JQ Engineering lends volunteers, pro-bono engineering services for post-Harvey needs

Damage from Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas

Dallas — With post-Harvey damage still being assessed and prioritized, team members from JQ’s offices throughout Texas stepped up to help. Project engineer Beth Anne Feero, EIT, in JQ’s Austin office volunteered to work with the Structural Engineering Emergency Response group (SEER) in conjunction with the Building Officials Association of Texas (BOAT) to perform rapid building assessments in Rockport, Texas last month.

Working with another professional engineer, Feero was assigned a square mile area each day and assessed each building in that area.  During the four days that volunteers were in Rockport, more than 10,000 structures were assessed, according to Feero whose 2-person team provided assessments for approximately 450 structures while in town.

At the same time, JQ’s Dallas and Fort Worth offices were involved in sorting and packing more than 600 boxes of food, totaling nearly 25,000 lbs. In Houston, the JQ team tackled the playground of Casa de Esperanza through landscape improvements and general clean-up of the site.  Not to overlook nature’s four-legged creatures, JQ’s Austin team helped at the Austin Animal Center for the day.

According to JQ’s CEO Stephen H. Lucy, P.E., “Our Day of Service coincided with one of the most devastating events in Texas.  There are many more individual examples of our staffers donating time in their local communities post-Harvey.  We are especially thankful to have a workforce with the desire and expertise to assist.”

Lucy volunteered to provide emergency consultation regarding an historic structure impacted by Harvey’s winds and rains in order to recommend a stabilization plan.

JQ employees may sign up for a Day of Service each quarter with each office able to identify the community organizations that are important to them. The offices with a larger number of employees have more than one option, whereas regional offices typically choose one organization.