Library

Factsheet describing proper methods for installing vinyl siding and soffit coverings in high wind and coastal areas.

Factsheet describing tips for building or renovating with a focus on disaster resistance.

Report by the FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team on damages due to Hurricane Irma which struck Florida in September 2017, and recommendations for construction for future disaster resistance and preparedness.

Article presenting the 2008 update on the 2006 details on when required hurricane mitigation retrofits are required and the cost cap on required hurricane mitigation retrofits.

Code describing the requirements for existing site-built single-family homes to receive roof-to-wall retrofits when re-roofing.

Webpage containing a library of ready-to-use social media posts, graphics and video links that promote life-saving information about how individuals and families can prepare for and survive during a hurricane.

A document aimed at reducing the vulnerability of a gable end roof to wind damage in a hurricane.

Report describing the hurricane retrofit guide with focus on walls and wooded framed walls.

NOAA webpage providing images and short descriptions of different types of hurricane shutters.

Website detailing how to prepare for, stay safe during, and return home after hurricanes.

A news article documenting the milestone of the FORTIFED homes program surpassing 18,000 homes.

ICC-ES Evaluation Report reviewing proprietary steel shear wall panels developed by Simpson Strong-Tie Company to resist vertical and lateral loads in walls resulting from wind or earthquakes.

An impact test report from projectile missile tests against brick veneer, verifying that brick veneers perform well to resisting hurricane force wind driven debris.

Case study describing Alachua County, Florida’s, green infrastructure strategy for land use development that incorporates rain gardens, ponds, swales, and native vegetation to manage stormwater.

Indoor airPLUS is a voluntary partnership and labeling program that helps new home builders improve the quality of indoor air by requiring construction practices and product specifications that minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and contaminants.

This document covers how broken windows can allow wind and rain inside the house and even lead to roof failure.

Article describing the insurance savings of a home with a hip roof versus a gable roof from the perspective of an insurance advisor.

Article describing how the configuration of surrounding buildings affects the wind loads on a hip roof in a low-rise building.

Website providing a probabilistic map of the expected number of damaging earthquakes around the U.S.

Article describing dozens of ideas on how to retrofit a home so it is more earthquake ready.

Guide describing tools for island and hurricane-prone communities on redevelopment and rehabilitation of homes to prepare for future natural disasters.

A publication describing how to protect coastal investments by adapting to natural processes and protecting coastal environments and shorelines.

Factsheet describing the concept of load paths and the important connections in a wind uplift load path; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Guide describing sound mitigation measures to lower building natural disaster vulnerability to assist local officials and community decision makers in coastal areas.

Web article describing many ways homeowners, contractors, and builders can make homes more resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds, floods, and hail.

Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.

A presentation describing the standards regarding who is responsible for what part of the design to ensure the roof truss is properly designed and braced.

A Recovery Advisory guide reccomending practices for designing and installing metal roof systems that will enhance wind resistance in high-wind regions (i.e., greater than 90-miles per hour [mph] gust design wind speed).

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, earthquake, wind, and fire loads, and their combinations for general structural design. This version of the standard was published in the year 2016 and is available in both digital...

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, seismic, and wind loads, and their combinations for general structural design. The current version of this standard was published in the year 2022 and is available in both digital...

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, earthquake, and wind loads, and their combinations for general structural design. This version of the standard was published in the year 2010 and is available in both digital and print...

FEMA mitigation assessment team report following Hurricane Charley in Florida including observations, recommendations, and technical guidance for retrofitting hurricane-damaged homes.

FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team Report describing damages from Hurricane Michael in Florida in Oct. 2018 and recommendations for future hurricane preparedness.

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.

Website providing information on tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms and more.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed.

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.

Website containing USGS-related publications related to natural hazards.

Article describing a steel connector product for jack rafter connections.

A website containing a video series by NW Seismic illustrating how a seismic retrofit should be done and ways they are done incorrectly.

Report providing quick reference guide information to help a family prepare for hurricane season, including seven steps to a wind resistant home, a wind inspection checklist, and how to find a contractor.

Study examining how design features, such as building envelope openings and compartmentalization, affect the wind pressure in typical low-rise buildings with gable and hip roofs.

Report highlighting the evaluation methods used and extent of wind washing found in a study analyzing wind washing in thirty-two two-story homes.

A fact sheet educating the public on the potential hazards and safe use of portable generators.

Report documenting actual energy savings of a retrofit project in Boulder, CO.

Database describing FEMA preparedness webinars including natural hazard preparedness.

Fact sheet describing how to prepare for a natural disaster and assemble a disaster supply kit.

Database of approved products that meet the requirements of the High Velocity Hurricane Zone.

Recovery Advisory document provide guidance related to the use and installation of opening protection systems to protect glazed openings (windows) from wind-borne debris during high-wind events.