How The Building Industry is Being Affected by Climate Change-Related Weather Events
Confirmation Through Scientific Data
Climate change is here to stay, and with it, more frequent and intense storms and other weather events, like wildfires. The subsequent rise in sea levels is also leaving more areas vulnerable to storms and floods that were not areas of concern in the recent past.
A recent report by FEMA clearly shows this increasing risk. Since 1980, the average number of billion-dollar disasters have been six per year. From 2016 to 2018, the number jumped to 15 per year.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of the United Nations, scientists also expect severe tropical storms to become more frequent, more intense, and dump more heavy rain as the climate changes.
One sure way to combat loss of life and property is to change building codes.
In a November 2020 landmark study, “Building Codes Save: A Nationwide Study,” FEMA found that updated building codes lead to major reduction in loss.
The report calculated losses from three types of natural disasters: earthquakes, floods, and hurricane winds, with data compiled for each state and Washington, D.C. The full report can be accessed at www.fema.gov/building-codes-save.
To help the growing climate change crisis, FEMA offers states funding through the Hazard Mitigation and Building Resilience Infrastructure programs, to “reduce disaster suffering and create safer and more resilient communities,” and much of the funding applies to stronger and updated building requirements.
Experts across the insurance industry agree that code overhauls are needed, including David Maurstad, Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Insurance and Mitigation, and Senior Executive of the National Flood Insurance Program at FEMA.
In his keynote speech at the National Institutes of Building Sciences conference in September 2022, Maurstad warned that we should expect more frequent and catastrophic events, and that hazard-resistant building codes are the key to be proactive in the fight against climate change.
“We need to expand the adoption of building codes and make it a standard practice,” Maurstad said. “Hazards threaten growth and prosperity. It’s obvious we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Federal Help is Not Enough: State Compliance is Needed to Enact Building Code Improvements
Although the federal government is playing an important role in the effort, states must also get on board.
New Jersey
Being a coastal state, New Jersey is especially vulnerable to storms and floods. And because of its Northeastern location, the state also features some of the oldest homes in the nation. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the median age of an owner-occupied home in New Jersey is between 51 and 60 years old and having been built prior to updated codes and with older materials, these homes are less able to withstand high winds and floods.
When Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey in 2012, builders and construction code officials saw that older homes were more severely damaged.
“The homes that have been built in the last 10 to 15 years have way outperformed the older homes,” said John Barrows, chairman of the green sustainability subcommittee in the National Association of Home Builders.
In February 2002, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a report updating sea level projections, with a 10-14 inch sea level rise along the East Coast by 2050, and a 10-fold increase in moderate flooding nationwide.
According to Rutgers University’s New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center, New Jersey coastal sea level is likely to rise 0.5 to 1.1 feet between 2000 and 2030, and between about a foot to 2.1 feet between 2000 and 2050.
Updated coastal flood maps are also moving high risk areas further inland, accounting for higher wind speeds along the coast, up from 90 mph to as much as 120 mph.
Some state leaders say building codes are lagging behind the data, putting thousands of homeowners at risk.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette told the Asbury Park Press that swaths of society have largely ignored the coming climate crisis.
“We indeed see a crisis. I say that not hyperbolically. There is a financial, an environmental, a public safety crisis that we’re putting off.”
Christine Liaukus, RA, CPHC, is the Housing and Community Development Program Manager for NJIT’s Center for Resilient Design, and is a proponent of “opportunistic retrofitting,” a way to upgrade older housing.
In opportunistic retrofitting, repairs or replacements to siding or roofs use more resilient or energy-efficient materials, including siding that allows a home to stay comfortable longer without electricity, installing a roof that is more wind-resistant, or installing hurricane straps around the rafters and joints when possible.
While effort is being made in New Jersey to improve existing housing, new construction requirements are making headway along the coast and in flood zones, including building elevation, roof strapping, and the use of mold-resistant and quick-drying materials.
Although elevating homes provides flood protection, the height makes the building more vulnerable to wind damage. This is a problem, as Rutgers University climate data shows that peak wind gusts in Ocean County exceeded 90 mph during Superstorm Sandy. In 2021, New Jersey recorded 13 tornadoes and 42 days where wind gusts reached at least 50 mph, showing that coastal storms are not the only wind threat to the state.
While lawmakers and regulators realize the need to protect New Jersey’s properties from growing climate threats, the costs to homeowners must be considered. But without building stronger homes, flood claims will increase, and flood insurance prices will become unaffordable, especially in coastal communities.
Even with the new codes, FEMA is recommending that some residents not rebuild after a property is destroyed.
Some New Jersey residents, including those whose properties were destroyed by Tropical Storm Ida in September 2021, are having their land purchased through the state’s Blue Acres program, which has proven more economical than paying out repeating flood insurance claims.
Florida
Although having some of the strictest building codes in the nation, Florida just saw the wrath of Hurricane Ian this past September, which hit the state’s west coast with winds exceeding 120 mph.
After Hurricane Andrew in 2002, the state and Miami-Dade County revised their building codes and attempted to fix the problems of loopholes and lax enforcement.
The coastal city of Punta Gorda, which was destroyed by Hurricane Charley in 2004, chose to modernize building codes in 2007.
When Ian hit in September, the eye passed directly over Punta Gorda. Those buildings that followed the 2007 code were left largely intact, with minimal exterior damage, further reinforcing the need for code enactment and enforcement statewide.
Along with the push for more stringent regulations, some builders are choosing more mold-resistant materials and stronger composite structural panels.
Some builders are installing large, single-sheet galvanized steel on mold-resistant sheathing, which is less expensive and quicker to install than cinderblock over a structure’s framing. This sheathing can also be attached tightly, protecting against both winds and floods that often accompany the same storm.
Western Fires
On the west coast of the United States, wildfires have caused significant damage. In 2018, California experienced its most destructive wildfire season on record, with more than 25 million acres classified as very high or extreme fire threats, covering more than half the state.
Along with their destruction, fires are polluting air quality, causing health officials to declare public health threats in populated areas.
In September 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s bill intended to strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s wildfire preparedness and response efforts. The new law is expected to close the gaps that hindered post wildfire recovery needs.
On a state level, California recently adopted stricter building codes which will become effective on January 1, 2023.
In 2021, fire hazard mitigation (fire hardening) building codes were instituted in California and Oregon in high-risk areas of each state. These measures address the three ways a structure can be exposed to wildfire: direct flames, radiant heat, and flying embers. According to The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, flying embers are responsible for the destruction of most structures during a wildfire.
Ways to construct a fire-hardened structure include installing a class-A fire-rated roof and using non-combustible and/or fireproof building materials throughout the property.
By Colleen Woods-Esposito
Sources:
https://www.fox13news.com/news/building-codes-have-changed-in-25-years-since-hurricane-andrew
https://www.echotape.com/blog/storms-change-building-codes-practices-better/
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/building-codes-save-study
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/fema_building-codes-save_brochure.pdf
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lauren-urbanek/climate-changing-why-arent-state-building-codes
https://www.fema.gov/blog/5-reasons-building-codes-should-matter-you
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/06/30/florida-building-codes/
https://charliejohnson.com/florida-hurricane-building-codes-in-orlando/
https://sanbruno.ca.gov/882/2022-Building-Fire-Code-Update-and-Reach
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/wildfire-actions
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/fire-act-approved-by-senate
https://www.cdc.gov/nssp/success-stories/CA-WIldfires.html
