The University of Louisiana at Monroe has secured funding for a Doppler radar system that will help the region better predict hazardous weather.
The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, or GOHSEP, on Thursday announced a $3 million investment in hazard mitigation grant funding for a Doppler radar system and 48KW generator for backup power, both of which will be housed on ULM's campus.
The Doppler system is expected to benefit Caldwell, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union and West Carroll parishes.
"We're very excited about this opportunity. This is something we've been trying to get funded for 20 years," said Eric Pani, interim vice president for academic affairs at ULM.
Pani said the radar system will serve as an educational tool for the university in addition to enabling the region to better predict weather conditions, adding that it will be the most advanced radar system in the area and provide better spatial resolution.
University officials expect the system to be in place by the end of the year.
Tracy Hilburn, director of the Ouachita Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, said the radar system will improve emergency preparedness for northeastern Louisiana.
"This project is going to fill a void we have right now and allow Northeast Louisiana to better provide current and accurate information to the citizens of our area so we can react and respond to different events," he said. "We will be having information that is from right here in Northeast Louisiana instead of depending on radar systems in Shreveport or Jackson."
Hilburn said the system will be tied with the National Weather Service and provide constant live weather feeds to emergency operation centers.
The radar system also is expected to enhance the quality of ULM's atmospheric sciences program, said ULM President Nick Bruno.
"Our atmospheric sciences program, which is unique to ULM, will be able to provide crucial weather data to the state of Louisiana," he said. "It gives students the opportunity to have this right on campus, which is not only significant for them, but our faculty can also do more research and provide that service to the community that has not been available."
Kevin Davis, director of GOHSEP, described the collaboration as "an exciting venture" that will provide additional scientific information for storm predictions.
An environmental impact assessment regarding the construction of the radar system at ULM was completed in January by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is providing the funding.
The project location was selected by GOHSEP because ULM is strategically located in the center of the area with poor Doppler weather coverage, according to FEMA's environmental assessment.
FEMA's environmental assessment said all of Ouachita Parish would benefit from the radar service since it would help increase citizen and first responder awareness of potential flood and extreme wind hazards associated with severe weather conditions.
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