November 22, 2017 – Ashburn, VA:
The IBTS OnHAND website is a customizable, online resource for natural disaster-related content, developed to meet the needs of stakeholders at all levels.
The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, recently launched the IBTS Online Help and Advice for Natural Disasters (OnHAND) website. IBTS OnHAND is an online resource that helps communities with natural disaster planning, response, and recovery.
The IBTS OnHAND site provides content based on real-world lessons learned by IBTS natural disaster professionals and other subject matter experts. This gives users practical guidance for understanding complicated regulations and processes, including those required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) programs.
Users can browse content across the timeline of a natural disaster and customize results to fit their role, or by the disaster phase or peril that best meets their needs. OnHAND Tools provide wizards, forms, checklists, templates, and presentations developed to assist communities with important tasks, such as producing a declaration of disaster request or creating a debris management plan. OnHAND Stories detail firsthand accounts from communities across the country, and Tips offer quick, actionable advice from those who have been through the process.
The site uses a mobile-up, responsive design that provides a seamless experience from phone to tablet to desktop and allowing users to access resources whether they are in the office or in the field.
IBTS provides OnHAND free of charge as part of its nonprofit mission, with the intention of leveraging its expertise in natural disaster management to benefit government leaders, officials, emergency managers, and other community stakeholders.
“IBTS knows how vital it is for communities to prepare for natural disasters and correctly navigate the recovery process when a disaster does strike,” said Chris Fennell, Chief Marketing and Development Officer at IBTS. “But we also see how often they struggle with these efforts, especially if they are already overextended. IBTS OnHAND was created with these communities in mind, to help them get them the resources, advice, and help they need.”
For more information, please visit: https://ibtsonhand.org/.
Press Contact:
Karen Johnson
Market Engagement Program Director
kjohnson@ibts.org
About IBTS:
IBTS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping communities through quality services that reduce risk, enhance public safety, and improve quality of life. IBTS is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia with branch offices across the country. IBTS’s work is guided by a Board of Directors made up of government officials appointed by five of the most highly respected, grassroots, state and local governmental associations, including the Council of State Governments (CSG), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), and National League of Cities (NLC).
