10/23/2018

The Partnership That Built a Better Disaster-response Database

Times of tragedy often result in new partnerships that benefit all

After an earthquake, hurricane, or other cataclysm, communities often look to structural engineers and other building professionals to assess long-term damage. For the past two years, the International Code Council (ICC) and National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) have been working to create a tool to help speed up that process.

Launched earlier this month, the Disaster Response Alliance is a database of vetted building safety professionals who are prepared to assist after emergencies. Although NCSEA had maintained its own database of structural engineers for more than a decade, it had recently been looking for ways to expand.

“Our goal was to grow that database as much as possible,” said NCSEA Executive Director Alfred Spada. “ICC, from the building-official side of things, has been successful for a very long time. It’s just logical when you put our group together with their group, we can exponentially grow the number of people qualified as second responders.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.