OLA Consulting Engineers Helps Restore Flood-Damaged Home on National Day of Service

On the September 11 National Day of Service, BCW Member OLA Consulting Engineers teamed up with the Fuller Center for Housing of Greater New York City to help restore a home in Greenburgh that was severely damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021.

The entire OLA Consulting Engineers team from the Hawthorne and New York City offices spent the day volunteering their skills and energy, installing new sheetrock, insulation, window framing, and outdoor siding. The daylong effort was part of a nationwide initiative in remembrance of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, where volunteers across the country dedicate their time to community service.

The homeowner, Pascal Amoah, and his family had been struggling to rebuild their home at 128 Florence Avenue after floodwaters left it severely damaged. Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“It’s a Godsend,” said Amoah. “Good people from all over the county have come here to help us with their time and effort. We are so grateful to them.”

In addition to working on Amoah’s home, OLA Consulting Engineers extended their efforts to two other homes in the area and the American Legion in White Plains. Their contributions are part of the company’s longstanding mission to “engineer a better planet” through volunteering and community engagement.

“Part of our mission is to donate back to the communities,” said OLA Consulting Engineers President Patrick Lynch. “Doing this here in Greenburgh is a great opportunity for us.”

The Fuller Center is a faith-driven nonprofit organization based in New Rochelle that promotes collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals and organizations in an unrelenting quest to provide adequate shelter for all people in need throughout the New York Metropolitan Area.

“The Fuller Center lives through volunteers,” said Fuller Center CEO Jim Killoran, who has previously welcomed OLA Consulting Engineers’ staff to his project sites. “People like OLA Consulting Engineers know what’s real, and they know how to build.”