Hurricane Harvey Projected to Hit the Texas Coast Soon

Current indications point to a strong, potentially devastating, hurricane reaching Texas by this afternoon. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Harvey is quickly gaining strength and is forecast to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph by the time it hits the Texas coast later today or early tomorrow.

The International Code Council (ICC) is paying close attention to this hurricane as it develops. As a building safety professional, you are well aware of the importance of building safety, especially in the face of destructive storms. Our members play an integral role in preparing communities for natural disasters such as this by ensuring that buildings are up-to-date and follow the code requirements. Unfortunately, even when the emergency preparedness plan is in place and the building safety codes are strong, major storms can still leave behind devastation in their wake.

The Code Council promotes safe buildings and resilient communities in quiet periods and in times of greatest need, and we stand ready to help. ICC staff have a long history of working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) Program after disasters such as Hurricane Isaac in 2012 and Hurricane Rita in 2005. Through the MAT Program, FEMA can quickly assemble and deploy teams of investigators to evaluate the performance of buildings and related infrastructure in response to the effects of natural and man-made hazards.

In addition, ICC’s Disaster Response Network (DRN) is available to help jurisdictions after a natural disaster. DRN gives member building safety professionals the opportunity to volunteer to help jurisdictions who request aid with building damage assessment, building inspections and other code-related functions in disaster areas. If you would like to add your name to the list, please click here to register.

If you are a code official in an affected jurisdiction and your community is in need of help, you can contact Karla Higgs, ICC Vice President of Member Services, at 888-422-7233, ext. 5268, or khiggs@iccsafe.org.