22CornerstoneSummer2026 agchouston.org and after the storms.” Fortunately for contractors, most carriers also have var- ious resource offerings for their clients, and preparedness tips from insurance companies tend to be practical. Many contractors point to Hurricane Harvey as the moment those conversa- tions permanently intensified. Not only did Harvey flood homes and businesses, but it also disrupted active jobsites, delayed schedules, damaged stored mate- rials and exposed operational vulnerabili- ties throughout the construction industry. “Harvey was the catalyst for these very specific City of Houston ordinance changes and then the design community reacting to those,” Hargus said of the hurricane, now 10 years passed. The storm also reshaped how contrac- tors think about preparedness. Planning that once focused primarily on securing cranes and materials now includes digital infrastructure and redundant informa- tion storage, supply chain management, employee communication systems and business continuity operations. Technology and the Digital Paper Trail “A fair amount of enterprise software was housed in local servers in our Green- spoint office,” Hargus recalled. “We took on water in our corporate office, and it scared us more than anything. That was a catalyst for our IT team to cloud-base just about everything.” As technology has improved over the decade after Harvey, communica- tion systems have evolved dramatically as well. “We transitioned during the COVID era to communicate via text,” Hargus explained. “That allows all our workforce, including craft employees, to receive updates around weather, office hours and projects.” Perilloux, too, understands the impor- tance of communication with project teams and uses weather apps to make informed decisions. “Effective storm pre- paredness begins with early planning,” he said, emphasizing the importance of having (and regularly reviewing) a clearly defined adverse weather plan in place before anything occurs. “When a storm is spotted, we send updates twice a day with the latest forecast to all employees and to all jobsites.” Contractors are also relying more heavily on digital documentation to protect themselves. “We video our job- sites before we leave,” Manherz shared. “That makes insurance claims a lot eas- ier because you have proof with a time and date.” Maintaining an up-to-date inventory of tools and equipment can be a game- changer if a claim needs to be filed. After the storm, though, technology — or the power needed to run it — might not be available. So, having disposable cameras on hand to document storm damage is a good part of a solid prepared- ness protocol. Prior Planning Prevents... The broader framework guiding many of those preparedness efforts can be traced back more than two decades. AGC Hous- ton’s “Guidelines for Creation of Inclem- ent Weather Preparedness Plan©” was developed after Tropical Storm Allison devastated the Texas Medical Center in June 2001. “It did incredible damage,” said Jerry Nevlud, former president and CEO of AGC Houston. Basements were flooded, windows were broken due to flying debris, cranes were damaged, signage was ripped away and the general destruction was unprecedented. “The president of the TMC, Dr. Richard Wainerdi, a friend of AGC Houston, reached out to Pat Kiley to see if the chapter could put together a group of individuals to work on a plan to avoid any future disasters.” The effort brought together a commit- tee of contractors, engineers, architects, crane operators and safety professionals to create the AGC’s comprehensive frame- work for severe weather preparedness. “Acting in real time does not allow for proper preparation,” Nevlud asserted. “The document states what processes should begin to take place from the moment a storm is brewing, and what should be done as it approaches landfall.” As storms grow more disruptive and schedules become tighter, those procedures have become more sophis- ticated. “One of the significant changes we’ve implemented is beginning hurri- cane planning earlier,” Perilloux said. Acting in real time does not allow for proper preparation.
AGC Houston: Cornerstone Summer 2026
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