As much of Louisiana is still recovering from Hurricane Ida which brought Category 4 storm intensity to the region in late August, PDCA has moved the 22nd Annual Design and Installation of Cost-Efficient Piles Conference (DICEP). Originally scheduled as a live technical conference running September 15-17 in New Orleans, DICEP is now a virtual event on the same days. The storm is said to be the second most damaging hurricane to strike the State of Louisiana and has left significant portions of New Orleans in disarray, thus negating its viability as a desirable conference destination.  

DICEP registrants are still able to attend the original lineup of presentations, however those will be delivered through the Zoom webinar platform. All sessions for Virtual DICEP 2021 take place Wednesday through Friday (September 15 - 17th) between 1:00 - 5:00pm ET each day. Please visit the online registration page for Virtual DICEP 2021 to secure your spot at the Conference and obtain the necessary Zoom credentials for access to the content spread across three days. PDCA has proudly elected to earmark half of each registration fee for contribution to Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana. If you too are interested in sending aid to the area, the City of New Orleans website has lists of local charities to consider.

Meantime, several PDCA Members in Louisiana and beyond are assisting in ground recovery operations in parts of the impacted region. As pictured above, a photo from a LinkedIn post from Baker GCI depicts their crews which are committed to rebuilding efforts in hurricane-ravaged areas. Patriot Construction & Industrial (pictured below) has made available operational space at its Duson office for use by out of state power restoration crews; it has also mobilized personnel in the field to support power restoration efforts across South Louisiana through its civil, hydro excavation, and deep foundations capabilities.


Several other Bayou State PDCA members were quick to take to social media to convey a sense of shared grief and community solidarity with their fellow Louisianans. See the following posts from Sealevel Construction and Premier Geotech and Testing, LLC as found on LinkedIn.