Our friends at the Institute of Business Home Safety (IBHS) have released an extremely useful report for people living and working in coastal communities threatened by storms (particularly hurricanes). To research Hurricane Ike: Nature’s Force vs. Structural Strength IBHS sent a crew out to take a hard look at how various buildings did during Hurricane Ike (hint: for the most part, not very well).
Their key findings?
- Current elevation requirements in surge-prone areas are not high enough.
- New research is needed to assess actual performance of roofing products and systems in order to improve material production and installation specifications.
- Water intrusion must be better managed through a combination of structural improvements and more realistic testing.
What’s great about this report, is that it doesn’t stop there. Instead, it offers many specific recommendations on how to address each of these issues, including specific building practices; all in a very readable format.
Highly recommended reading for anybody working in coastal communities, particularly for those who are or work with engineers or people in the building industry.
You can download the PDF of Hurricane Ike: Nature’s Force vs. Structural Strength here.