Building Science Resource Library
The Building Science Resource Library contains all of FEMA’s hazard-specific guidance that focuses on creating disaster-resistance communities.
You can search for a document by its title, or filter the collection to browse by:
- Disaster Type: High winds, flood, earthquake, etc.
- Document Type: Brochure, report, fact sheet, infographic, etc.
- Audience: Building professionals & engineers, individuals & homeowners, teachers & kids, etc.
This guide relates the observed damage to a building of a given structure type to a potential collapse mode. The report includes damage photos of the various potential collapse modes, and a collapse shadow cordon area is prescribed in accordance with the potential collapse mode in a graphical table. Additionally, FEMA P-2055-2 provides Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and local building departments key considerations for customizing their emergency management practices and procedures for large scale cordon area management gleaned from two damaging earthquakes. planning for the Extreme Cordon Area. This report adds to a series of publications that include Guidance for Accelerated Building Reoccupancy Programs (FEMA P-2055-1) and Post-disaster Building Safety Evaluation Guidance, Report on the Current State of Practice including Recommendations Related to Structural and Nonstructural Safety and Habitability.
This quick reference guide helps individuals and families prepare for an earthquake and prevent earthquake-related damage to their homes. The easy-to-read booklet features instructions on conducting earthquake drills and “hazard hunts.” Also included are a checklist of disaster supplies, tips on what to do during and after an earthquake, and additional resources.
This publication documents the work of a five-year project that that investigated, addressed technical issues and developed guidance which resulted in the submittal of 35 detailed proposed revisions to the official ASCE/SEI 41 consensus standard process of ASCE/SEI 41.
This Recovery Advisory is intended for owners and operators of critical facilities; architects and engineers who design them; various state, local, tribal, and territorial planners; and emergency managers who deal with critical facilities whether in support of emergency preparedness, planning, response, and disaster recovery efforts or administration of mitigation grants and operations.
The objective of this MAT report is to provide actionable recommendations to improve residential building performance under wildfire conflagration conditions. It describes the MAT’s observations during the field deployments, draws conclusions based on those observations, and provides recommendations for actions that property owners can take to help increase the resiliency of their homes and neighborhoods to future wildfires.
This Recovery Advisory provides important recommendations to reduce water intrusion through and around windows and doors due to wind-driven rain during extreme wind events.
This Recovery Advisory addresses building damage when flood levels exceed the lowest floor, required design considerations, how high above the minimum required elevation a building should be elevated, and additional design considerations for mitigating flood damage.
This document is an overview of the 2023 edition of FEMA P-804, Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings in Hurricane-Prone Regions.