BLE’s Disaster Response Services
November 8, 2024
BLE’s broad environmental and engineering services offer clients a diverse technical skillset in one phone call. Our 25+ years of local experience collaborating with City, County, and State agencies can help streamline the recovery process, enabling our communities to rebuild safely, quickly, and more resiliently. Our staff is equipped to quickly identify potential risks and provide cost effective solutions.
WHY UTILIZE BLE?
Expertise in Challenging Environments: With years of experience in hurricane-prone regions, we understand the complex geotechnical challenges these storms pose.
Comprehensive Solutions: From soil investigations to foundation repair, we offer complete services for every phase of disaster response.
Sustainability & Resilience: Our designs prioritize long-term resilience, incorporating environmentally sustainable solutions that protect both infrastructure and natural ecosystems.
Rapid Response & Recovery: We are equipped to mobilize quickly after natural disasters, allowing critical infrastructure is assessed and stabilized without delay.
ENGINEERING
BLE’s team of engineering professionals support the evaluation of foundation systems, engineered slopes, retaining walls, tunnels, levees, dams, landfills, or other structures composed of or supported by soil or rock. Our team also provides a variety of construction-related field testing and inspection services, including building code compliance inspections. By maintaining these various areas of expertise in-house, BLE is able to provide a broad spectrum of professionals to assess and support diverse project types and complexities in a timely and cost-effective manner following a natural disaster.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Hazardous materials can quickly be released into soils, water, and debris following a storm posing a significant safety and health risk. Quickly determining a practical, safe, responsible means of assessing these materials will require a broad team of highly trained and experienced personnel familiar with local and state regulations.
BLE’s environmental services include, but are not limited to:
Hazardous and non-hazardous waste characterization and waste disposal support
Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments
Facility decontamination and decommissioning
Hazardous Materials Assessments, including Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Surveys
Remediation of soil, groundwater, or soil gas contamination
Aboveground Storage Tank (AST) and Underground Storage Tank (UST) removal, tank testing, and regulatory compliance
BLE’s environmental specialists routinely support permit applications and environmental compliance support including: Air Permitting, Best Management Plans, Stormwater and Spill Pollution Prevention Plans, and EPCRA reporting. We conduct these assessments and help clients develop a risk management and remediation strategy that considers the risk to public health, severity of the contamination, regulatory requirements, and costs.
Electrical Roof Leak Location
BLE utilizes Electrical Leak Location (ELL) technology to precisely identify roof leaks, even as small as a pinhead, caused by heavy winds or storm debris. Unlike traditional methods that require flooding or infrared cameras, ELL technology offers a more efficient and non-invasive solution. It can be applied to any membrane-type roofing system, including EPDM, TPO, and PVC.
Our certified ELL operators bring extensive experience, having inspected over 40 million square feet of roofing. If a potential leak is detected, we will clearly mark the potential leak and provide a report of the service performed including an aerial roof map showing approximate locations of the potential leaks. This service provides precise identification and clear documentation of potential issues, helping you address roof leaks quickly and effectively.
Property Condition Assessments
Property Condition Assessments (PCA) offer a snapshot of a building’s current state and provide a cost overview for necessary repairs, helping to assess the potential impact of storms on your property. Whether for municipalities or private commercial clients, BLE evaluates the building’s structure, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as exterior features like pavement and roofing. The PCA report includes a description of the observed conditions of various building systems, along with tables outlining opinions of short-term costs and recommended remedies.
Geotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical engineering plays a crucial role in mitigating natural disaster impacts. From soil stability to foundation support, our expert team provides specialized solutions to safeguard communities, infrastructure, and the environment after a disaster.
Disaster Impact Response
When disaster strikes, the condition of the ground and foundation systems can quickly become a critical issue. Our geotechnical engineers provide rapid response solutions to assess, stabilize, and repair the damage caused by storm forces.
Rapid Post-Storm Soil Stability Assessments: Conduct immediate geotechnical assessments of soil and foundation conditions.
Erosion Control & Temporary Ground Stabilization: Use erosion control measures such as geotextiles, sandbags, and temporary slope reinforcements.
Emergency Foundation Repair: Provide emergency solutions for compromised foundations, keeping critical infrastructure remains safe and functional.
Temporary Retaining Structures: Design and monitor installation of temporary retaining walls and soil stabilization structures to protect homes and infrastructure from landslides and soil movement.
Post-Disaster Recovery & Reconstruction
After a natural disaster, rebuilding safely requires careful attention to the land. We deliver long-term solutions to stabilize soil, mitigate future erosion, and secure the structural integrity of new and repaired infrastructure.
Soil Remediation & Restoration: Assess and rehabilitate areas affected by soil contamination, liquefaction, or erosion, restoring the land to its pre-disaster condition.
Permanent Retaining Systems & Slope Stabilization: Implement permanent solutions such as retaining walls, deep foundations, and soil anchors to stabilize slopes and mitigate future landslides.
Foundation Design for Reconstructed Infrastructure: Provide robust foundation designs for rebuilding homes, roads, bridges, and critical infrastructure, enhancing their resiliency against future storms.
Groundwater Management & Drainage Systems: Develop advanced drainage systems to manage stormwater, reduce flooding risks, and protect soils from future disaster impacts.
Geotechnical Consulting & Risk Mitigation Planning
Our geotechnical experts work closely with local governments, developers, and businesses to provide consulting services focused on long-term risk mitigation and resilience building.
Geotechnical Risk Assessments: Provide detailed evaluations of site-specific risks, including soil liquefaction, subsidence, erosion potential, and slope stability.
Resilience Planning for Infrastructure: Design geotechnically sound plans for roads, bridges, levees, and buildings in flood-prone areas using soil stabilization and foundation reinforcement.
Training & Workshops: Conduct training programs for civil engineers, emergency response teams, and city planners on best practices in geotechnical disaster preparedness and post-storm recovery.
Geotechnical Monitoring Systems: Install and maintain geotechnical monitoring systems, such as inclinometers and piezometers, to continuously track ground movement and water levels, providing early warnings for landslides and other soil-related hazards.
Geostructural Engineering
Beyond the initial subsurface investigation, our team of geostructural designers select and design solutions for retaining walls, soil improvement, slope repairs, and other complex soil-structure interaction conditions. Examples of our design capabilities include:
– Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Walls
– Gabion Basket Walls
– Slope Butress Design
– Soil Nail Walls & Tie Backs
– Braced Excavations
Construction Materials Engineering, Testing, and Special Inspections
We are staffed and equipped to provide trained special inspectors and engineering technicians to support
(re)construction efforts. Typically, inspections may include:
– Verifying bearing capacity for project foundations
– Collecting field density tests on soil placed and compacted
– Observing placement of reinforcing steel
– Inspecting welded and bolted structural steel connections
– Monitoring concrete and grout placements, and
– Molding representative concrete test cylinders, grout prisms, or mortar cubes.
– Field asphalt test inspection
Our technicians are required to pursue applicable certifications such as ACI, ICC, and/or NICET, and all field testing is reviewed by registered professional engineers. Our in-house construction materials laboratory is ready to test conventional construction materials.
CODES
Municipal and City staff can quickly become overwhelmed following a significant storm event due to the volume of inspections and requests coming in. Our licensed and certified code inspectors bring decades of knowledge and experience to assist building departments in their pursuit of compliant, safe projects.
As third-party code consultants and inspectors, our goal is to supplement inspections and plan review for municipalities. Allowing for a rapid expansion of staffing without the long-term cost of hiring additional municipal employees. BLE has available qualified and ICC certified inspectors ready to assist your needs.
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Jesse Jacobson, P.E.
AVP, Director of Technical Services
Colm O’Doherty, P.E.
Geotechnical Group Leader, Asheville
Garrett Pittman
Business Development Representative, North Carolina
Robert “Ty” Hawkins, CHMM
AVP, Department Manager, Environmental Services