Ashburn, Virginia (Feb. 11, 2019)—The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) has announced the successful kick off of its Start Toward a Recovery Today (STaRT) program in San Germán, Puerto Rico. San Germán is the first community in Puerto Rico to execute the STaRT Program agreement with IBTS, allowing the Municipo to position itself positively with Puerto Rico's disaster recovery agencies, such as Vivienda, COR3 and the Planning Board.

Under the disaster declaration following Hurricane Maria in 2017, over $4.7 billion in public assistance grants were allocated to Puerto Rico to address recovery needs associated with hurricane damage. The Municipo of San Germán took advantage of IBTS's STaRT program to assist their recovery and funding-compliance processes. This program offers pro-bono services to a select number of communities per year, and provides the resources and expertise needed to alleviate the immediate burden of the unknown during disaster recovery. 

For San Germán, this translates to providing technical assistance and training, identifying and prioritizing local projects, facilitating the reimbursement of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds and educating municipal staff on how local citizens can access housing programs. 

"San Germán is pleased to work with IBTS to begin the recovery process for our city and citizens," said Mayor Isidro Negrón. "We are thrilled that they offer the STaRT program, which will provide us with much-needed help, including technical assistance in identifying available funding for disaster recovery, FEMA reimbursements, CDBG-DR project identification, and more."

As a nonprofit organization, IBTS views the STaRT program as a critical component of its disaster mitigation and recovery efforts. The goal is for the municipal staff to gain a broad understanding of eligible FEMA and Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) activities and requirements. Training will include information on project activities, procurement and financial management. In addition, IBTS staff are helping San Germán prepare for the utilization of funds, prioritizing long-term recovery projects. 

To learn more information, visit ibts.org.