New NACo Member Benefit: IBTS Disaster Services Contracts
County governments play an instrumental role in protecting communities before, during and after disasters. NACo is pleased to announce our partnership with the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) on a new member benefit that will support disaster services for NACo member counties.
Our nation has seen an increasing number of disasters in the last few years. In 2017, there were 16 disaster events across the U.S. that resulted in losses exceeding $1 billion, including: eight severe storms, three tropical cyclones, two floods, an extreme drought, a freeze and a major wildfire. 815 counties declared major disasters last year.
To address these challenges, NACo’s partnership with IBTS will provide disaster planning and recovery expertise to our member counties. IBTS is a not for profit, and as a founding member, NACo has a seat on its 5-member board, which is held by Ramsey County, Minn. Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt.
NACo members can sign a pre-disaster contract with IBTS, which is only implemented upon action by the county if the county faces an emergency. IBTS provides services like initial disaster response, active disaster recovery (including debris removal management), disaster recovery administration and more. There is no initial cost to counties for the pre-disaster services contract. Counties are only charged when the contract is executed after the county is impacted by a disaster.
IBTS disaster services provide counties with access to experts in U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant management (including Public Assistance), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development action plan services, Community Development Block Grant Recovery Program (CDBG-DR) and more.
IBTS disaster response teams:
- Understand political challenges and respond with effective communication plans
- Recognize physical challenges of crippled infrastructure and mass debris
- Navigate post-disaster regulatory compliance demands
- Assess damage and engage private sector, restoring homes and other infrastructure
- Develop architectural and engineering specifications to guide reconstruction and rehabilitation work
- Value the importance of maintaining community character
- Effectively implement preservation and restoration of treasured historical assets
- Understand benefit-management challenges of distributing relief funds to citizens
In addition to these services, IBTS provides disaster preparedness planning and mitigation programs. Counties can benefit from services ranging from community outreach and counseling, environmental risk management and disaster planning.
To learn more about how counties can strengthen their disaster response and preparedness with IBTS, contact Dana Johnston, IBTS development manager, at 571.305.3463 or djohnston@ibts.org.
Additional Resources:
- Disaster preparedness: IBTS Disaster Services
- Membership: Member Benefits Guide
- Questions: NACo is here to help