Getting involved in AIA's disaster assistance efforts

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/content.aia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-09\/Disaster_Assistance_Fourth_Ed_Quickguide.pdf","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/www.ahoarch.com\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/69766-disaster-assistance-program","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/9271-the-safety-assessment-program","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/content.aia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2018-04\/SAP_Training_180426_One_Pager.pdf","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/aiau.aia.org\/2023-safety-assessment-program-sap-evaluator-trainings","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/different%20design%20decisions\/","target","_blank"]],["strong"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/resources\/71636-disaster-assistance-handbook","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/aiau.aia.org\/courses\/building-better-world-how-architects-help-their-communities-pre-and-post-disaster","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/here\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","mailto:resilience@aia.org","target","_blank"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As natural disasters continue to impact America from coast-to-coast, architects may be left wondering how they can "],[0,[0],1,"use their skills to help communities"],[0,[],0," that experience major damage from severe weather and other disasters. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cPart of why I do it is that I get to see people at their best help their communities when times are at their worst,\u201d said Tim Aho, AIA, President and CEO of "],[0,[1],1,"Aho Architects, LLC"],[0,[],0," in Birmingham, Alabama. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Aho is the co-chair of "],[0,[2],1,"AIA\u2019s Disaster Assistance Committee"],[0,[],0," (DAC) and the state disaster coordinator for Alabama. He has responded to multiple tornados in the state and helped assess the damage done by the storms to ensure that buildings are safe for use. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"His first deployment was in 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, following a series of tornados in the area. \u201cThat was a massive event, we spent over a week there going through and looking at hundreds of tornado damaged structures,\u201d said Aho. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After a disaster happens, the day-to-day efforts on the ground include small groups of architects surveying the impacted structures. They assign each building with a safety rating, green means it\u2019s okay to occupy the building, yellow means that it\u2019s okay to retrieve belongings from that building, but it shouldn\u2019t be occupied, and red means it is unsafe to enter, and a more detailed engineering follow-up is needed. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe idea is for us to rapidly get a feel for the extent of the damage and provide feedback to the municipality or the local emergency management offices,\u201d said Aho. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Not just any architect can volunteer to assess buildings after a disaster. One must be "],[0,[3],1,"Safety Assessment Program-trained"],[0,[],0," to participate. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The fastest and most efficient way to help a local community in a time of crisis is to become SAP certified. AIA\u2019s eight-hour SAP training was adopted from the California Office of Emergency Service (CalOES) program. While the certification is issued by the state of California it is nationally recognized. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Become SAP trained allows architects to help building officials assess the safety of buildings. This support is critical to ensuring that no additional injuries or casualties result from people entering unsafe buildings, especially in jurisdictions that may not have the capacity to assess buildings quickly on their own."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In addition, helping people get back to their homes safely and promptly has myriad positive helath, equity, and economic benefits for the community. AIA National offers four virtual "],[0,[4],1,"SAP trainings"],[0,[],0," each year, the "],[0,[5],1,"next one on May 10-11"],[0,[],0,". One can also reach out to local components to see when they\u2019re next offering training."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cArchitects are in a unique position to serve our communities, but there\u2019s an aspect of learning how to build better too,\u201d said Aho. \u201cLearning how to really observe the kinds of damages that occur can lead you to make "],[0,[6],1,"different design decisions"],[0,[],0," when you\u2019re designing a new project.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[7],1,"Disaster Assistance Committee"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Any architects looking for a more robust involvement in helping areas impacted by natural disasters may look towards the DAC, whose mission is to support components and chapters before and after disasters. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The ongoing work of the DAC includes advising on emergency disaster situations and equipping members and components with the tools and resources they need to lead their local disaster assistance programs through advocacy, SAP training, and developing volunteer and partner networks."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"An important resource developed by the DAC is "],[0,[8],1,"the Disaster Assistance Handbook"],[0,[],0,", which helps architects better understand their role and "],[0,[9],1,"how to"],[0,[],0," mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Learn more about AIA\u2019s disaster assistance work "],[0,[10],1,"here "],[0,[],0,"and if you\u2019re interested in joining the DAC there are currently openings on subcommittees related to advocacy and equity, communications and resources, and supporting state disaster coordinators. Email "],[0,[11],1,"resilience@aia.org"],[0,[],0," if interested. "]]]]}