Building Hurricane-Resistant Public Safety Facilities: Lessons from Louisiana

October 2013 – “Building Hurricane-Resistant Public Safety Facilities: Lessons from Louisiana”
Roy Robichaux, Jr., Fire Chief Plaquemines Parish, LA and Jim Kirkpatrick, FAIA,  Kirkpatrick Architecture Studio (Denton, TX)
Architect Jim Kirkpatrick and Fire Chief Roy Robichaux described the design process for rebuilding public safety facilities in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Facilities that were rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina were destroyed in Hurricane Isaac some seven years later. The new facility designs were explicitly designed to withstand severe weather and remain serviceable. The presentation reviewed wind loads, design issues, break away walls, and other features designed to minimize disruption in future severe weather. The speakers offered several lessons for rebuilding in New York following Hurricane Sandy.