Recently, our rapid response skills were put to the test in Maryland. In this case, however, the state required a quick turnaround before a major disaster could strike. Critical funding was at stake, with a major FEMA deadline just weeks away.

Responding Before the Crisis

Maryland needed a comprehensive update to its State Hazard Mitigation Plan—something we've done many times before for other states and communities. In addition to our post-disaster expertise, we have a large team of hazard mitigation and emergency management specialists who identify and plan for potential hazards within communities, with skills ranging from mapping and GIS to hazard analysis and risk assessment.

But Maryland only had 16 weeks to complete an overhaul of its 2008 plan and deliver it to FEMA to meet the funding deadline. Normally, a plan update of this size requires a year to complete. Maryland State Hazard Mitigation Officer Mark James asked us if we could meet this challenge and we responded, "we can."

Exceeding Expectations

With strong support from the professionals within the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, our team rose to the challenge of meeting the high-stakes, high-pressure deadline. I credit our ability to respond so quickly to a culture here at Dewberry that is not only experienced with rapid response work, but embraces it.

Our ability to pull skilled, multidiscipline teams together and set them to work simultaneously was key. It not only requires strong planning and a depth of resources, it requires professionals—including company leaders—who are willing to say "count me in" to make things happen. As a result, we streamlined the demanding, multi-phase process and met the 16-week deadline. The vulnerability analysis, for example, normally requires four months; we deployed six teams to complete this portion of the work in just five weeks. All in all, 55 Dewberry team members contributed to the effort.

On August 25, 2011, following a four-day "war room" final review session, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley adopted the newly updated plan. FEMA Region III followed with approval the next day, enabling the state to meet its funding deadline. On August 27, Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast, including Maryland, and Tropical Depression Lee followed in early September. Both events resulted in Presidential disaster declarations. With its 2011 State Hazard Mitigation Plan Update complete and delivered on time, Maryland was prepared.