During severe winter weather events, the public has an undying need for information — when will their roads be plowed, will schools shut down, is more snow expected? Providing them with constant updates is essential to set clear expectations about your municipal snow removal agency’s capabilities during a given storm. Use these tips to… Read more
After “Snowzilla” dumped more than 26 inches of snow on Arlington County, Virginia in January 2016, the county had to supplement their 40-pieces of snow removal equipment with 200 pieces of contracted equipment to keep up with storm. Mike Moon, deputy director of operations for Arlington County, Virginia, Environmental Services, was tasked with coordinating… Read more
Reimbursement for snow assistance and winter storms requires highly-specific documentation, often for specific time periods or completing certain tasks. FEMA typically reimburses for a continuous 48-hour period of the storm, and for specific tasks like making two lanes passable on an arterial roadway. Use these tips to ensure your locality’s snow removal agency has proper… Read more
On March 22, 2014, groundwater saturation triggered a 4,400-foot-wide landslide near the town of Oso, Washington. Considered the largest and most destructive landslide in U.S. history, the event caused 43 fatalities, swallowed 49 homes and shut-down a portion of State Route 530 – giving the catastrophe its official name, the SR 530 Landslide. Search and… Read more
Planning for temporary housing assistance can be one of the most difficult aspects of preparing for a natural disaster due to the unpredictability of a storm’s impact on a locality’s housing stock. Likewise, each community has unique risks and resources when it comes to temporary housing — there is no “one-sized-fits-all” approach. Local, state… Read more
Using interviews with officials from North Carolina counties with established registries, this paper identifies key features of registries, considers challenges and offers tools for other counties to use in the development of special needs registries based on the experiences of their peers. Safe from the Storm: Tools for Establishing Special Needs Registries in North… Read more
Long-term, widespread power outages can cause a plethora of unexpected communications challenges. IBTS spoke with Monroe County, New York, Emergency Manager Tim Kohlmeier about his experiences communicating with stakeholders and his constituents after a severe wind storm — coupled with sub-zero temperatures — hit the county in March 2017, causing multi-day power outages for more than 125,000.… Read more
Having a social media presence is a must for emergency management agencies today, however many localities struggle to build the large following that allows social media to be effectively used to communicate with constituents and stakeholders during a natural disaster. IBTS spoke with Washington Emergency Management Digital Media Specialist Steven Friederich about the strategies… Read more
The following summarizes the history of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The early post-Great Depression legislative measures from 1932 – 1938 stimulated housing construction in the U.S. Emergency Relief and Reconstruction Act of 1932 P.L. 75 – 432 First major U.S. relief legislation. Passed by Congress… Read more
After Sandy made landfall, Unitil was able to restore all impacted customers in 2.5 days, with the Capital region completed in less than 52 hours and the Seacoast region completed in 60. The response demonstrated the effectiveness and flexibility of its ERP and ability to handle events of differing sizes. Not only did Unitil complete… Read more
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