Bounce Back Faster from Disaster- Build to Code

CHICAGO – May is Building Safety Month, a public awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures by increasing awareness about how building codes and code officials improve and protect the places where we live, learn, work, worship and play.

“We’re all at some level of disaster risk,” said Andrew Velasquez III, FEMA Region V administrator.  “It is important that we prepare now for the impacts that disasters can have on our homes, our businesses and in our communities.”

The power of natural disasters can be overwhelming. While you can’t stop natural disasters from happening, there are steps you can take to increase your home’s chance of survival, even in the face of the worst Mother Nature can dish out.

1. Reinforce your Residence. Consider retrofitting options, or steps to improve your home’s protection from natural disasters, including high wind events. One of the most common types of wind damage to a structure is called “uplift”— which occurs when a roof lifts and collapses back down on the house causing costly damage. Fortunately, you can minimize the chances of this happening by installing straps connecting the structural members of your roof to the wall studs or columns.

Other risk reduction ideas include:
a. Use shingles rated for 90+ mph wind and use a minimum of four nails per shingle.
b. Make sure windows and doors are properly shimmed and nailed into the framed opening, tying the window and door frames into the adjacent studs, and 
c. Install a garage door that is designed for higher wind speeds.

FEMA recommends consulting with a certified home inspector to determine if these are viable options for your home. For even more home strengthening options, click here.

2. Fortify Your Home’s Floors. Homeowners can secure their structure to the foundation by using anchors or metal straps. Your builder should ensure there are properly installed anchor bolt connections between the plate and the foundation at least every four feet to ensure maximum fastening to the foundation.

Consult with your local building code official as well as a certified home inspector to determine the best options for you. For more information on wind-resistant home construction techniques, click here.

3. Trim & Tighten. High velocity winds from thunderstorms and tornadoes can turn patio furniture, grills and tree branches into destructive missiles. In addition, if the area immediately surrounding your house contains trees, outbuildings, trash cans, yard debris, or other materials that can be moved by the wind, your house will more likely be damaged during a tornado or windstorm.

All storage sheds and other outbuildings should be securely anchored, either to a permanent foundation or with straps and ground anchors. The straps and ground anchors used for manufactured homes can be used as anchoring systems for outbuildings, such as garden sheds, which are not placed on a permanent foundation. Outdoor furniture and barbecue grills can be secured by bolting them to decks or patios or by attaching them to ground anchors with cables or chains. Trees should also be trimmed so they’re at a safe distance away from your home.
                               
4. Elevation is a Smart Renovation. Flooding is a real risk, and elevating your home and its critical utilities can significantly reduce the risk of water damage. Elevating your home may even reduce your flood insurance premiums. Contact your local floodplain manager to learn the flood risk and elevation requirements for your residence. For more information on elevation techniques to protect your home from flood damage, click here. 

5. Assure You’re Fully Insured. Take the time to review your insurance coverage. Are you adequately insured for the risks your community faces? Are you covered for wind, flood and sewer backup? Has your policy been updated to reflect the value of your home? For a list of questions to ask your insurance agent, click here. Many homeowners find out too late that their insurance coverage has not increased with the value of their home. Contact your insurance agent to get these questions answered and ensure your home is financially protected.

To learn more about Building Safety Month and how you can protect your home, business and valuables, visit www.iccsafe.org.  For even more readiness information follow FEMA Region V at twitter.com/femaregion5 and facebook.com/fema. Individuals can always find valuable preparedness information at www.Ready.gov or download the free FEMA app, available for Android, Apple or Blackberry devices.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

 

###

Media Contact: Cassie Ringsdorf, (312) 408-4455

 

Read this article: 

Bounce Back Faster from Disaster- Build to Code

FEMA Calls for Focus on Resilience and Risk during May Observance

LINCROFT, N.J. — The New York and New Jersey Sandy Recovery field offices are supporting a national initiative to maximize resilience and minimize risk. FEMA is encouraging those rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy to join the agency in its recognition of the 34th annual Building Safety Month (BSM) to promote the importance of high building standards, protecting the environment and saving energy.

BSM is a public awareness campaign established by the International Code Council (ICC). The global campaign focuses on public outreach and education to increase the overall safety and sustainability of buildings through the adoption of model building codes and promotion of code enforcement—elements for New York and New Jersey to consider as the area rebuilds after the storm.

Those in the affected states—and nationwide—can avail themselves of FEMA’s Building Science Department online and print information about various natural and man-made disasters and how they affect building safety. The agency introduces basic concepts used to design new or retrofitted buildings. Also offered are measures to increase resilience against future disasters while retaining or elevating efficiency—a two-pronged approach in dealing with climate change.

For the fourth consecutive year, President Obama has proclaimed May as National Building Safety Month to underscore the role that safe building codes and standards play in decreasing the effects of disasters and making the nation resilient. Building codes protect citizens from disasters like fires, flooding and weather-related events like Hurricane Sandy and structural collapse.

The overarching theme of BSM is Building Safety: Maximizing resilience, minimizing risks with sub-themes for each of its respective four weeks: fire, weather, yard and outdoor safety, and for the final week of the campaign, Building a brighter, more efficient tomorrow.   

For more information, on FEMA’s Building Science Branch, visit www.fema.gov/building-science. More information on Building Safety Month is at: www.buildingsafetymonth.org and www.iccsafe.org.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

 

Read the article: 

FEMA Calls for Focus on Resilience and Risk during May Observance

May is Building Safety Month

May is Building Safety Month 

Release Date: May 3, 2012
Release Number: R10-12-012

» 2012 Region X News Releases

SEATTLE, Wash. — When you enter a house or building, most likely you assume it is safe and was properly constructed in accordance with building codes. Fortunately, your local safety experts work hard to assure building safety and fire prevention every day. To help raise awareness of building safety, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)proudly celebrates Building Safety Month this May.

Building Safety Month is a month-long celebration of all aspects of building safety to help families, employers, and leaders understand and appreciate the best practices that keep the places where we live, work and play safe. The campaign is presented by the International Code Council and its 50,000 members worldwide, along with a diverse partnership of professionals from the building construction, design and safety community.

“Building codes are meant to protect us,” says FEMA Region 10 Regional Administrator Ken Murphy. “The more people understand and respect building codes, the better we will build and the safer our communities will be.”

In order for residents of a community to qualify for flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the community needs to maintain a minimal level of building code protection and floodplain management. If a community enforces even higher standards, they can participate in the Community Rating System (CRS) program. The CRS provides a reduction in flood insurance premium rates for property owners in communities that implement activities above and beyond the basic requirements of the NFIP. These reduced rates reflect the reduced flood risk.

Countless accidents occur in homes across the U.S. and globally where building codes are poorly understood or used improperly. Building Safety Month is an effort to help bridge these gaps and provide a broader platform to share the sphere of knowledge among architects, engineers and skilled industry veterans so that families, businesses and communities can be safe, strong and sustainable.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 07-May-2012 14:26:40

Original source – 

May is Building Safety Month