ACEC Vice Chairman Thomas Burke offers to coordinate regional partnering effort.

Hurricane Katrina's immense blow to southern Louisiana and its Gulf Coast neighbors, Alabama and Mississippi — resulting in tens of thousands of homes and other buildings destroyed, extensive damage to infrastructure, 2.5 million people without power, and a rapidly rising death toll — has prompted ACEC members throughout the country to inquire how they can help with relief and reconstruction.

ACEC Executive Directors Warren Wilder (Louisiana), Judy Adams (Mississippi) and Renée Casillas (Alabama) say that the extent of damage is "surreal" and "like a war zone." They advise contributing to relief organizations but not becoming more directly involved until the areas are stabilized and local organizations can better assess their needs.

Wilder, however, is asking his state member firms who escaped damage to consider helping those firms less fortunate by sharing office space, computer data bases and telephone services.

"Many of our members in the devastated areas are completely shut down and are unable to conduct any semblance of business," Wilder said in an email message to Louisiana firms. "Many of our members need your help to survive. This would be a great way to show them what the ACEC/Louisiana family is all about."

Tom Burke, ACEC Executive Committee liaison to the Gulf Coast states and Principal-in-Charge at Turner Collie & Braden in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said he supports this concept and offers to expand it regionally to states that surround the affected areas.

"Many firms located along the Gulf Coast may not be able to operate for weeks or months, and will have difficulty staying in business until the rebuilding effort begins," Burke said. "Firms in surrounding areas could offer to partner with these firms to provide temporary assistance until the affected firms are able to resume business operations in their current locations."

Onlookers view the Gulf Coast oil rig that broke off its moorings, slamming into Mobile, Alabama’s Cochrane Africatown/USA Bridge.

Temporary assistance could include office and meeting space; access to computers, printers, plotters, networks; and temporary employment for affected staff.

Burke is volunteering to serve as regional coordinator for these partnering efforts.

Firms willing to serve as work site partners for affected firms may contact him directly at tom.burke@tcb.aecom.com, or 972-735-3000. Affected firms in need of such assistance may also contact the Executive Directors in their respective states.

Bob Eley, president of ACEC/Mississippi said: "We don't know how most of our ACEC/Mississippi members came through this disaster due to our inability to communicate with those in the affected areas. There will almost certainly be a number of firms near the coast totally wiped out."

ACEC/Alabama's Renée Casillas reiterated the "immense amount of damage and destruction" especially to Alabama's Gulf coast. "We've been in contact with our members in the Mobile area and everyone there seems to be safe and sound," said Casillas. "At this point, the best anyone who wants to help can do is support the various agencies spearheading the relief effort."

Specific opportunities for relief and recovery will be published in Last Word as they become known. ACEC members wishing to contribute now to the hurricane relief effort can do so by contacting any of the following agencies:

• American Red Cross, 800-HELP-NOW (435-7669)
• America's Second Harvest, 800-344-8070
• Adventist Community Services, 800-381-7171
• Catholic Charities USA, 800-919-9338
• Christian Disaster Response, 941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
• Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 800-848-5818
• Church World Service, 800-297-1516
• Convoy of Hope, 417-823-8998
• Lutheran Disaster Response, 800-638-3522
• Mennonite Disaster Service, 717-859-2210
• Nazarene Disaster Response, 888-256-5886
• Operation Blessing, 800-436-6348
• Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, 800-872-3283
• Salvation Army, 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
• Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, 800-462-8657
• United Methodist Committee on Relief, 800-554-8583