Post-Katrina rebuilding focus of alumna’s job

Photo courtesy of Amy Barnes
SCAD alumna Amy Barnes works for FEMA on the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding.

By: Jessica Clary

Published: Friday, September 22, 2006

Savannah College of Art and Design alumna Amy Barnes (B.F.A., historic preservation, 2001; M.Arch, 2001) puts her skills to the test every day working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She said the practical skills she learned at SCAD help her as she works on historic preservation projects as part of the rebuilding process from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Barnes advises grant applicants about their options and helps other FEMA employees write up projects for applicants. She makes sure groups that received FEMA grant money to restore damaged buildings follow all the applicable federal preservation laws. If they aren’t following the rules, FEMA can take its money back.

Prior to her FEMA position, she was working as an architectural historian for a government contractor, and was sent to Louisiana Sept. 4, 2005. What was supposed to be a 90-day deployment lasted for more than 11 months.

“The individuals from FEMA that I was working with saw my capabilities, encouraged me to apply for upcoming positions and hired me,” Barnes said.

According to Barnes, there’s plenty she enjoys about her job. “It’s rewarding to do something that you’re good at and know it’s helping other people at the same time,” she said. She likes that challenges of her job, especially because she has to work to come up with solutions that agree with federal, state, tribal and local officials, she said.

Barnes said her coursework at SCAD prepared her in very practical ways for the day-to-day rigors of her position. “I got such a good understanding of preservation law at SCAD,” she said. “That’s what I do every day.”

More specifically, she credits the college with giving her an important tool for estimating damages: a paper napkin. “Bob Dickensheets taught us to do rough cost estimates for damage in 30 minutes or less on a napkin one day,” she said. “I still do that to see if numbers make sense.”

Barnes said other courses in architectural history help her too. “I learned buildings,” she said. “Having a thorough background that covers landscapes, outdoor sculpture and urban planning in addition to architecture is so key.”

She said her professors prepared her for the professional world by helping her become disciplined and organized. “If you can’t do multiple projects at once, then you can’t do my job effectively,” she said.

Though she wasn’t looking for a job when she was offered her FEMA position, she knows that isn’t the norm for most new graduates. Barnes explained that when looking for a job, applicants should always be on their toes.

“Know that people around you are paying attention,” she said. “That’s how I got my current job.”  

She also said new graduates should take risks. “Don’t rule out an opportunity just because the location isn’t your ideal,” she said. She explained that if the benefits of the job outweigh the location, an applicant should take the job. “Nothing says you need to stay there forever,” she said. “You can always move to your dream location on the next job.”

Barnes cautions fresh-out-of-school job hunters against specializing too soon, though. “The more opportunities you have to learn lots of things and do a variety of projects, the better off you’ll be down the line,” she said. “It’s sometimes easy to specialize in just one thing, but it’s hard to be good at a lot of things.”


Clary is assistant director of student media.