The Government of Puerto Rico is taking advantage of the opportunity to build back stronger and more resilient in the wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact. Less than one year after Hurricane Maria made landfall in September 2017, the Government of Puerto Rico published this economic and disaster recovery plan to provide a framework for… Read more
A group of 10 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and IBTS volunteers conducted service and governance assessments of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities after Hurricane Maria. The assessment results were performed as part of the Puerto Rico Municipal Assessment Project and were published in RAND Corporation’s report, “Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation: An Economic and… Read more
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
In order to remain healthy, vibrant, safe and economically competitive, America’s counties must be able to anticipate and adapt to a myriad of changing physical, environmental, social and economic conditions. New and emerging technologies can be particularly critical for counties as they develop plans and programs to increase their resilience to unforeseen shocks. In a world increasingly driven by… 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
Overview More than just data, Digital Coast provides tools, training and examples of how counties can bolster resiliency through data and information resources. Coastal counties make up only 17 percent of the U.S. land area, but provide 58 percent of our nation’s GDP. Coastal increases in population, extreme weather events, sea level rise and other… Read more
INTRODUCTION Disasters – whether naturally occurring or man-made, foreseeable and unforeseeable – can have a profound impact on counties across the United States. In order to remain healthy, vibrant, safe and economically competitive, America’s counties must be able to anticipate and adapt to a myriad of changing physical, environmental, social and economic conditions. The National… Read more
Nature’s unpredictable fury and extreme weather events now seem to have become the unfortunate norm for many counties across the nation. Traditional approaches for mitigating risks from storms are proving not to be enough, while the role nature itself can play is often overlooked. Natural or green infrastructure systems can best help counties become more… Read more
Stay up to date with all the latest IBTS news.