FEMA 577, Design Guide for Improving Hospital Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High Winds: Providing Protection to People and Buildings (2007)

The intent of the Design Guide is to provide its audience with state-of-the-art knowledge on the variety of vulnerabilities faced by hospitals exposed to earthquakes, flooding, and high-winds risks, as well as the best ways to mitigate the risk of damage and disruption of hospital operations caused by these events. The information presented in this publication provides an exhaustive review of mitigation measures and design solutions that can improve the safety of hospitals in natural hazard events. However, this publication is not intended to be a comprehensive mitigation design manual that the reader can use to develop actual plans and specifications. It is intended as an introduction to the fundamental principles of natural hazard risk reduction, with an emphasis on mitigation planning and the design of hospital buildings.