Jason Kruse shares experience with AIA Iowa’s Disaster Assistance Program following EF-3 tornado in Minden, IA

Jason Kruse, Associate Principal at BNIM and part of the Disaster Assistance Program with AIA Iowa, authored an article for the AIA about his experience and role in recent disaster response following severe weather events in Minden, Iowa. Jason and the team from the AIA Iowa Disaster Assistance Program evaluated 126 structures for safety for re-entry following an EF-3 tornado, including single family homes, multi-family homes, and commercial buildings. The Disaster Assistance Program trains architects to help communities mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, aligning their disaster-response processes, protocols, and training with federal frameworks.

“Architects work every day to design built environments that are resilient. We always strive to design for disaster preparedness, but many cities and towns are often not equipped or have not been adapted to withstand the natural disasters we see today — fire, high winds, flooding, earthquakes, and whatever else Mother Nature draws up. Beyond designing for resiliency for the future, architects also need to assist our communities immediately following such events. That is where the Disaster Assistance Program, shepherded by local AIA chapters throughout the country, has allowed architects and engineers to help during these critical moments post-natural disaster.”

Read More from Jason Kruse’s article How Iowa architects are aiding tornado relief efforts here.