AMHERST – After four years of planning, the University of Massachusetts campus system has received state and federal approvals of its plan for the way it prepares for and responds to natural threats, such as hurricanes, floods and high wind events. 

The university system also has used $1 million in state grants to purchase emergency generators for its campuses, including two at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to further strengthen its safety infrastructure, UMass President Mary Meehan announced Wednesday. 

“This achievement is the result of careful study, analysis and planning at each campus to assure that we are as prepared as we can be for any natural event we may face,” Meehan said in a statement. “This plan is just one example of how we are thinking ahead and are making sure we are protecting our students, our campus communities and the assets that have been entrusted to us.” 

The university’s multi-campus plan was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). The plan is designed to help identify and protect students, faculty and staff, buildings and critical services like heat, electricity and data storage from potential hazards, according to Jeffrey Hescock, director of University Emergency Management for the UMass system. 

According to university officials, UMass is only the second public university in New England to receive state and federal approvals of a comprehensive multi-hazard mitigation plan. The other is the University of Maine. 

UMass began developing its plan four years ago with three grants totaling $650,000 from MEMA and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. 

According to Hescock, with the threat of climate change and extreme weather, such plans become increasingly important. For example, in the event of a hurricane risk, campus emergency planners would assess the potential impact on facilities, project where rain and flooding might cause the most damage and highlight other critical services that need to protected.

The FEMA-approved plan also makes UMass eligible for certain pre- and post-disaster funding for projects to reduce property risks, including its generators, storm water management projects or structural improvements to vulnerable facilities, according to the university. 

Staff Writer Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.