New edition of ‘The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management’ now available

Sign up for Continuity Briefing Never miss a news story: signup for our free weekly email newsletter.

REGIONAL PORTALS Continuity Central currently offers three regional business continuity portals: North America United Kingdom Asia Pacific / Australasia

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS
To submit news stories to Continuity Central, e-mail the editor.

NEWSFEED
Want an RSS newsfeed for your website? Click here


Use Google? Click the button to add Continuity Central news to your Google home page.

Get immediate news and information updates via our Twitter feed.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina and Gulf Coast building codes are still inadequate

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, building codes along the Gulf Coast today are, for the most part, inadequate, according to a report from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).

When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, it caused an estimated $41.1 billion in insured losses across six states, and took an incalculable economic and social toll on many communities.

Wanda Edwards, IBHS’ director of code development, analyzed the quality of building codes in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, with a particular emphasis on progress since Katrina. “Building codes along the Gulf Coast today are mostly disappointing, with only Louisiana getting high marks for taking proactive steps to adopt a statewide building code,” Edwards said.

‘Five Years Later – Are We Better Prepared?’ details IBHS’ analysis of pre- and post-Katrina building codes in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Key findings include:

* Louisiana adopted a statewide code, but the state has struggled financially to staff and manage building inspection departments. Design professionals, contractors and subcontractors are still in the process of learning the new code and altering their construction practices in order to comply. Reports from code officials indicate it is a challenge to find qualified people to fill the role of inspectors.

* Seven of Mississippi’s 82 counties are required to enforce the wind and flood requirements of the 2003 International Building Code (IBC) and 2003 International Residential Code (IRC). In 2006, lawmakers created the Mississippi Building Code Council. After some initial progress, the push for statewide building code adoption met with significant opposition, which led to several unsuccessful legislative efforts.

* Alabama has failed to adopt strong building codes statewide despite widespread damage from Hurricane Katrina. The limited building code requirements that do exist are governed by the Alabama Building Commission which requires state-owned buildings, hotels and motels, and movie theaters to follow the 2006 IBC. Individual cities are not prohibited from adopting modern codes, but adoption and enforcement is voluntary. There have been numerous unsuccessful attempts in the Alabama Legislature to pass bills that would create a statewide code.

In 2009, Alabama passed a law requiring Alabama-admitted insurance companies to provide an insurance premium reduction to owners who build, rebuild or retrofit their homes in accordance with specified standards to better withstand hurricanes and other catastrophic windstorm events.

“Modern building codes have been proven time and again to result in better performance for homes and businesses,” Edwards said. “States like Alabama and Mississippi must learn from their history of repeated hurricane exposures and do more to protect their citizens.”

Read the report (PDF)

•Date: 20th August 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: BC facilities

Tweet

How to advertise on Continuity Central.