The Code Council extends its deepest sympathies to the communities in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia that were devastated by the recent tornado outbreaks, and to those in Missouri, North Carolina and elsewhere that were previously affected by severe weather events. ICC Member Jurisdictions in need of assistance during their rebuilding efforts can call the Code Council's DISASTER SUPPORT HOTLINE at 888-422-7233 4HELP (ext. 44357). The Council will work with organizations such as the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Society of Civil Engineers and others to apply lessons learned from these tragic events to enhance the science of building safety and to create better buildings and safer communities.

Dear Members,

Following one of the most devastating storms in history, our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with our members most affected by this terrible weather.

While the SLMA office and staff made it through yesterday just fine, we know others out there weren't so lucky. If there is anything the staff can do to assist you, please call. We're here to help in whatever way we can.

When times are bad like these, the one nice thing that makes it easier to handle is knowing that other people are there ready to help. Situations like this truly show how many good people are out there, and what they are made of.

Sincerely,
The SLMA Team

Contact SLMA

Severe weather stretching from Mississippi to Virginia touched many lives personally this week. The Southern Forest Products Association wishes to express its concern and sympathy for those in the path of numerous tornadoes. Preliminary reports also indicate some impact on the timber resource but possibly no substantial damage to mill facilities. Communications and power remains spotty in many places; text messaging often goes through when cell calls don’t.

“We are among the lucky ones,” reported SPC vice chairman Mark Junkins of McShan Lumber, located 40 miles northwest of hardest-hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “Other than some timber down in places, I know of no damage to mill operations in our area,” he adds.

The SFPA office was far south of the danger zone. “After dealing with Katrina, SFPA staff knows too well the experience of losing property to sudden extreme weather events. Our staff is on duty ready to help affected members recover from this devastating weather,” said SFPA President Digges Morgan.

Contact SFPA

The spring season is upon us, which often brings volatile, fast-moving weather systems to many parts of the country (as we’ve already seen). We’ve done several blog posts about our role in winter weather and spring flooding, so we wanted to give the basics of FEMA’s role in severe storms and tornadoes.

The bottom line is that – as with all disasters – FEMA is only a part of the emergency management team that helps the nation prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. This team includes federal, state, local and tribal officials, the faith-based and non-profit communities, the private sector and - most importantly – the public.

Just after a storm or tornado
When a severe storm or tornado hits, the first responders are local emergency and public works personnel, volunteers, humanitarian organizations, and numerous private interest groups who provide emergency assistance required to protect the public's health and safety and to meet immediate human needs.

In some cases, the damage to the community and needs of residents overwhelms the resources of state, territory, tribal, local government, and voluntary agencies. It’s these instances where a governor may request a major disaster declaration from the president to provide supplemental federal disaster assistance.

See the rest of the article here.