Answering the Call: Structural Engineers, and Disaster Response

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I remember the first time I stood in front of a damaged building after an earthquake. The family was living in a tent in their front yard for fear of going back into their home and I was going through my training to make sure I provided the right assessment before moving to the next building. It was at that moment that my role as a structural engineer during a disaster became very real: providing a clear, defensible answer using judgment, experience, and limited information.

When a disaster strikes, whether from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or wildfire, communities immediately turn to engineers for answers. Among the most urgent question is a simple but critical one: Is it safe? For practicing structural engineers, answering that question defines our role in the immediate aftermath. Unlike traditional design work, disaster response is fast-paced, field-driven, and focused solely on life safety.

From my own perspective as a practicing structural engineer, the first time you walk into a post-disaster environment is unlike anything encountered in day-to-day practice. There are no complete drawing sets, no time for analysis models, and no opportunity to step away and “think it through” later. Decisions are made in minutes, often with incomplete information, and those decisions directly impact whether people can return home/reopen business or need to stay out of harm’s way. That reality fundamentally changes how we approach engineering.

Structural engineers play a vital role in answering that question during the chaotic days following a disaster. Through coordinated post-disaster safety assessments, engineers help protect lives, support emergency operations, and enable communities to begin recovery. At the national level, the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), through its Structural Engineering Emergency Response (SEER) Committee, provides leadership and a consistent framework to ensure that engineers are prepared to respond effectively and responsibly.

As disasters increase in frequency and severity, the profession’s role after an event has become as important as the work done before one. Understanding how engineers can engage, and how NCSEA and SEER fit into that process is essential for those who want to help.

Following an emergency declaration, structural engineers typically serve as second responders, mobilized through state or local emergency management agencies. Their responsibility is to conduct rapid post-disaster safety assessments consisting of visual evaluations of buildings and infrastructure to determine whether a structure can be reoccupied, requires some level of restricted use, or is unsafe.

These assessments are not full damage investigations or repair designs. Instead, engineers perform quick judgment and training-based evaluations to identify immediate life-safety hazards. Using standardized placarding systems, typically consisting of green (inspected), yellow (restricted use), or red (unsafe), engineers communicate risk clearly to occupants, emergency responders, and public officials.

What stands out in practice is how heavily this relies on engineering intuition. Recognizing instability from a cracked shear wall or a displaced frame is not about calculations; it is about experience and pattern recognition. Equally important is discipline: knowing when to stop, when conditions are unsafe to enter, and when a situation exceeds the scope of a rapid assessment.

Disaster response is not reserved for a narrow subset of specialists. Licensed structural engineers often serve as team leaders or make final occupancy determinations. Early career engineers and Engineers-in-Training support assessment teams through inspections, documentation, and coordination under appropriate supervision. Engineers from diverse practice backgrounds, including buildings, bridges, and industrial structures, can contribute meaningfully when properly trained.

NCSEA does not deploy engineers directly. Instead, it serves as a national connector and advocate, helping coordinate training, terminology, and readiness across states. Through SEER, NCSEA supports member organizations at the state level in building and maintaining effective structural engineering response programs.

A key element of this effort is NCSEA’s partnership with the International Code Council (ICC) through the Disaster Response Alliance (DRA, www.disasterresponse.org), a national roster of engineers who have completed recognized post-disaster safety assessment training. Engineers who complete approved training are encouraged to register, upload credentials, and maintain readiness within this system. Through this roster, engineers with the necessary credentials will be identified, contacted, and deployed.

The goal is to develop a broad, well-trained pool of qualified engineers so response efforts are sustainable, and no small group of volunteers is overloaded during successive disasters or long recovery periods.

Disaster response requires preparation beyond typical engineering practice. While structural fundamentals are essential, field readiness and decision-making under uncertainty are equally important.

NCSEA and SEER promote standardized training based on nationally accepted post-disaster safety assessment methodologies. Twice a year, NCSEA offers training based upon the Safety Assessment Program (SAP) developed by the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). This one-day webinar, based upon nationally recognized methodologies of ATC-20 Procedures for Postearthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings and ATC-45 Field Manual: Safety Evaluation of Buildings after Windstorms and Floods, covers rapid evaluation procedures and limitations, use of standardized placarding systems, recognition of common failure modes, personal safety and situational awareness, and coordination with authorities.

Training emphasizes that assessments are professional judgments under time pressure, not full engineering analyses, and stresses the importance of recognizing when conditions exceed the scope of a rapid assessment.

Perhaps the most challenging adjustment for practicing engineers is the shift in mindset. Day-to-day work emphasizes completeness, coordination, and precision. Disaster response requires speed, prioritization, and the acceptance of uncertainty.

There is rarely enough time to do everything thoroughly. Instead, the focus becomes evaluating as many structures as possible and identifying immediate hazards. This shift is uncomfortable at first, but it is essential for providing meaningful assistance during large-scale events.

Disaster response represents one of the clearest expressions of the structural engineering profession’s commitment to public safety. Through NCSEA and the SEER Committee, engineers have a defined, ethical, and effective pathway to serve communities when they are most vulnerable.

When disaster strikes and the question is asked “Is it safe?”, well-prepared structural engineers provide not only technical expertise, but calm judgment, clarity, and leadership. By training in advance and engaging through SEER-aligned programs, engineers ensure the profession is ready to answer when it matters most. ■

About the Author

Klaus Perkins, PE, SE, is a Principal and Department Manager at Bennett & Pless, Inc. He serves as a Structures Specialist with North Carolina Heavy Rescue teams and is actively involved in disaster preparedness and response as a member of NCSEA’s Structural Engineering Emergency Response (SEER) Committee.