Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Abby Harvey Associate professor of mathematics Simei Tong and junior Mitch Phillipson have done extensive research to help Wisconsin plan for emergencies.

Two years ago, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, associate professor of mathematics Simei Tong knew there was something she could do.

To prevent further catastrophes resulting from being unprepared, Tong, aided by a team of students, employed mathematics as a tool in creating emergency disaster plans for Wisconsin's Dane and Clark counties.

"Mathematics is not only beautiful by itself, it is very useful in real-life problem solving," Tong said.

This past summer, Tong and her students designed an evacuation plan for the city of Owen in Clark County. Owen faces a significant threat of catastrophic flooding in the event of a break in the dam at nearby Sportsman Lake, Tong said.

Also, trains that routinely run through the community carry chemicals, presenting an additional threat to residents, she said.

"If you have a plan in place, and you have this accident or the flood situation, then you know how to evacuate the people," Tong said.

She said the city's emergency office needs to prepare for the number of buses necessary to evacuate residents as well as the cost of running a free shelter for those who have lost their homes.

Tong's research concluded that 59 minutes is the minimum time required for Owen to be evacuated.

"It's important to have a solid evacuation model when counties need to evacuate in order to prevent loss of life and property damage," said junior Mitch Phillipson, a student of Tong's who participated in the research.

Phillipson said he helped collect data from the area and used it to create an algorithm, a step-by-step problem-solving procedure, to find the shortest path from each area to the nearest shelter.

"I found the project very enlightening," said Jennifer Lord-Kouraichi, Clark County emergency management director. "I never realized math could be used in such a way. It was neat to follow the project and I think it's great to have the opportunity to work with the university that's here in our area."

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