Mission
The mission of the Institute is to enhance national resiliency to a full range of potential disasters by conducting research leading to innovative tools and applications that empower the homeland security and emergency management community through education, training, outreach and operational support. The Institute seeks to improve the emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation activitiesfor the most vulnerable of our assets - people, businesses, and infrastructures that support our communities and our way of life.
Technology
The Institute applies advanced supercomputing, visualization, GIS, and communications technologies to transform its research into models, what-if scenario simulations, decision support tools, and applications that enable informed decision making under uncertain, rapidly evolving and complex conditions caused by critical incidents.
Outreach and Operational Support
The Institute accomplishes its mission through research into public-private partnerships, establishing best-practice based linkages between the government and industry stakeholders at all levels and across all sectors. These collaborative linkages enable coordinated disaster preparedness and response, resource management and information sharing, analyses of critical infrastructure and supply chain vulnerabilities, and consequence modeling of hazards, in an overarching effort to minimize the loss of life and impact on economy. The leveraging of strategic partnerships enhances the ability of affected communities and businesses to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all-hazard disasters, thus improving our resiliency as a Nation.
The NIMSAT Institute has over 30 local, statewide, regional and national public, private and academic partners to enhance its national-scale homeland security and emergency management agenda. Locally, one such partner is the Louisiana State University Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI), based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The NIMSAT Institute and SDMI currently collaborate in supporting Louisiana Economic Development and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness of Louisiana in its response to a variety of incidents through the establishment of the operational Louisiana Business-Emergency Operations Center (LABEOC). The LABEOC will support the coordination of activities and resources of businesses and volunteer organizations in Louisiana and across the nation as well as with the public sector to improve response, improve self-sufficiency, reduce reliance on FEMA and other federal assistance in order to maximize business, industry and economic stabilization, returning the business environment to normal operations as quickly as possible. The LABEOC will serve as the platform for the deployment of the NIMSAT Institute’s public-private partnerships, as well as its research and development products, which in the hands of homeland security and emergency management professionals will help save lives and reduce loss of property.
Current News
Haiti Earthquake Relief
The NIMSAT Institute is working with Louisiana GOHSEP and Louisiana VOADs to identify a list of the agencies and websites/phone numbers for those who want to contribute to the Haiti Earthquake Relief. The Institute is leveraging its connections with the private sector national organizations as well as the expertise of its staff, primarily Ms. Shannon Strother, the Institute’s Applied Research and Outreach Manager, in global disaster management to help identify the best approaches to contribute to the Relief efforts.
Please click on the link to find a list of the agencies and websites/phone number for donations with a brief description of what can be offered to the respective organizations.
On the Institute's response to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike...
"Truly [the NIMSAT Institute's] efforts have laid a solid foundation for future response across all jurisdictional levels and fostered a critical partnership that will place both the State of Louisiana and the Nation in a greater position of future preparedness.”
-Mark Cooper, Director, Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
"The Institute facilitated public-private partnerships that ensured that Louisiana had the necessary resources to manage the disasters, and conducted impact estimates that were instrumental in seeking congressional support. In addition, the NIMSAT team provided timely technical support to the State that ensured the successful management of the response to both hurricanes, with minimal loss of life and property.”
-Sen. Mary Landrieu, United States Senator
