Advisory Committee on Emergency Transportable Housing Convenes October 25, 2007
A new Board advisory committee on emergency transportable housing held its first meeting September 24 and 25 in Washington, D.C. The Board organized this committee, which includes representation from disability groups, industry and code groups, and government agencies, to provide recommendations on supplementing its guidelines to specifically cover emergency transportable housing. Access to such housing proved problematic in the after-math of Hurricane Katrina and, after verifying and examining the issues involved, the Board has determined that supplementary guidelines may be needed.
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The committee heard presentations from members on transportable housing used in emergencies. |
The Board opened the meeting with briefings on the committee’s charter and rules governing the work of Federal advisory committees. This was followed by presentations from each of the committee’s 13 members on the organizations they represent and issues that need to be addressed by the committee. Members called attention to the need to clearly define and delineate the types of units covered and the importance of consistency with industry and regulatory terminology and unit classifications. Discussion also focused on verifying any design requirements or engineering constraints that conflict with accessibility criteria as a committee priority. The committee organized two subcommittees that will examine issues of coverage and design conflicts and will develop recommendations for the full committee’s consideration. The subcommittees are scheduled to meet by teleconference in between committee meetings. Meeting minutes and other information are posted on the committee's homepage.
The committee’s next meetings are scheduled for November 19 and 20 and January 24 and 25. Committee meetings are open to the pubic. For further information, contact Marsha Mazz at mazz@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0020 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
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