Building Science Resource Library

The Building Science Resource Library contains all of FEMA’s hazard-specific guidance that focuses on creating hazard-resistant communities.

You can search for a document by its title, or filter the collection to browse by:

  • Topic: High winds, flood, earthquake, etc.
  • Document Type: Brochure, report, fact sheet, infographic, etc.
  • Audience: Building professionals & engineers, individuals & homeowners, teachers & kids, etc.
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FEMA P-2139: Short-Period Building Collapse Performance and Recommendations for Improving Seismic Design

Recent analytical studies investigating a wide range of modern seismic-force-resisting systems have predicted collapse rates for short-period buildings that are significantly larger than those observed in earthquakes during the past 50 years. This gap between analytically predicted and historically observed collapse rates in known as the short-period building seismic performance paradox. Additionally, analytically predicted collapse rates for short-period buildings are generally larger than maximum collapse rates used in national model codes and standards to establish seismic design requirements. The FEMA P-2139 series of reports documents a multi-year investigation of the response behavior and collapse performance of different structural systems to identify causes and develop solutions for the short-period building seismic performance paradox. Studies investigated three structural systems: wood light-frame, special reinforced masonry shear wall, and steel special concentrically braced frame systems. Volume 1 summarizes results, conclusions, and recommendations from the three-system specific studies and presents a common understanding of the seismic response and collapse performance of short-period buildings. Volume 2 summarizes results, conclusions, and recommendations from the study of wood light-frame systems. Volume 3 summarizes results, conclusions, and recommendations from the study of special reinforced masonry shear wall systems. Volume 4 summarizes results, conclusions, and recommendations from the study of steel special concentrically braced frame systems.

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FEMA Building Science Resources to Assist with Reconstruction After an Extreme-Wind Event

FEMA has produced numerous publications detailing best practices for natural hazard mitigation associated with extreme-wind impacts. This Fact Sheet summarizes a few of the readily available publications and resources that can be used by homeowners, as well as design and construction professionals, during reconstruction following extreme-wind events.

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Seismic Building Code Provisions for New Buildings to Create Safer Communities

Earthquakes are some of the most destructive and unpredictable natural phenomena, causing deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage in populated areas. As of 2015, roughly half of all Americans in the conterminous United States are exposed to potentially damaging ground shaking from earthquakes (USGS, 2015). The population exposed to seismic hazard has been steadily growing, leading to a higher potential for losses from seismic events. The estimated earthquake losses per year, known as Annualized Earthquake Losses (AEL), are calculated by FEMA to be $6.1 billion per year in the United States, and 55 metropolitan areas account for 85 percent of the AEL (FEMA, 2017). Review the map in Figure 1 to determine your community’s exposure to seismic hazard.

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FEMA P-2082-1, 2020 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures: Volume I, Parts 1 and 2

FEMA P-2082-1: The 2020 NEHRP Provisions continues to apply the current state-of-knowledge in earthquake engineering for improving the seismic design of buildings and other structures. It presents a set of recommended improvements to the ASCE/SEI 7-16 Standard: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures, and nine resource papers on new concepts, suggested future development, and technical information in support of the recommended improvements.

Part 1 of the Provisions provides recommended changes to the seismic requirements of ASCE 7-16, Chapters 11 to 22. Part 2 of the Provisions provides a complete commentary for each chapter.

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FEMA P-2082-2, 2020 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures: Volume II, Part 3

FEMA P-2082-2: This part of the 2020 NEHRP Provisions consists of a series of Part 3 resource papers. They introduce new concepts and procedures for trial use by the design community, researchers, and standards-development and code-development organizations. They also represent Issue Team efforts on substantive proposals for topics that require further consideration by the seismic design community and additional research before being considered for Parts 1 and 2 provisions.

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FEMA P-2078, Procedures for Developing Multi-Period Response Spectra at Non-Conterminous United States Sites

This study develops methods for constructing multi-period response spectra (MPRS) at all periods and site classes of interest, assuming that only deterministic and probabilistic values of SS and S1, and approximated values of TL from ASCE 7-16, are available for the site of interest. A comparison between derived MPRS and calculated MPRS at sites in the conterminous United States was used to validate the proposed methods and models. With this validation, these method and models can be used to derive multi-period response spectra using only the three currently available ground motion parameters SS, S1, and TL for all non-conterminous United States regions of interest.

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FEMA P-530 Earthquake Safety at Home

Half of all Americans live in areas subject to earthquake risk, and most Americans will travel to seismically active regions in their lifetime. FEMA is fostering awareness of earthquake risks in the United States through the newly developed FEMA P-530, Earthquake Safety at Home. FEMA P-530 is intended to show readers why earthquakes matter where they live, and how they can “Prepare, Protect, Survive, Respond, Recover and Repair” from an earthquake. This publication will help readers become familiar with why and where earthquakes might occur. It discusses wide-ranging steps that readers can take to adequately prepare and protect themselves, their family, and their belongings. These include: developing family response plans, assembling earthquake disaster supplies, securing heavy objects and furniture, retrofitting a home, and more.

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National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program Resource Guide for Earthquake Program Managers

FEMA developed the National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program (NETAP) as a mechanism for delivering direct assistance to the public to increase their knowledge and ability to analyze their risk, make a plan, and take actions aimed at reducing their earthquake risk and supporting overall community resilience. NETAP is a program managed by FEMA to rapidly deploy training and technical assistance to organizations and communities. The NETAP Resource Guide for Earthquake Program Managers provides information on how regions, states, and territories can request NETAP assistance.

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National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program (NETAP) Training Request/Approval Form

The requestor is responsible for local logistical arrangements and associated costs (if any) including the room reservation, audio/visual equipment reservation (projector and screen), recruitment and registration of students, and refreshments (optional). By submitting this NETAP training request form, the requestor is confirming responsibility for local logistical arrangements.

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NETAP Training Flyers

The National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program (NETAP), http://www.fema.gov/national-earthquake-technical-assistance-program, is designed to help state, local, and tribal governments obtain the knowledge, tools, and support that they need to plan and implement effective earthquake mitigation strategies. NETAP customers can customize these flyer templates to announce, recruit, and market available NETAP courses. For more information, visit NETAP Training Courses and Associated Materials, http://www.fema.gov/national-earthquake-technical-assistance-program.