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A dormer with an openable window (not shown) can provide access to the roof if flood waters rise too high and too quickly; the dormer should be properly insulated, flashed, and air sealed
A FIRM will identify specific SFHAs (colored and hatched areas) and localized BFEs (wavy black lines)
A fuel tank elevated above the design flood elevation on a platform in a high velocity flow area.
A fuel tank is strapped onto a concrete slab at the top of compacted fill above the DFE.
A fuel tank should be anchored with ground anchors designed for site conditions to maintain secure connection to its base in a flood or earthquake
A gable end failure due to improper bracing caused collapse of most of the trusses on this roof under hurricane force wind conditions.
A raised wood pier foundation can raise the subfloor above the design flood elevation.
A resilient home with storm shutters, a sump pump that drains to a french drain, rainwater collection, solar thermal and PV, and raised garden beds.
A resilient multifamily building in Puerto Rico constructed of concrete on a raised slab foundation with a hip roof design for wind resistance and deep overhangs and permanent awnings to keep sun and rain off windows.
A seismic snubber is a type of bracket specifically designed to anchor heavy equipment to the floor to restrain it in the event of an earthquake.
A water heater and furnace are protected from flood waters by a concrete floodwall, with a shielded, gasketed door.
All electrical system components should be raised above the design flood elevation to protect against water and speed up recovery, unless properly designed to be water-tight per code requirements.
Although crawlspaces are not recommended in flood-prone areas, they can be designed or retrofitted to greatly increase resistance to flood damage.
An alternative design includes strapping the tank to concrete counterweights on opposite sides of the tank.
An engineered bioswale uses perforated pipe laid in rock and landscape fabric at the bottom of a vegetated trench to direct water away from a site.
An exterior metal staircase was added to this concrete building for roof access and refuge during tsunamis in Kesennuma, Japan
An underground fuel tank is anchored onto poured-in-place concrete counterweights.
Anchoring a fuel tank to a concrete slab is recommended to avoid displacement if flooding occurs.
Backflow prevention devices keep water and sewage from entering the home during a flood preventing damage and health and safety issues.
Berms are compacted earth or gravel ridges that slow the flow of water from rain, riverine flooding, or storm surges in coastal areas.
Berms, swales, bioswales, ridges, and vegetation all help to control rainwater runoff on residential sites.
Bioswales or rain gardens filter storm water through vegetation and rock and sand substrate layers.
Building elevation and plan view of roof showing longitudinal shear walls; dimensions are wall-to-wall and do not include the 2-ft roof overhang.
Building siding extended down and over the breakaway wall so the upper wall was damaged when the lower wall broke away.
Buildings damaged by a hurricane storm surge: upper homes on gulf shoreline were hit by large waves above the lowest floor, lower left home on bay and right school 1.3 miles from gulf shoreline were hit by surge and small waves.
Built-up beam connections, knee brace connections, and diagonal brace connections for wood piles.
Closed-cell spray foam insulates the floor above a vented crawlspace; a protection board made of fiber cement is screwed in place under the floor joists to keep out pests
Closed-cell spray foam insulates the floor above an open foundation; a protection board made of fiber cement is screwed in place under the floor joists to keep out pests
Coastal flooding washed away most of the first floor of this home; however, the piers and roof are still standing.
Coastal flooding washed away this home but left the masonry piers, which are set in concrete bases.
Comparison of a building that sits below the Design Flood Elevation and renovated to be above the DFE and to add a second story.
Comparison of a building that sits below the Design Flood Elevation and renovated to be above the DFE.
Comparison of a building that sits below the Design Flood Elevation and renovated to be above the DFE.
Concrete pier foundations can be used in place of wood piles in coastal areas where risk of erosion and scour is low.
Connecting hardware helps tie the roof to the walls to ensure a continuous load path to improve a building’s resistance to high winds, floods, and earthquakes.
Connecting hardware helps tie the walls to the top plates and rim joists to ensure a continuous load path to improve a building’s resistance to high winds, floods, and earthquakes.
Connection of floor framing to support beam for a coastal home built on piles (band joist nailing to the floor joist is adequate to resist uplift forces).
Continuous load path failure due to improper connections between a home and its foundation allowed this building to be overturned in hurricane force winds.
Continuous load path failure due to improper connections between the roof decking and roof framing resulting from hurricane force winds.
Correctly anchoring an outside heating oil tank can prevent tank displacement if flooding occurs.
Correctly anchoring an outside propane tank can prevent tank displacement if flooding occurs.
Covering old asphalt shingles with new shingles can cause substrate irregularities that can interfere with the bonding of the self-seal adhesives in the new shingles.
Diaphragm stiffening and corner pile bracing to reduce pile cap rotation for homes built on pile foundations.
Distribution of roof, wall, and internal pressures on one-story, pile-supported building.
Dry wells are underground tanks that store water to percolate or drain slowly to another site or sewer.
Encourage dune formation by installing sand fences or pallets and planting dune grasses.
Every natural gas appliance has a shutoff valve in the gas line to the appliance that can be manually shut off if a leak happens at a specific appliance or in preparation for an impending natural disaster.
Excess Flow Valves and Earthquake-Actuated Gas Shutoff Valves are two different types of valves that automatically stop the flow of gas into the house: excess flow valves stop gas flow if there is a break in the line, earthquake valves stop gas flow if th
Expected flood damage (as a percent of building’s pre-damage market value) at flood depths above the bottom of the floor beam), for a building in the coastal V Zone and riverine A Zone.
Exterior electrical service components are raised and clearances are provided around components to minimize contact with flood waters and people
Extreme weather, such as wind, fire, flood, or extreme heat (included in the Severe Weather category above) causes most large electric disturbance events in the U.S (defined as affecting at least 50,000 customers) (data from 2000-2016)
Failure at a gable end of a home under hurricane force wind conditions due to improper continuous load path design.
Failure in brick veneer connection under high wind conditions due to anchor corrosion, tie fastener pull-out, failure to embed ties into the mortar, poor bonding between ties and mortar, and poor-quality mortar; on left - five ties not embedded.
Failure of the wall to roof connection resulted in loss of roof under hurricane force winds.
FEMA recommends techniques like open lower wall cavities with exterior rigid foam insulation and paperless drywall for flood-resistant, dryable wall interiors.
Flood damage-resistant materials include concrete and tile flooring, metal cabinets and doors, and glass-block windows.
Flood hazard risk for a particular location can be assessed by viewing flood maps on the NFHL Viewer
Flood Insurance Premiums Can be Reduced Significantly by Building above the BFE.
Flood vents allow floodwaters to enter and exit the crawlspace without causing hydrostatic pressure differences
Flooding is the most common disaster type, occurring throughout the United States.
For homes built in high probability flood zones, move all possible plumbing equipment above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), shown here as “Flood Protection Level;” equipment that cannot be moved should be watertight to resist floodwater
For homes built in V Zones a registered professional engineer or architect must certify that the lowest floor elevation is above the BFE and piles and structure are anchored to resist flotation, collapse, or lateral movement due to combined wind and water
For homes built on an open foundation, provide a continuous air barrier by sealing all joints between the rigid insulation, floor support beams, rim joist, and bottom wall plate
Fuel storage tanks are at risk of displacement during floods and should be securely anchored to the ground or base
Fuel tank anchored below ground in a flood-prone area anchored to a counterweight to counteract the buoyancy force.
Fuel tank is elevated above flood waters and anchored to supporting frame
Fuel tank is elevated above flood waters on a base of structural fill and anchored to the concrete pad
Gable-end bracing detail; nailing schedule, strap specification, brace spacing, and overhang limits should be adapted for the applicable basic wind speed.
Glass blocks allow in daylight while maintaining privacy and also provide protection against high winds and floods.
Green Coast Enterprises built this New Orleans home on piers so that the floor is 1 foot above the base flood level; borate treated framing and closed-cell spray foam insulation add to the home's moisture resistance.
Heavy-gauge metal strapping can be used to secure water heaters and other appliances