Today’s highly engineered environment requires a new first responder team that includes engineers and constructors. The importance of these new first responders could be seen in efforts to remove bent steel beams in the search for survivors on 9/11; seal levee breaches after Katrina; restore power and water supply after the tsunami at Fukushima; and the massive infrastructure recovery efforts following Super Storm Sandy in New York and New Jersey. These new first responders are also essential for rebuilding after the immediate response phase.
Events of scale change the normal construction process. New logistical challenges emerge and evolve in the post-disaster phase. These challenges include destroyed logistical facilities; competition with other post-disaster aid flows; and disrupted supply chains.