Code Compatibility Report: Fid-Bau Portal

Code Compatibility Report

In August of 1991 Hurricane Bob inflicted extensive flood damage along the coastlines of Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. contributing to the destruction of or substantial damage to 75 to 90 percent of the homes on barier beaches. Later in October of the same year a nor'easter battered the Atlantic coastline with unexpectedly destructive flooding. Widespread flooding occurred in Texas when rivers overflowed their banks from heavy rains brought on by the 'El Nino' warning in Pacific waters a phenomenon which recurs every three to five years. These three events in a single year underscore that construction of buildings to reduce hazards in floodprone regions of the United States is an essential part of the national strategy to minimize the impact of natural disasters. Commercial, industrial and residential structures that have been constructed to adequately resist flood hazards according to technical guidelines and standards of the National Flood Insurance Program (NF2) have fared best in floods. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (iFEMA), which prepares and distributes the N1P technical guidelines and standards for reduction of flood hazards, has recognized a flood hazard reduction standards can be more widely implemented in flood-prone communities by their incorporation into the model building codes and standards which are adopted by the states and enforced on a regular basis by local building deparmnents. This study represents a major step toward eliminating the incompatibilities between the NFW technical guidelines and standards and the model codes and standards. The report's recommendations provide a basis for coordinating NFIP documents with model codes and standards. In addition the report represents a starting point for the preparation of standard design guidelines, and eventually, a consensus standard for flood-resistant construction which can be referenced in the model building codes.