FEMA Releases Three Recovery Advisories Following Hurricane Ian in Florida. August 2023

 

 

FEMA Releases Three Recovery Advisories Following Hurricane Ian in Florida FEMA’s Building Science Disaster Support (BSDS) Program is pleased to announce the release of three new Recovery Advisories (RAs) in support of DR-4673-FL: RA 1 - Designing for Flood Levels Above the Minimum Required Elevation After Hurricane Ian RA 2 - Reducing "Loss of Utility" Impacts to Critical Facilities RA 3 - Reducing Water Intrusion Through Windows and Doors These advisories were developed as part of FEMA’s Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) activities following Hurricane Ian impacting southwest Florida in September of 2022. Although these advisories were developed in response to the hurricane in Florida, much of the guidance can also be helpful to other regions, states and interested stakeholders for improving their building and community resilience.   The advisories are available online at www.fema.gov/bsds. RA 1: Designing for Flood Levels Above the Minimum Required Elevation After Hurricane Ian Flooding in Florida from Hurricane Ian in 2022 extended far beyond mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) and often exceeded base flood elevations (BFEs) depicted on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), by several feet in some areas. This advisory reviews how coastal Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and base flood elevations (BFEs) are established, provides guidance on elevating buildings to minimize flood damage in cases where flood levels exceed the minimum required elevation, and includes considerations with respect to future conditions.   This document is primarily intended for designers, local and emergency management planners, home and building owners, and operators. It may also be helpful to any stakeholders involved in selecting lowest floor elevations for new construction in areas either affected by Hurricane Ian or with similar hazards. RA 2: Reducing "Loss of Utility" Impacts to Critical Facilities Hurricane Ian damaged critical facilities, power, water, wastewater, and other utilities. The loss of potable water was particularly significant. Utilities are essential to the operation of critical facilities. Even if a critical facility suffers minimal or no damage to its structure, building envelope, and mechanical, electrical plumbing systems, the loss of utilities can prevent them from functioning. This advisory focuses on what utilities critical facilities need to operate and what actions critical facilities can take to temporarily provide the utility service needed for continuing operations when external utilities are lost or being repaired. The document is primarily intended for owners and operators of critical facilities, the architects and engineers who design them, and emergency managers who coordinate with critical facilities during emergency planning and disaster recovery. Utility providers can also benefit from the RA’s considerations and guidance. RA 3: Reducing Water Intrusion Through Windows and Doors This Recovery Advisory provides important recommendations to reduce water intrusion through and around windows and doors due to wind-driven rain during extreme wind events. Water intrusion through and around windows and doors can damage interior finishes and interior contents. Water intrusion can also lead to algae and mold growth and may result in degradation or complete loss of building function, until adequate repairs are made. This Recovery Advisory addresses specific issues observed by the FEMA Hurricane Ian MAT in Florida.  However, it does not address water intrusion through windows and doors due to flooding. The primary audience includes building owners, operators, and managers; design professionals; building officials; contractors; and municipal building and planning officials.

 

About Building Science Building Science is a central focus for FEMA. It involves the study of how natural hazards effect structures, while FEMA employs leading industry professionals in architecture, engineering, and seismology to bring solutions to these challenges our country’s infrastructure faces. FEMA Building Science is the Earthquake and Wind Programs Branch and Building Science Branch. For more information, contact fema-building-codes-program@fema.dhs.gov.  Not subscribed? Click here to sign up for the Building Science newsletter today.