The University of Hawai'i-Manoa could become home to a national disaster preparedness training center for the Department of Homeland Security.

The center would conduct research and develop specific models and tools for monitoring natural hazards and evaluating risks to urban areas, while planning for the response, recovery and reconstruction of the community in the aftermath of natural disasters, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said yesterday.

Thursday's Senate action authorized the program, but funding will have to be applied for next year. The center, while approved by the Senate yesterday in an 85-8 vote, still must be voted on by the House and considered by President Bush.

Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said the nation's first responders need state-of-the-art tools and a high level of training to keep Americans safe in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

"In the wake of the Gulf Coast hurricanes, it became apparent that our country is not adequately prepared to handle such situations," Inouye said.

Gregg Takayama, UH spokes-man, said the program was applied for by the UH Urban and Regional Planning Department.

"We're really grateful to the senator for doing this," Takayama said. "We're probably the only campus in the nation to sustain damage from a flood, earthquake and fire in the span of four years. We're experienced with dealing with damages."

The amount of the funding has not been determined, nor if the center will require a physical structure, Takayama said.

Inouye said the University of Hawai'i was selected because it is the premier center for education and research in the area of natural disaster analysis and risk reduction.

"No university is better suited to prepare first responders for what they will face in the wake of natural disasters," he said.