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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 51 - 100 of 134

FEMA 528: Earthquake Home Hazard Hunt

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Poster describing earthquake safety tips and protection measures to take at home.

FEMA 547, Techniques for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings

Author(s)
Rutherford & Chekene Consulting Engineers
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report providing a selected compilation of seismic rehabilitation techniques and guidance on which techniques are commonly used to mitigate specific seismic deficiencies in various model building types.

FEMA P-2082-1 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, 2020 Edition, Volume 1: Part 1 Provisions, Part 2 Commentary

Author(s)
Building Seismic Safety Council
Organization(s)
BSSC,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
NIBS,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
FEMA,
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Document presenting the minimum recommended requirements necessary for the design and construction of new buildings and other structures to resist earthquake ground motions throughout the United States.

FEMA P-2082-2 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, 2020 Edition, Volume II: Part 3 Resource Papers

Author(s)
Building Seismic Safety Council
Organization(s)
BSSC,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
NIBS,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
FEMA,
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Document containing a series of resource papers that describe earthquake design components, including shear walls, resiliency, ground motion, and story drift and deflection, among others.

FEMA P-414, Installing Seismic Restraints for Duct and Pipe

Author(s)
Vibration Isolation and Seismic Control Manufacturers Association and the Amercian Society for Civil Engineers
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report showing installers how to attach ducts, pipes, and associated equipment to buildings to minimize earthquake damage.

FEMA P-475: Preparing for Disaster

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
American Red Cross
Organization(s)
FEMA,
Red Cross
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing how to prepare for a natural disaster and assemble a disaster supply kit.

FEMA P-530: Earthquake Safety at Home

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Guide provides homeowners ways to prepare for an earthquake and protect a home against earthquake damage.

FEMA P-798, Natural Hazards and Sustainability for Residential Buildings

Author(s)
Gromala,
Kapur,
Kochkin,
Line,
Passman,
Reeder,
Trusty
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report describing the interactions, both positive and negative, between common green building practices and the robustness of residential buildings to withstand natural hazards.

FLASH website

Author(s)
Federal Alliance For Safe Homes
Organization(s)
FLASH
Publication Date
Website containing resources from the nonprofit FLASH, which "is the country’s leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters."

Gas safety tips

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Webpage describing the safety hazards associated with natural gas and tips on how to avoid these hazards by a step process of turning off natural gas service to a home and restoring service afterwards.

Gas Shutoff Devices

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Webpage describing when and how to safely turn off the natural gas to the home during an emergency.

H. R. 1314 Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act

Author(s)
Schakowsky Janice
Organization(s)
U.S. House of Representatives
Bill requiring the Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise the safety standards for freestanding clothing storage units such as a dressers, bureaus, or chests of drawers to include testing related to tip overs and new warning requirements for all such products entering the U.S. market; passed...

Hazard and Risk Assessment Maps

Author(s)
U.S. Geological Survey
Organization(s)
USGS
Publication Date
Webpage providing maps and information to assess the particular hazards and risks for an area.

High Volume Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Organization(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Publication Date
Webpage describing federal regulation related to excess flow valves on residential natural gas lines.

Home Safe Home: Facilitator Guide

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Guide providing homeowners tips on how to secure bookcases and other heavy furniture with brackets and child-proof drawer and cabinet locks.

Homeowner’s Guide to Earthquake Safety

Author(s)
California Seismic Safety Commission
Organization(s)
SSC
Publication Date
Guidebook that provides information on earthquake hazards that can damage homes, the design and retrofit of earthquake resistant housing, and how to find more information on earthquake safety.

Individual and Community Preparedness Activities

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Activity sheets describing questions and preparedness action items for a variety of disasters including floods, fires, earthquakes, and winter weather.

Industry Becoming More Comfortable with Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline & Gas Journal
Organization(s)
Pipeline & Gas Journal
Publication Date
Article describing excess flow valves installed on gas lines to shut-off natural gas flow to a home in the event that a gas line is severed due to an earthquake, natural disaster, earthquake, etc.

Introduction to the National Seismic Hazard Maps

Author(s)
U.S. Geological Survey
Organization(s)
USGS
Publication Date
Website providing a probabilistic map of the expected number of damaging earthquakes around the U.S.

Mitigation Ideas: A Resource for Reducing Risk to Natural Hazards

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report providing a resource that communities can use to identify and evaluate a range of potential mitigation actions for reducing risk to natural hazards and disasters.

Natural Disasters Association, Natural Hazards

Author(s)
Natural Disasters Association
Organization(s)
NDA
Publication Date
Website providing information on tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms and more.

Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: 2017 Interim Report

Author(s)
Porter,
Scawthorn,
Dash,
Santos,
Eguchi,
Ghosh,
Huyck,
Isteita,
Mickey,
Rashed,
Schneider
Organization(s)
NIBS
Publication Date
Report updating and expanding on a 2005 study that found, among other things, that every $1 of natural hazard mitigation funded by FEMA between 1993 and 2003 saved the American people an average of $4 in avoided future losses.

Natural Hazards

Author(s)
U.S. Geological Survey
Organization(s)
USGS
Publication Date
Website containing USGS-related publications related to natural hazards.

New and Substantially Improved Buildings - Fuel Systems

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Guide for fuel systems design including installation guidance and formulas for calculating loads and buoyancy forces for specifying number, type and capacity of strapping for hold-downs in flood-prone areas.

NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
Standard establishing criteria for levels of health care services or systems based on risk to the patients, staff, or visitors in health care facilities to minimize the hazards of fire, explosion, and electricity.

OSHA Fact Sheet: Using Portable Generators Safely

Author(s)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Organization(s)
OSHA
Publication Date
A fact sheet educating the public on the potential hazards and safe use of portable generators.

Preparedness Webinars

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Database describing FEMA preparedness webinars including natural hazard preparedness.

Protect Your Property from Earthquakes

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Brochure describing multiple earthquake safety measures for homeowners to take, including home reinforcement, evacuation tips, and electrical and appliance tips.

Ready.gov: Build A Kit

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Organization(s)
USDHS
Publication Date
A fact sheet providing tips on how to assemble a kit of food, water and other disaster supplies in the event of an emergency.