Extreme weather—after the hurricanes: How to plan an effective response to severe storms

Based on your experience, what are the top best practices that communities can follow to effectively respond to and then more quickly recover from devastation caused by hurricanes and/or flooding?

Bob Schreibeis (BS): Preparedness is the key. Effective response starts with a risk assessment that guides a community's preparedness decision-making by defining the local mix of threats, vulnerabilities, and risk tolerance. That knowledge enables communities to make better resource allocation decisions both pre- and post-disaster. An effective response means recognizing the value of preparedness and providing adequate tools for planning, resourcing, inter-agency coordination, and training while also exercising a community's inherent capabilities.

Those steps help minimize damage from a disaster event by building resiliency, which in turn brings about a quicker recovery. After a disaster, the challenge is to accelerate recovery and minimize future risk. For example, we use pre-qualified contractors and pre-positioned contracts for debris removal, emergency work, and recovery services; a variety of tools for accelerating procurement, standardizing designs, and compressing construction schedules; and systems to streamline the administration of the federal recovery grant process. We also encourage everyone to back up their infrastructure records!

Related item:Disaster response: Readiness is the key to success

What immediate and near-term impacts on coastal areas are we seeing due to recent hurricane events in Texas and Florida? Anything that stands out to you, in contrast or comparison to past events?

Steve Mathies (SM): Rainfall quantities were off the charts. Houston, for instance, knew they were highly vulnerable to localized flooding under normal conditions and were in discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) about developing a water-management plan for the city and surrounding areas. Hurricane Harvey dumped nearly 52 inches of rain in a six-day period and completely overwhelmed the city. Economic losses are expected in the $75 to $100 billion range. Hurricane Irma heavily impacted the entire state of Florida, and it could have been much worse if the eye had stayed farther east, as predicted. Rainfall amounts ranged from 4 to 16 inches and damages are estimated to be at least $65 billion.

Storm frequency and intensity could be on the rise, which threatens an ever-increasing number of citizens that are opting to relocate to areas close to the coast. Management of water from abnormal flooding events will continue to increase over time.

How can federal agencies, local responders, and private companies best work together to support the disaster response and recovery process? How can other communities get involved?

BS: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) advocates a 'whole community' approach to response and recovery. The intent is to optimize the process by integrating needs, capabilities, and resources across the community. That means engaging the full capacity of private and non-profit sectors, faith-based organizations, and the public to coordinate with local, state, tribal, and federal government partners. It's matching capabilities and resources, and applying them where they are most needed and can have the greatest positive effect. A prepared and coordinated community has more survivors and less damage; and it recovers faster.