IBTS Economic Development and Disaster Recovery (EDDR) subject matter experts provided a webinar on innovative procurement options as part of the Florida Housing Coalition’s July 2018 Hurricane Member Update webinar. The IBTS portion of the webinar focused on using bid books in procurement, a practice frequently used by IBTS when administering CDBG-DR programs. Bid books… Read more
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, it caused unfathomable damage. However, much of the wind damage throughout Louisiana could have been reduced if stronger building codes were in place. This case study summarizes the lessons learned following Hurricane Katrina and the steps taken by IBTS staff to develop and maintain new… Read more
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is committed to a comprehensive and coordinated resiliency effort to help improve the ability of buildings, infrastructure and communities to withstand the effects of a natural disaster and recover within reasonable expectations and manageable costs. The increasing number of significant natural disasters occurring over the past several years,… Read more
Disaster can strike out of nowhere. Tornadoes touch down with little warning. Earthquakes do not announce themselves before they rumble underfoot. Days of pounding, persistent rain create overwhelming floods. These emergencies are only weather events—large vehicle crashes and other man-made crises can happen in a split-second. To make matters worse, a delayed or deferred response… Read more
Counties need to be able to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters in a timely fashion, and as part of this preparation, they need to ensure that critical infrastructure, such as energy, water, communications and transportation, remain operational, or that service can be quickly returned to normal following a disaster. Click the… Read more
The response phase of a disaster lends itself to the most media attention, while the long-term recovery operations can extend for years. Elected officials can assist with publicity management and set the stage for an efficient recovery. Knowing how to handle difficult decisions when a disaster strikes can aid in effective implementation of the emergency… Read more
The Resilient Counties Forum was an opportunity for county leaders to gain a better understanding of how they can help meet county disaster management, energy cultivation and protection, resource recycling and infrastructure financing goals. The day was split into two with presentations in the morning, and a “conversation café,” or round table discussion, in the afternoon. PRESENTATIONS:… Read more
Hurricanes, wildfires, economic collapse, and other disasters can be natural or man-made, acute or long-term, foreseeable or unpredictable. Preparation for and recovery from such events requires both long-term planning and immediate action. NACo works to strengthen county resiliency by building leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and allow counties to become more flexible and… Read more
In mid-September, as tens of thousands of people were still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and while Hurricane Irma was wreaking havoc in the Southeast, representatives of The Nature Conservancy, American Planning Association, and NACo visited South Seaside Park, N.J., which serves as a case study for NACo’s Naturally Resilient Communities partnership. It was a trip… Read more
Recognizing that counties need to be prepared for public health needs before, during and after natural disasters strike, this session focused on strategies for creating a resilient county public health system. County elected officials must work with health and emergency management departments to prepare for and appropriately respond to public health issues. In this session… Read more
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