High-performance infrastructure can not only mitigate the severity and cost of damages incurred from natural disasters, but it also attracts more diverse funding sources such as green bonds, catastrophe bonds, resilience bonds, and social impact bonds. This HUD fact sheet provides governments of all levels with a basic overview of innovative financing mechanisms available to… Read more
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
provides rules and requirements for program community outreach, however it’s up to grantees to design a citizen engagement program that best meets their community’s needs. Grantees can find creative ways to communicate with their residents, but they still must stay within HUD’s parameters to ensure full compliance. Review these tips on outreach and citizen participation… Read more
FEMA’s independent study training courses offerings are one of the most important disaster preparation educational tools for government officials, staff, and other professionals engaged in FEMA efforts during disasters. Below, IBTS provides links to FEMA’s course offerings, organized by disaster phase. Click on the disaster phase to see the listing of course options specific to… Read more
Whether your community is a grantee or subgrantee of a award, you will be required to complete an unmet needs assessment to help prioritize your recovery projects and determine how your funding will be allocated between housing, economic development, and infrastructure recovery projects. Based on IBTS’s experience conducting unmet needs assessments across the country, IBTS… Read more
During contractor procurement, grantees are required to meet the federal minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) goals to remain in compliance with the program. This guidance document includes checklists for meeting minimum acceptable outreach standards; guidelines for M/WBE outreach programs; section 3 requirements; and compliance and recordkeeping requirements. Guidance on Minority Business Enterprise and Women’s… Read more
Returning home after weathering a natural disaster is not always a simple process. However, providing homeowners with information on post-disaster repairs and reconstruction before a disaster hits can help residents in your community return to their homes as quickly and safely as possible. These tips are intended for a local agency, NGO, or other agency tasked… Read more
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