[PDF] Promoting The Adoption And Enforcement Of Seismic Building Codes eBook

Author : Robert B. Olshansky
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 16,52 MB
Release : 1998
Category : Building inspection
ISBN : 0788176323

GET BOOK

Provides background information and educational materials to help state officials promote the adoption and enforcement of state and local model building codes that contain the latest seismic provisions. These codes can reduce the damage that will occur when future earthquakes strike at-risk parts of the country. It is intended for state earthquake program managers and hazard mitigation officers in the emergency management agencies of the states and territories prone to earthquakes. It is designed to help you convince your state and local governments that codes are effective, inexpensive, and a good investment for the future of our communities. Illustrated.

Author : Federal Emergency Management Agency
Publisher : CreateSpace
Page : 212 pages
File Size : 40,65 MB
Release : 2013-04-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781484111253

GET BOOK

This book provides background information and educational materials to help state officials promote the adoption and enforcement of state and local model building codes that contain the latest seismic provisions. These codes can reduce the damage that will inevitably occur when future earthquakes strike at-risk parts of the country. This book is intended for state officials, especially for earthquake program managers and hazard mitigation officers in the emergency management agencies of the states and territories prone to earthquakes. It is designed to help you convince your state and local governments that codes are effective, inexpensive, and a good investment for the future of our communities. Chapters 2 and 3 of this book contain background material on the purpose, function, and effectiveness of building codes in general and seismic codes in particular. Chapters 3,4, and 5 describe step-by-step processes for adopting state or local codes and for administering codes. Several appendices contain: the history and principles of seismic design, current seismic design practices in the United States, examples of state building code requirements, examples of state legislation, examples of local code Administration, the services of the three model code organizations in the United States, sources of further information and addresses, recommended readings, educational material for making local presentations, sample press releases for the media, sample brochures aimed at local audiences, a glossary of relevant terms.

Author : Robert B. Olshansky
Publisher :
Page : 85 pages
File Size : 49,64 MB
Release : 1995-06-01
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780788177361

GET BOOK

Chapters: what are Seismic Building Codes (BC)? -- history of BC, modern & model BC; who uses BC -- state & local adoption of BC, BC enforcement & admin.; do BC increase building costs? how do BC consider earthquake forces? -- history of seismic standards, principles of seismic design, & seismic zone maps; seismic code provisions' performance; cost of seismic design provisions; current seismic design practices in the Central U.S. -- seismic design practices by the fed. gov't.; BC in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, & Tennessee; how states & local gov'ts. can regulate construction & adopt a seismic code; & enforcement.

Author :
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 42,38 MB
Release : 1998
Category :
ISBN :

GET BOOK

Researchers picking through the debris left by the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 found that building codes had not provided the degree of protection against damage many expected. This was due, in part, to a breakdown in code enforcement functions. In this paper, we provide evidence that the seismic provisions of codes receive rather low priority from many local building departments, even in areas of moderate to high seismic risk. Drawing lessons from the experience with programs to foster greater energy efficiency in buildings, we show there is much that can be done to improve the attention local governments give to the enforcement of the seismic provisions of building codes. The federal government and states can bring about greater emphasis on enforcement by requiring state governments to adopt and local governments to enforce building regulations with seismic provisions, by improving state capacity to oversee these functions, and by providing technical assistance to state and local code enforcement personnel.

Author : Federal Emergency Agency
Publisher : FEMA
Page : 66 pages
File Size : 48,12 MB
Release : 2013-04-02
Category :
ISBN :

GET BOOK

Recent earthquakes around the world show a pattern of steadily increasing damages and losses that are due primarily to two factors: (1) significant growth in earthquake-prone urban areas and (2) vulnerability of the older building stock, including buildings constructed within the past 20 years. In the United States, earthquake risk has grown substantially with development while the earthquake hazard has remained relatively constant. Understanding the hazard requires studying earthquake characteristics and locales in which they occur while understanding the risk requires an assessment of the potential damage to the built environment and to the welfare of people - especially in high risk areas. Estimating the varying degree of earthquake risk throughout the United States is useful for informed decision-making on mitigation policies, priorities, strategies, and funding levels in the public and private sectors. For example, potential losses to new buildings may be reduced by applying seismic design codes and using specialized construction techniques. However, decisions to spend money on either of those solutions require evidence of risk. In the absence of a nationally accepted criterion and methodology for comparing seismic risk across regions, a consensus on optimal mitigation approaches has been difficult to reach. While there is a good understanding of high risk areas such as Los Angeles, there is also growing recognition that other regions such as New York City and Boston have a low earthquake hazard but are still at high risk of significant damage and loss. This high risk level reflects the dense concentrations of buildings and infrastructure in these areas constructed without the benefit of modern seismic design provisions. In addition, mitigation policies and practices may not have been adopted because the earthquake risk was not clearly demonstrated and the value of using mitigation measures in reducing that risk may not have been understood. This study highlights the impacts of both high risk and high exposure on losses caused by earthquakes. It is based on loss estimates generated by HAZUS(R)-MH, a geographic information system (GIS)-based earthquake loss estimation tool developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). The HAZUS tool provides a method for quantifying future earthquake losses. It is national in scope, uniform in application, and comprehensive in its coverage of the built environment.