March 2005
Florida Tech to host Disaster Recovery Construction Symposium
Post-storm contracting opportunities and hurricane damage mitigation
MELBOURNE, FLA.--Practicing engineers and contractors are invited to a one-day symposium at Florida Tech to hear from experts in the fields of disaster reconstruction, planning, contracting and mitigation. "Disaster Recovery Construction: Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Construction Operations" takes place March 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the university's Olin Engineering Complex, Room 118.
Participants will learn about post-storm contracting opportunities and gain insight into the processes to respond to and mitigate hurricane damage. The symposium, believed to be the first such public forum in Florida, will prepare professionals in the construction industry for whatever the 2005 hurricane season may bring.
"We want to educate the construction community about how the recovery process works and how to apply for certain contracts before hurricane damage occurs. There will be a great deal of sharing of "lessons learned," said Ralph Locurcio, symposium coordinator and professor of civil engineering.
Leading panel discussions will be Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, director of the South Atlantic Division of the Army Corps of Engineers; Shabbar Saifee, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) director of Mitigation; Bob Lay, Brevard County Emergency Manager; state and FEMA officials; county public works officers; engineers; and Florida Tech faculty members. The luncheon speaker will be Florida Tech President Anthony J. Catanese, who will discuss a university/industry partnership for construction education, such as disaster recovery.
Sponsored by Florida Tech's Construction Industry Advisory Board (CIAB), the event, which includes a luncheon, is $100 per person before March 23 and $125 after that date. An optional evening event, the CIAB Annual Awards Dinner, starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $75. To register, visit http://www.fit.edu/recovery, or call 321-674-6143.