Institute for Building Technology and Safety Avoiding Disaster through Community Revitalization & Resilience: Opportunities & Challenges ________________ Track/Session: 3.15 Patrick Howell Institute for Building Technology and Safety

The Institute for building technology and safety IBTS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Provides daily operations and disaster recovery assistance for 130+ small communities across the U.S. Guided by a Board of Directors consisting of representatives from: 3 min as may be some discussion (though not invited) 2

WHAT WE DO State & Federal Programs Local Government Solutions Education & Training Grant Writing and Management Technology Services Energy Solutions Leadership Quality Assurance Disaster Preparedness & Recovery

Why Small and mid-sized cities? Local governments on the front lines of disaster resilience. Tasked with providing day-to-day life safety and quality of life. Responsible for first 72 hours of response after a disaster event. Resilience planning and action often constrained by lack of resources and capital. Leaving smaller communities out of the resilience movement can exasperate the urban/rural divide. 4

The business case for resilience Tremendous Economic Losses for Small Businesses After Disaster The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation estimates losses for: Small Businesses (< 500 employees): $3,000 per day Midsize Business: $23,000 per day Large Businesses: (> 1,000 employees): $84,000 per hour* Majority of small business will not survive a major disaster FEMA estimates 40-60% of small businesses will never reoper their doors following a disaster.** 90% of small companies fail within a year unless they can resume operations within 5 days.** * **

Building community resilience Prevent loss of life and damage to property. Improve social resilience by addressing vulnerable population Prepare citizens and businesses to absorb shocks and recovery quickly Create evidence-based action plans Assess Risks Communicate Mitigate Inclusive Planning

Building community resilience - resources CRAFT – Community Resilience Assessment Framework and Tools A platform for small communities to assess, and in turn, strengthen their social, economic, and governance resilience. Grant Management (New NFBPA Member-Benefit) Needs Assessments and Funding Identification Proposal Development Grant Management Compliance and Reporting

Building community resilience - resources IBTS OnHAND 8

Norristown, pa case study Small Cities Resilience Competition (IBTS and NLC) Public, private, and civil society stakeholders Process Baseline Assessment Project Impact Analysis Recommendations for Implementation Resilience Planning Workshop Financial Education Action Plan 9

Lessons learned from norristown Resilience action in small and medium-sized communities is possible and obtainable. Identify a “resilience champion” to interact with stakeholders. Weave resilience themes into existing capital improvement programs, economic incentives, and social services. Internal communication and collaboration is key. Economic and social vulnerabilities can be addressed simultaneously with physical and governance resilience improvements. 2 min 10

Louisiana Case study Post-Katrina legislation required Uniform Building Codes be implemented in each parish State utilized Public-Nonprofit Partnership to ease the burden of implementation LA scores on Insurance Institute for Building and Home Safety’s Rate-the-States Index: 2005: 4 out of 100 2015: 82 out of 100 11

Regional shared services in la 12

Patrick Howell, Community Resilience Program Manager 45207 Research Place Ashburn, VA 20147 phowell@ibts.org facebook/ibts.org IBTS_org www.ibts.org Institute for Building Technology and Safety