Hurricane Season is Here: How Public Administrators Can Prepare

"Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” – Sun Tzu

Every year, coastal communities across the country anticipate the arrival of hurricane season. Beginning June 1 and extending through November 30, the anxiety for many during this time can be exhausting – especially for public servants that are charged with leading their communities in their preparation, mitigation, and perhaps (unfortunately) their rebuilding efforts. June is ordinarily a calm time in tropical storm development. Which makes it the best time to prepare. Here are some things local officials can do to prepare their communities for hurricane season.

Renew Your Public Education Efforts

Awareness about the potential peril of tropical storm damage is a powerful tool for planners and local officials. Hurricane season is a well-known time of year for coastal communities. Take advantage of this and bolster outreach and education efforts you might have waiting on your shelf. Education your citizens about evacuation routes, sandbagging locations, and local shelters if those are known in advance. It also might be a good idea to remind your population about past storm impacts. While uncomfortable for many, individuals and households at risk of storm damage likely better understand their risk in the context of past loss.

Prepare Your “Off the Shelf” Plans

If you have ever dealt with extensive clean up or long-term recovery efforts, you are familiar with the mountain of items you need to complete in order to respond effectively. Now is the time to get your procurements ready for common things you might need – debris removal and monitoring, planning services, grant administration, and so on. These plans should be ready in advance so that you do not have to draft them while dealing with the stress of your community’s recovery. The more you prepare now, the faster and more effective your recovery can be.

Make Introductions (Or Reintroductions)

Disaster recovery is a team sport. Connect or reconnect with local stakeholders that will be there on the front lines as well as those that will be in supporting roles. These include your local law enforcement, hazard mitigation officials, state and local elected officials, and others. Disasters are an “all hands on deck” situation and the more familiar you are with these teams, the better you will perform in the moment. This is also a great time to work on drills and table top exercises to prepare for disaster.

There is no wasted effort in the “calm before the storm.” Take advantage of these moments to get as prepared as possible. Unfortunately for many, the reality is that there will be a major disaster somewhere in the United States this year. Preparing now can make the difference between a slow start or a rapid, expert response to disaster.

More than Alphabet Soup: These Certifications Can Be a Game Changer

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” – Red Adair

There’s often some skepticism about the value of a professional certification. The uncertainty might be warranted – it’s not always clear how a certification can improve you or your teams ability to succeed. After interviewing a few individuals in the field of disaster recovery, these are the certifications that I think stand out the most.

Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM)

I am a little biased on this one. I’ve been a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) since around 2012 and think this certification has really been a difference maker in my own career. The CFM, a certification provided by the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), is a truly unique certification. The CFM is a national certification focused on the roles and responsibilities of a floodplain manager. Studying for and passing the CFM exam elevated (no pun intended) my knowledge of floodplains, community planning, mitigation techniques, and disaster recovery generally. I highly recommend that individuals in disaster recovery – especially construction managers, engineers, or planners – learn more about the ASFPM and consider a CFM.

American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification is one of the most well known in the industry. AICP, a certification of the American Planning Association (APA), is an intense certification process that requires significant time and experience in the field of planning to achieve. AICP holders are recognized for their excellence in planning and adding the AICP certification can be a significant boost to your career or your team’s planning capability.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is managed by the Project Management Institute. PMP is a rigorous management-oriented certification that enhances the ability to manage teams, processes, and business priorities for certificate holders. It is one of the most sought-after certifications, especially for individuals who are more often managing teams and projects and not strictly performing planning services.

These are just three of the most common certifications found in disaster recovery. Consider one, or if you’re particularly ambitious, all of these certifications if you’re looking to enhance your understanding of one of these subject matters, take a step forward in your career, or improve the skills of your team.

Relationships Matter: Get the Most Out of Your Connection with HUD

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” - Henry Ford

You will need to develop a healthy working relationship with your HUD team. Your relationship to your HUD team is critical to your success. A good HUD point of contact is there to support you, encourage you, and help you achieve your goals – but just like in any relationship, it takes time and commitment to get the most out of it. Here are a few things to consider when developing your rapport with HUD, and these approaches can be valuable whether you are starting a brand-new relationship or if you are an established grantee and simply want to improve your existing relationship with your grant manager.

Keep Them in the Loop

I was shocked to learn that our HUD rep was a real human being with a workload that was often far greater than just seeing to my every whim as a grantee. Many of today’s HUD representatives have a larger workload than ever, sometimes seeing to the needs of multiple grantees in multiple states and dealing with multiple emergent issues. Give your HUD representative the benefit of the doubt. They will need to be brought up to speed on new changes, reminded of current issues, and are not in the room with you every time you make a decision. It is part of your job to keep them updated and comfortable with the direction you are going with your grant. It is worth it to take some extra time every so often to keep them as updated and “in the know” as you can.

Help Them Prioritize

You are no doubt carefully balancing the many priorities on your plate at once. It is not always clear from the outside perspective what issues are critical and which ones are not as important, and this can vary from grantee to grantee, too. Help your HUD representative understand what issues are a priority for you. This might require some vulnerability – you may have to explain why something is sensitive, why there is resistance or support for certain things in your plan, and what your worried about with your grant. Honesty is important here. If you can help your HUD representative understand what is keeping you up at night, you will have a chance to gain their trust and cooperation in turn.

Help Them Understand

Each state, municipality, or other local government is different with a different dynamic. Help your HUD representative understand the conditions you are working in. Who are your strongest allies? Who is most critical of your effort? The HUD representative needs to understand your whole framework, because it almost certainly differs greatly from somewhere else in the country growing through a similar process. If there is a lack of understanding about your preexisting conditions, current conditions, and upcoming challenges, they are not going to be able to help you as deeply as they could otherwise.

Have Them Work on Your Needs

One of your primary goals is to figure out how to get your HUD representative in your corner for the things you need to succeed. That is their goal as well! Figure out what things you can and cannot do for yourself and see if your HUD representative can shoulder some of that for you. This can be as simple as asking if they will discuss an urgent matter with their lead or asking who they recommend speaking to in order to get good guidance or an important answer on a mission-critical topic. If you can get them helping you solve your problems you have added to your team’s capacity.

HUD wants to see you succeed with your grant. Your HUD representative is a gateway to the rest of the HUD organization, and you should work hard to make sure your relationship with them is positive, clear, and fruitful. Grant management is complex enough without a healthy working relationship with your grantor. Foster this relationship and you will be on the right track to success.