INTRODUCTION
HOWARD UNIVERSITY BACKGROUND: Howard University is located in Washington,
D.C., the capital of the United States of America, which is a unique city sitting on 68 square miles
of land and is home to over 572,000 residents. Washington D.C. is the home of the federal
government, over 45,000 firms, 12 colleges and universities, four military installations, and the
United States military headquarters housed in the Pentagon. It is the home of the President of the
United States and a focal point for international relations and commerce, in addition to hosting
over 20 million visitors and tourists every year. The District is bordered by Virginia and Maryland,
creating a metropolitan area of almost 5 million people, which makes it the 4
th
largest metropolitan
area in the nation.
Howard University's charter was enacted by Congress and approved by President Andrew Johnson
on March 2, 1867, for "the purpose of educating youth in the liberal arts and sciences." Howard
University opened its doors with four students, in a single frame building, and has grown to more
than 10,000 students today, with 12 schools and colleges, a hospital, several out-patient clinics,
two satellite health centers, a radio station, a television station and Ph.D.'s awarded in 26 fields.
The University sits on over 240 acres of land, encompassing over 100 facilities on four campuses.
Since September 11, 2001, the entire nation is more conscious of safety and security concerns, and
there is general recognition of a need to develop emergency readiness plans to protect life and
property. In the past few years, there have also been several critical incidents on university
campuses across the nation, most notably the tragic shooting of over thirty students and faculty
members at Virginia Tech. Howard University similarly must be prepared to meet any emergency
or critical incident it may experience. An emergency may range from a local incident limited to
the campus or to one that extends beyond the campus periphery, which may affect the University
because of its location within the city.
Howard University's Emergency Management Plan is designed to be compatible with the
District of Columbia Response Plan [DRP]. It follows the Incident Command System, as
required by the Code of Federal Regulations. The DRP, in turn, interfaces with the National
Response Framework. Howard University's Emergency Management Plan can be activated
and used to respond to a variety of incidents, including but not limited to a severe weather
condition, a natural disaster, or terrorist activity. The plan's modular structure allows flexibility
for handling on-campus incidents such as a flood or fire or adjusting for a city-wide disaster.
PURPOSE
The Howard University - Emergency Management Plan (HU-EMP) is intended to establish
policies, procedures, and organizational structure for response to emergencies that are of a
magnitude to cause a significant disruption of the functioning of all or portions of the University.
This plan describes the roles and responsibilities of departments, schools, units, and personnel
during emergencies. The basic emergency procedures are designed to protect lives and property
through the effective use of university and community resources. Since an emergency may be