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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This resource document (FEMA 350) for organizations engaged in the development of building codes and standards provides recommended guidelines for the design and construction of steel moment frame buildings and alternative performance-based design criteria. It supplements the NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and other Structures. A series of pre-qualified connection details, as well as a detailed procedure for performance evaluation, is included.
This two-part publication provides recommended specifications for the fabrication and erection of steel moment-frames for seismic applications. Part One covers recommended specifications, including information on products; execution; welded joint and fabrication details; and quality control and assurance. Part Two outlines quality assurance guidelines; contractor qualifications and quality tasks; quality assurance agency qualifications and quality assurance tasks; and recommended methods for determining whether structural steel materials, welded joints, and bolted joints meet the applicable standards. The recommended design criteria contained in FEMA 350, FEMA 351, and FEMA 352 are based on the standards contained in this document.
In response to the disasters caused by the May 3 tornadoes, FEMA deployed a Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT), composed of national experts in engineering, architecture, meteorology, and planning, to Oklahoma and Kansas. The mission of the BPAT was to assess the performance of buildings affected by the tornadoes, investigate losses, and describe the lessons learned. This report presents the BPATs observations, conclusions, and recommendations, which are intended to help communities, businesses, and individuals reduce future injuries and the loss of life and property resulting from tornadoes and other high-wind events.
This report presents FEMA's Building Performance Assessment Team's (BPAT) observations on the success and failure of buildings in Puerto Rico in withstanding the wind and flood forces generated by Hurricane Georges.
This report presents FEMA's Building Performance Assessment Team's (BPAT) observations on the success and failure of buildings in the Florida Keys and Gulf Coast areas of the United States to withstand the wind and flood forces generated by Hurricane Georges. Recommendations to improve the building performance in future natural disasters in this area are included as well.
This publication provides users with an understanding of the social and public policy issues that may accompany seismic rehabilitation, such as demographic, social, and economic impacts; historic property restrictions; resident dislocations; and business interruptions. The publication presents a four-step decision process to assist local officials, private owners, and design professionals in determining the need for rehabilitation. It includes an “escalation ladder” to assist in understanding the degree of conflict that might be generated and the implications of choosing particular strategies.
This document provides background and theoretical information to be used in conjunction with FEMA 306. Analytical and experimental findings are included, as well as information on the Component Damage Classification Guides.
This document provides practical criteria and guidance for evaluating earthquake damage to concrete and masonry wall buildings. Component Damage Classification Guides and Test and Investigation Guides are included. Detailed drawings accompany the text.
On September 5, 1996, Hurricane Fran made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina. Coastal areas experienced significant erosion and scour. Erosion caused by Hurricane Fran was exacerbated by the previous dune erosion caused by Hurricane Bertha, which made landfall in the same area only two months earlier. The MAT observed very little damage in some areas, where velocity flows, wave action, and severe erosion occurred. The successful performance of buildings in these areas demonstrates the value of compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements.
Hurricane Opal made landfall on October 4, 1995, as a Category 3 storm. Fifteen counties in the Florida Panhandle were declared Federal disaster areas. Field inspections were concentrated along a 200-mile stretch of Florida's Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Most of the structural damage associated with the storm was caused by coastal flood forces: storm surge, wind-generated waves, storm-induced erosion, and floodborne debris.