After a major disaster, entire communities often need to be elevated and rehabbed. This is a huge, often multi-year challenge to the imagination, ingenuity, perseverance and fortitude of the recovery team. To alleviate these headaches, a comprehensive program specifications document can help guide the process by outlining specifications that span from paint color to roof pitch.… Read more
Although home inspections and building code enforcement aren’t often top-of-mind for residents and community stakeholders rebuilding from a disaster, construction contractors should be well-informed on how they differ from the regular inspection process. Using building inspectors trained in disaster recovery is a must, and in ‘s program, successful inspections will determine when you can… Read more
In the chaos of natural disaster response and recovery — or any natural disaster planning, response or recovery activity — it’s important to remember that it is against the law to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, or economic status in all disaster assistance programs in Presidentially declared disaster areas. This… Read more
Providing proper documentation is crucial to ensuring that your community will receive and keep funding assistance following a disaster. Yet, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the detailed documentation requirements for FEMA, HUD’s program and other funding programs. It’s always a good idea to enroll in a FEMA or CDBG-DR training course prior to… Read more
Planning for a natural disaster is a constant process. Although no disaster plan is ever perfect, localities that regularly review and update policies and procedures, staffing and stakeholders’ roles, and funding options are better able to manage the response and recovery effort when a disaster does strike. One of the key components to any… Read more
Unlike typical construction projects, performing disaster recovery work under HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program comes with scope of work, time and funding constraints in order to maintain program compliance. Be sure you and your subcontractors have a clear understanding of CDBG-DR program requirements prior to communicating with homeowner applicants or… Read more
Homeowner appeals during the recovery process are inevitable and time-consuming, they should be a last resort for applicants. IBTS has processed close to 2,500 homes for programs receiving funding from the the HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, and been able to mitigate nearly all homeowner appeals — saving the locality and the applicant valuable… Read more
Without a comprehensive debris management plan, the debris removal process can escalate into one of the most difficult and expensive response tasks after a natural disaster. To reduce costs and accelerate the process, FEMA introduced debris removal alternative procedures. Yet despite cost benefits and incentives for quicker debris removal, few localities have taken advantage… Read more
The following FEMA online independent study courses introduce the fundamental framework of federal disaster response. In addition, specialized courses focusing on the and National Response Framework (NRF) from the perspective of specific roles are listed below: IS-2900 — National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) Overview IS-100.b — Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100 IS-700.a — National Incident Management… Read more
The Federal Highway Administration provides basic information and a wide range of resources to inform localities and states on the administration’s Emergency Relief Program. States must apply to the Federal Highway Administration, not FEMA, for funding to supplement state and federal assistance to repair damage to federal highways or roads on federal land caused by natural disasters.… Read more
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