2022 Regular Session ENROLLED SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 184 BY SENATOR ALLAIN A RESOLUTION To urge and request the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College, and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to work together to develop a community college resilience center pilot program. WHEREAS, Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on August 29, 2021, causing catastrophic damage to the southeastern quadrant of our state; and WHEREAS, in the aftermath, many citizens were without power, internet, and other basic necessities for extended periods; and WHEREAS, in response to hurricane impacts, several local businesses assisted their communities with access to groceries, hot meals, internet, and other essential services; and WHEREAS, impacted citizens, communities, and businesses have been slow to recover from Hurricane Ida's effects; and WHEREAS, public postsecondary education institution campuses may serve as community anchors to improve a community's resilience and expedite recovery after both man-made and natural disasters; and WHEREAS, state and local emergency preparedness stakeholders should consider ways to integrate the infrastructure, assets, and human capital of public postsecondary education institutions into emergency preparedness and disaster recovery plans; and WHEREAS, incorporating resilient building practices into public postsecondary education institution campus master plans, retrofitting existing campus infrastructure for greater resilience, and allocating funding to maintain and develop campus resilience will benefit the people of the state of Louisiana; and Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 184 ENROLLED WHEREAS, designating recovery liaisons for public postsecondary education institutions within the state's emergency preparedness and public postsecondary education agencies will ensure all necessary partners and resources may be included in designing a resilience center pilot program that may later be expanded to include all of Louisiana's public postsecondary education campuses; and WHEREAS, it is critical for public postsecondary education institutions and their governing boards to seek guidance from state and local emergency personnel and agencies regarding ways to continually improve their role in disaster recovery across the state; and WHEREAS, with appropriate implementation, campus recovery may be linked to strong community recovery. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Louisiana Senate does hereby urge and request the Board of Regents, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College, and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to work together in developing and implementing a resilience center pilot program, including a determination of the processes, partnerships, resources, barriers, and opportunities involved in fully integrating public postsecondary institutions into community disaster recovery, and identifying relevant stakeholders for participation in the project. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the commissioner of Higher Education, the president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, the chancellor of L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College, and the director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE Page 2 of 2