Case Studies

Holy Cross School sustained unprecedented damage to its lower 9th Ward campus as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the events that followed. Realizing the complicated nature of the recovery effort and the FEMA Public Assistance program, early in the process, the Holy Cross Board determined to hire a “project manager” or owner’s representative to help the administration with recovery efforts. From the beginning, The Sulzer Group worked with GOHSEP officials to support replacing the devastated campus.

Starting in April 2022, a series of six wildfires, including the McBride Fire, Cerro Pelado Fire, and HPCC Fire, swept across New Mexico in an exceptional wildfire season. Notably, the Cerro Pelado Fire and HPCC Fire resulted from federally prescribed burns. President Joseph Biden declared a major disaster for these wildfires on May 4, 2022, later expanding it to include flooding and mudflows under DR-4652-NM.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is comprised of 186 parishes and sustained widespread and catastrophic damage due to Hurricane Sandy. The Diocese engaged The Sulzer Group to lead them through all aspects of its disaster recovery efforts, including processing its Request for Public Assistance, developing its public assistance claim, and grant administration and closeout. Since being engaged, The Sulzer Group has identified all damaged sites and performed detailed damage assessments of all facilities within the Diocese. Our firm started representing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn (RCDOB) in March 2013, more than four months after Hurricane Sandy. Over the first six months, our team visited 108 of the 186 parishes, with campuses that house more than 1500 buildings.

New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NMDHSEM)
The Sulzer Group was a key partner in assisting the State of New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NMDHSEM) throughout this phase. Our engagement was pivotal in response and recovery for DR-4652- NM. We provided a range of specialized services, including subject matter expertise, subrecipient outreach, policy guidance, and technical assistance for damage assessment, project formulation, hazard mitigation, and debris management.

The Sulzer Group has represented LCMC manage five different disasters, including the current COVID-19 emergency medical situation. Over the last ten years, The Sulzer Group has helped them recover over $50 million from FEMA.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, The Sulzer Group was appointed as the Program Manager for St. John the Baptist Parish, taking on an extensive set of duties to support the community’s recovery efforts.

Our journey commenced with the initiation and submission of the Request for Public Assistance (RPA). We actively participated in crucial meetings, such as the Kick-Off Meeting, Exploratory Call, and Recovery Scoping Meeting, tailoring our approach to the Parish’s specific needs.

In October 2020, The Sulzer Group, LLC was selected as Program Manager by the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) to assist sub- recipients impacted by Hurricane Laura in Southwest Louisiana as well as subsequent Hurricanes Delta, Zeta, and Ida in Southeast Louisiana.

Tulane University sustained catastrophic damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. In 2013, The Sulzer Group was retained to assist Tulane with the closeout of over 500 project worksheets reconciling expenses totaling $350 million. We identified and addressed numerous issues, including reapplying insurance reductions to offset cost overruns, identifying scope and costs not previously captured, and aligning scope to project worksheets. Working closely with Tulane’s administrators and GOHSEP, most of those issues were resolved, a nd over 450 projects have been closed.

Assist with PW processing by organizing damaged sites into logical groupings, collecting and processing documents requested by FEMA and submitting on Grants Portal. Assist with development of alternate or improved projects and justifying the project with supporting documentation. Assist with answering RFIs and other inquiries about projects in order to have PWs processed in a timely manner.