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.
Description: 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. It also provides recommendations that local government officials, planners, builders, design professionals, and homeowners' associations can implement to reduce the potential impacts of wildfires on communities and improve their resilience.
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.
This report briefly explains the basics of rainfall runoff, urban flooding, and urban stormwater drainage systems. It gives a summary of some of New York City’s stormwater infrastructure programs and its initiatives to address urban flooding. Applying mitigation measures to stormwater drainage
systems and existing buildings can minimize the potential loss of life and injuries, and reduce property damage from future urban flooding events.
This report provides information to help New York City and similar urban areas to prepare better for future urban flooding events. The information is also useful for property owners, building managers, and design professionals.
This fact sheet explains stormwater runoff, stormwater drainage systems, and ways communities manage runoff and reduce the impacts of urban flooding.
This fact sheet describes urban flooding and how it can create unsafe conditions and damage buildings.
This report describes the MAT’s observations related to the egress of occupants from basements flooded when the capacity of stormwater drainage systems is exceeded.