Hurricane – Preparedness, Response, Recovery, & Mitigation

Hurricanes and tropical cyclones are the costliest weather events experienced in the United States. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, since 1980 there have been 341 hurricane events. Damages from those events has exceeded $2.4 trillion.

NASA predicts that the impact of hurricanes along the coastal U.S. will increase as the climate changes. The 2022 hurricane season produced 14 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), of which eight became hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater) and two intensified to major hurricanes with winds reaching 111 mph or greater. The greatest damage was experienced in Florida and Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricanes Ian, Nicole, and Fiona. Recovery.

If you are already preparing for the 2023 hurricane season, it will be imperative you have a trusted consultant who can help you initiative recovery immediately after impact, and manage all of the recovery funds your community receives. Our team at ISC has responded to several hurricanes in the U.S. and the Caribbean, managing tens of billions of dollars in funds for our clients. The following qualifications are a small snapshot of our hurricane recovery projects.

Hours after Hurricane Laura struck, Team ISC arrived to begin the arduous FEMA recovery process by developing a comprehensive plan to ensure a successful recovery. Although Hurricane Laura caused significant damage to nearly all the Port’s properties, the disaster also provided them the opportunity to build the Port of tomorrow, today. ISC analyzed the most severely damaged buildings to see if they qualified for FEMA’s 50% Rule. This allowed the Port to receive funding for new, better-designed buildings instead of implementing costly repairs to older and outdated facilities.

Instead of repairing buildings that no longer fit the Port’s needs, ISC submitted Section 428, PAAP projects to FEMA to allow the Port to apply the grant funding to other projects. By utilizing the flexibility of FEMA’s Alternative Procedures program, ISC is guiding the Port of Lake Charles to rebuild the Port for their current and future needs, as well as the needs of their tenants. ISC worked diligently with the FEMA insurance group to maximize the grants, meet the insurance deduction threshold, and avoid any duplication of benefits. ISC also worked closely with both the FEMA Mitigation and EHP Groups to ensure the buildings were repaired or rebuilt more resilient while solving any environmental issues that arose.

ISC was requested to mobilize to the Houston-Galveston Region to support FEMA and the State of Texas in in carrying out the statutory authorities of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. ISC staff supported schools, institutes of higher education, special districts and city/county government throughout the State providing policy guidance and technical expertise in assessing damages and writing detailed damage descriptions and scopes of work. ISC was integral in writing several 428 projects including the permanent replacement of 2 schools in Orange County