member is aware of inventory and lab map. 
• In the event of an alert:
  • Organize research materials for easy access/retrieval under worst case conditions
    • LABEL (using weather resistant labels) most important materials and designate an emergency rack to be taken first
    • LABEL most valuable animal cages (DLAR will broadcast message to research community and provide glow in dark "sticky dots" for labeling essential cage carts prior to evacuation)
• Consolidate essential laboratory records and copies of electronic data.  (see below)
• Prepare and post an evacuation checklist for laboratory.

2. Plan for extended loss of power

• Identify emergency outlets (red plugs) in your laboratory and have heavy duty extension cords available for refrigerators/freezers.
• Be aware of the emergency generator power source for your area and the time period of emergency power provided from this source.
• Duplicate stocks or samples that are temperature sensitive and considered crucial to the research mission should be stored at a remote site.  Consult with the Office of Research Integrity on your plans.
• Liquid nitrogen storage:
  • Liquid nitrogen dewars are effective at protecting perishables in the event of extended power loss. 
    
  • Top off all liquid nitrogen dewars in advance of predicted storm.
    
  • Keep a full liquid nitrogen tank accessible on premises during hurricane season.  Back up tanks may be ordered in advance of predicted storm if time permits.
    
  • The large liquid nitrogen cooled freezer set ups can be problematic with extended loss of power
    

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

Monitor MUSC emergency web site (http://www.musc.edu/weatheremergency/ for information and instructions in advance of storm.   

3. Implement Plan

• Initiate communicating with personnel per protocol/phone tree plan

4. Safeguard Equipment, Data and Materials

1. Equipment:

• Unplug Equipment.
• Do not unplug telephone or data network cables unless equipment must be moved (see below). If data network cables must be disconnected affix a label or tag to the cable to identify which specific piece of equipment it was connected to.
• Move & Cover Equipment: Move equipment away from windows and off of the floor to avoid possible water damage.  Cover equipment securely with plastic sheeting (available from physical plant 2-4119).  In advance of storm plastic should be secured in a central location for each building.

2. Computers:

• Copy files (letters, documents, spreadsheets) from your computer to external hard drive and take the external hard drive with you in case of evacuation. Files saved to servers (e.g. Homeroom, ClinLAN servers) are backed up during the last regular backup cycle (usually nightly) and tape backups from OCIO-IS-managed servers are stored at a remote, secure site.
• Logout: Follow normal logoff/signoff procedures for computer systems.  Power Down: Power down (turn off and unplug) all computer related equipment including workstations, monitors and printers.

3. Materials:

• Take a copy of the lab inventory list and lab map with you upon evacuation.
• For departments, divisions, units with multiple dewars it would be of value to put them in a pre-identified central location to facilitate access post event as needed.
• Return animals to certified animal care facilities.
• Do not maintain cell cultures and biological sample incubations during mandatory evacuation order.

RECOVERY/CONTINUITY PLAN

The steps taken for recovery of the research mission following a major disaster will depend upon the nature of the event. In any event, laboratory directors should follow their communication plan to keep track of laboratory personnel. Chairs and division heads should communicate with faculty.

• In the event of a hurricane involving a mandatory evacuation or similar event, the Associate Provost for Research will assess any damage and immediately contact Directors of Research Support and Administration Offices.  There will be direct communication with major research funding sources as needed.

• To facilitate communication post-event, all individuals with research operations should access the Associate Provost for Research Continuity link on the MUSC Emergency Web site at http://www.musc.edu/weatheremergency/.  As soon as possible post-event, this site will provide updates on any damages and actions being taken to address damages and preserve research materials.