FEMA Building Science Updates

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FEMA P-348, 2nd Edition (2017)

• FEMA P-348, Protecting

Building Utilities From Flood

Damage, February 2017

• Principles and Practices for

the Design and Construction

of Flood Resistant Building

Systems

• Original FEMA P-348

published November 1999

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Purpose

• The updated FEMA P-348 publication is intended to help

address new construction and Substantially Improved

structures where NFIP compliance is required

• Additionally, the updated publication is intended to provide

guidance on best practices for existing buildings where NFIP

compliance is not required.

Target Audience – Intended Users

• People responsible for designing, constructing, operating, or

maintaining residential and non-residential buildings, and local

officials responsible for enforcing floodplain management

regulations and building codes.

FEMA P-348, 2nd Edition - Details

Half-day workshop on updated FEMA P-348 to be piloted at ASFPM’s National Flood Mitigation & Floodproofing Workshop (August)

Mitigation Saves 2.0

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• Mitigation Still Saves

• 2005 Report demonstrated that for every public dollar spent on

mitigation, society saves $4.

• Mitigation Saves is the most often-quoted work on mitigation

• 2017 Timeline

• Analysis plan & report outline - January, 2017

• Stakeholder & oversight committee workshop - February, 2017

• Analysis - February-July, 2017

• Report development - February-September, 2017

• Oversight Committee review web meeting - May/June, 2017

• Final Report (draft) - July/August, 2017

• Stakeholder & oversight committee final report review meeting -

August, 2017

• Final report complete - September, 2017

Technical Bulletins

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• Update of TBs 1, 4, 5, and 8

ongoing

• Update of TBs 9 and 10

beginning 2017

• Update of TBs 2, 3, 6, 7,

and 11 to begin in 2018

• Coordinating with Floodplain

Management, Insurance,

and other stakeholders

• Updated Technical Bulletins

will be released in 2018 and

2019.

jonathan.westcott@fema.dhs.gov

TB No. Title (Date)0 User’s Guide to Technical Bulletins (2009)

1 Flood Opening Requirements for Foundation Walls and Walls of Enclosures (2008)

2 Flood Damage-Resistant Materials Requirements (2008)

3 Non-Residential Floodproofing – Requirements and Certification (1993)

4 Elevator Requirements (2010)

5 Free-of-Obstruction Requirements (2008)

6 Below-Grade Parking Requirements (1993)

7 Wet Floodproofing Requirements (1993)

8 Corrosion Protection for Metal Connectors in Coastal Areas (1996)

9 Design and Construction Guidance for Breakaway Walls (2008)

10 Ensuring That Structures Built on Fill In or Near Special Flood Hazard Areas Are Reasonably Safe From Flooding (2001)

11 Crawlspace Construction for Buildings Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (2001)

Post-Disaster Recovery

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• Iowa (DR-4289) Recovery

Advisories

• Virginia (DR-4291) Residential

Flood Retrofit Training

• Louisiana (DR-4277) Flood

Code Provisions Training

• North Carolina (DR-4285) E-

279 Training

• SDE – LA, NC, and FL

• Non – Flood

• Post-Disaster Building Code

Enforcement Using Mutual Aid

Codes & Standards Policy

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• Public Assistance (PAPPG/FP 104-009-2)

• Applies to SD, SSD, and

Replacement

• Required to use latest codes

Building Codes and Standards

2018 I-Code Changes

• IRC:

• Concrete slabs in V & CAZ

• Decks and patios in V & CAZ

• Stairways and ramps in V & CAZ

• IBC & IRC: definition existing structure/building

• IBC and IFC: Group I-2, emergency generators and temporary connections

Building Code Monitoring/Adoption Tracking

• Coordinated to modify/improve BCEGS information

• Developing code profiles

• Supporting states adopting 2015 IBC and IRC

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Building Codes and Standards

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• Code Monitoring/Adoption Tracking

• ASCE 24-20

I-Code Flood Provisions

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• Maintaining the flood provisions of the latest I-Codes

• It maintains the model code requirements as recommended

by FEMA, ICC, and ASCE; and offers better code

consistency amongst States

• Once it is implemented for a number of years, it becomes

the normal and expected practice

• It keeps costs more predictable when there is a consistent

standard, and allows for a consistent design approach for

design professionals

• Elevation provisions allow for more stringent requirements

based on local Design Flood Elevation

• Does not impact CRS credit because the requirements still

meet AND exceed the minimum NFIP requirements

What is required by your code?

ASTM Flood Resistant Material Standard

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• E3075 - Standard Test Method for Water immersion and

Drying for Evaluation of Flood Damage Resistance (Dec

2016)– establishes procedures

• Standard Practice for Determining the Flood Damage

Resistance Rating of Materials and Assemblies– includes

valuation criteria

Oct. 2016

• Test Method Presented at Committee Week

Dec. 2016

• Test Method published by ASTM (E3075)

April 2017

• Discussed Standard of Practice at Committee Week

Aug. 2017

• Standard Practice due date for subcommittee balloting review

Oct. 2017

• Standard of Practice reviewed at Committee Week

Education & Outreach

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• EMI Curriculum

• Building Science Helpline

• Workshops and Conferences

• Pursuing Webinar Opportunities

• Integration Into RiskMAP

• Building Safety Month

Other Initiatives

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• Moonshots

• NFIP Policies

• Mitigation Investment

• National Mitigation

Implementation Strategy (NMIS)

• Mandatory & Prioritization

Criteria

• Recommendations

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FEMA Region Building Science POCs

FEMA Region Name Email

Region I (ME, VT, NH, RI, MA, CT) John Grace john.grace@fema.gov

Region II (NY, NJ, PR, US VI) Clark Brewer clark.brewer@fema.gov

Region III (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV) Molly Kaput molly.kaput@fema.dhs.gov

Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) John Plisich john.plisich@fema.dhs.gov

Region V (IL, IN MI, MN, OH, WI) Christine Gaynes christine.gaynes@fema.dhs.gov

Region VI (AR, LA, OK, TX, NM) John Bourdeau Jr. john.bourdeaujr@fema.dhs.gov

Region VII (IA, KS, MO, NE) Bob Franke bob.franke@fema.dhs.gov

Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) Sean McGowan sean.mcgowan@fema.dhs.gov

Region IX (CA, NV, AZ, HI, Pacific Islands) Michael Hornick michael.hornick@fema.dhs.gov

Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA) Gala Gulacsik gala.gulacsik@fema.dhs.gov

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Mitigation Division, Building Science Branch

www.fema.gov/building-science/

FEMA-BuildingScienceHelp@fema.dhs.gov

(866) 927-2104