Insights & News

August 26, 2020

Content originally published in October 2018. Updated in March 2023.

August 26, 2020

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. On August 1, 1968, Congress enacted the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 after the devastating effects of Hurricane Betsy in 1965. The NFIP was created to provide an insurance alternative to disaster…

August 26, 2020

In 2017, the western U.S. experienced more than 50,000 wildfires, with extensive damage in Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington state and record-setting destruction in California in particular. Fire burned more than 1.3 million acres across the Golden State, resulting in unprecedented loss of life…

August 26, 2020

People are at the heart of the work that we do. We design sustainable and energy efficient buildings so people are comfortable and have a better place to work, we develop innovative solutions for healthcare facilities so people can breathe easier, we engineer roadways that allow people to get…

August 26, 2020

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as of the 2010 census 39 percent of the nation's population lived in counties with coastal shorelines. Today the number has increased to nearly 50 percent. The economic and strategic importance of coastal areas in the…

August 26, 2020

Nearly one year ago today, Hurricane Matthew hugged the coast of the southeastern U.S. heading towards North Carolina. With it came severe winds and rain that caused intense flooding in the eastern part of the state. Inland flooding, in some cases combined with storm surge, left many roads, homes…

August 26, 2020

Have you ever wondered how federal agencies and private non-profits accurately anticipate the amount of assistance and goods required to help communities affected by natural disasters? How do they determine the amount of food and water necessary to sustain those affected, or how many shelters are…

August 26, 2020

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall just a couple of weeks ago, it came with record-setting numbers. The total 51.88 inches of rain that fell was the most from one storm in continental U.S. history—to put things into perspective, it takes Texas an average of 15 months to accumulate 50 inches of…

August 26, 2020

In 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that 39 percent of the U.S. population lived in counties directly on a shoreline. By 2020, NOAA anticipates that number to grow by eight percent. Further, in an increasingly global economy, coastal communities provide…

August 26, 2020

Community resilience planning has increasingly become a necessity for municipalities across the country. With natural disasters occurring frequently, from unexpected tornados in the aftermath of a storm to flooded neighborhoods after a heavy rainfall, communities are developing mitigation…

August 26, 2020

As it relates to emergency management, the term unified command can mean many things. It can be a concept, a process, a goal, and most importantly, a predictor of a successful multi-organizational response to an emergency. Originally developed by the military to coordinate high-level command…

August 26, 2020

More than 50 Dewberry employees from four offices have been involved in assisting FEMA following the Louisiana floods this past summer and Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew in the fall. Responsibilities have included development of critical flood depth grids to determine impacts as well as thousands…