The Code Council Ramps Up Help to the Victims of Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey has caused billions of dollars in damage and driven thousands of people from their homes. Subsequent flooding has produced dangerous conditions in southeast Texas and Louisiana. According to CNN, federal officials are predicting that the storm will drive 30,000 people to shelters, and 450,000 victims will seek some sort of disaster assistance. Many are still in danger, and rescue efforts are ongoing.

In order to help those in the affected areas, the International Code Council is pledging to match member, staff and stakeholder donations up to $64,000, made during the next three weeks, to the American Red Cross. We are an association of 64,000 members and counting, and together we can make a difference.

The American Red Cross is onsite helping thousands of people affected by the storm. They have shelter supplies on the ground in Texas for more than 34,000 people, with additional supplies en route. As of Monday, more than half of their emergency response fleet had been mobilized.

Additional help is still needed, and now is the time to give. Although many of us have dealt with the aftermath of disasters in the past, the devastation we’re seeing in the wake of this hurricane is particularly difficult to fathom. The scope of the damage and the sheer number of people affected is staggering. We all need to come together to help our fellow building safety professionals, friends and the public in this time of great need. Click here to donate to the Red Cross today and ICC will match your contribution.

Besides financial support, one immediate need is housing. Code officials and other volunteers will be actively engaged in post-disaster damage assessments for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, without more housing, the number of volunteers that the local jurisdictions can accept is severely limited. ICC is establishing the Hurricane Harvey Code Heroes Housing Network. The network will connect volunteers with available rooms in the area. Stay tuned for more information about this effort.

The Code Council is mobilizing to help in other ways as well. Our staff are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, code officials and members in Texas, and other experts to provide support as needed and to begin the process of assessing damage in the search for lessons to make communities more resilient.

As the situation develops, there may be a need for more volunteers to help with damage assessment, building and plumbing/mechanical inspections and other code-related functions in the impacted area. If you’re interested in being on the list of potential volunteers, please add your name to ICC’s Disaster Response Network (DRN). Thank you to those who have already registered.

If you are the authority having jurisdiction in an affected area and your community is in need of help from the DRN, please contact Karla Higgs, ICC Vice President of Member Services, at 888-422-7233, ext. 5268, or volunteer@iccsafe.org.

Once the immediate dangers have passed, ICC staff will work with our partners on lessons learned to improve our building codes and standards. To learn more, please contact Mike Pfeiffer, ICC Senior Vice President of Technical Services, at 888-422-7233, ext. 4338, or mpfeiffer@iccsafe.org.

Best Regards,

Dwayne Garriss
President
ICC Board of Directors

Dominic Sims, CBO
Chief Executive Officer
International Code Council