DHS - FEMA Katrina & Rita Hurricane Recovery
Client: U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) - FEMA
Location: Louisiana Gulf Coast, U.S.
Business Segment: Mission Solutions
Industry: Government
Services: Maintenance
Executive Summary
In response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance, Fluor installed more than 54,000 temporary housing units throughout Louisiana, housing more than 160,000 displaced residents.
Given the urgency, we deployed an initial team of 500 personnel within 72 hours of FEMA's request and 1,000 additional people within 30 days.
Our team worked seven days a week for months securing permits and mobilizing trailers throughout the Louisiana Gulf Coast region.
The project received Fluor's Hugh Coble Project Excellence Award in 2006. The award is based on outstanding performance in several areas, including safety, value creation and client and community relations.
Client's Challenge
The massive Category 4 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast Region in August 2005, displacing more than 770,000 residents and causing more than $100 billion in damage. Three weeks later, Hurricane Rita struck and again devastated the region. FEMA looked to Fluor to respond immediately to the devastation.
Our scope of work provided site assessments, group site design and construction, technical support, maintenance, facility management and staffing support to FEMA's field offices and headquarters.
Fluor's Solution
Our ultimate customers were the communities and people of Louisiana, whose lives were disrupted and forever changed when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the region.
To revitalize the local community, we purchased materials and supplies from vendors throughout the Gulf Coast region. Using local businesses, Fluor injected more than $360 million into Louisiana's economy. We provided employment opportunities and career development for 5,000 local residents.
The Katrina and Rita Hurricanes Recovery effort was executed with an exemplary safety record, reaching 9 million safe work hours in only 14 months with no lost workdays. This was a remarkable feat considering that an overwhelming majority of the workforce, which peaked at 4,500 personnel, was new to Fluor's safety culture, worked on more than 40,000 individual sites and accumulated more than 67 million miles of driving across the 39,000 square-miles of Louisiana.
Conclusion
Fluor's rapid response to the devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 was a defining moment in our history. Employees from all over the world responded to America's largest natural disaster, mobilizing to Louisiana to provide residents with temporary housing.
The Fluor team worked seven days a week for months securing permits and mobilizing trailers throughout the Louisiana Gulf Coast region. For our personnel on the project, the recovery effort was not a job, but a mission to help residents rebuild their lives after tragedy.
