'Rethinking' codes, 

 insurance, CAMA 



(Continued from page four) 



Moul cites an example of a builder who sought per- 

 mits to build on land adjacent to an inlet; in addition, 

 the site had little or no dune formation— land con- 

 sidered by the state to be highly unstable. Though the 

 CAMA staff advised the builder of the danger, Moul 

 says, he shrugged off their warnings saying that he 

 had his federal flood insurance. 



According to Moul the incident is not all that un- 

 usual. He has seen similar cases in which federal in- 

 surance has had the effect of taking the risk out of 

 what the state considers hazardous development. 



In response to the criticism, Bill Harris of the FIA, 

 says "We don't know what the effect would be if we 

 weren't there. I guess the question is would they 

 (builders) be there anyway, regardless. You can 

 always have specific cases in which someone may feel 

 safer by virtue of having the insurance, but I doubt 

 that has been the final, underlying, deciding factor. 



"The flood insurance program," Harris continues, 

 "makes (builders) aware of the consequences and re- 

 quires a building that will at least preclude damage 

 during certain types of storms. 



"But greater storms will occur. We don't want peo- 

 ple to get a false sense of security with this 100-year 

 flood and they shouldn't get a false sense of security 

 because they've built to a particular elevation." 



The state's Residential Building Code and its Ap- 

 pendix D also draw criticism. Dr. Jerry L. 

 Machemehl of North Carolina State University cites 

 problems with inadequate piling depth, lack of detail 

 on tiedowns, and inadequate consideration of the ef- 

 fects of wave action. 



Church says "We're open to any suggestion. We 

 just don't have the proper information." The code is 

 scheduled to be rewritten in the next year, notes 

 Church. He hopes the new code will have more in- 

 formation, in a simpler, illustrated format, on the 

 hows and whys of coastal construction. He adds that 

 some communities have already changed the piling 

 depth to 12 feet. 



Moul points out that fewer than three fourths of 

 the towns in the coastal area have adopted Appendix 

 D. Further, he says, the building code is not generally 

 enforced in counties. But he adds, state guideline's 

 call for all counties to enforce building codes by 1984. 



Another major sticking point on the code is en- 

 forcement. Critics and administrators alike agree 

 that the code needs better enforcement. "That's a 

 problem," says Church. "There never was anything 

 on how qualified (the inspectors) had to be. It's a hit 

 or miss proposition." And in some cases, he adds, 

 "where a fellow was doing a good job, he got run off." 

 Another factor which has sometimes kept more 

 qualified people out of the job, says Church, is low 

 pay. 



Church explains the situation should change some- 



Erosion can undermine ocean-front buildings 



what in the next year. On July 1, 1979, new regula- 

 tions on qualifications for inspectors will go into ef- 

 fect. 



"We may still have some who may not be as 

 qualified as they ought to be," remarks Church. But 

 he adds the problem should eventually be corrected 

 with the new regulations. 



The outlook for the federal flood insurance pro- 

 gram and CAMA is changing too. Efforts are under- 

 way to better coordinate the programs and simplify 

 the permit process, according to Mike Black. 



The CAMA staff, says Black, is "rethinking" the 

 ocean hazard areas category and better coordination 

 with FIA is one of the goals. Harris also says his staff 

 is working to mesh the various regulations and sim- 

 plify programs, particularly the state sand dune or- 

 dinance and the building code. 



The University of North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Newsletter is published monthly except July and 

 December by the University of North Carolina Sea 

 Grant College Program, 105 1911 Building, North 

 Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. 27650, Vol. 5, 

 No. 8, September, 1978. Dr. B. J. Copeland, director. 

 Written and edited by Karen Jurgensen, Mary Day Mor- 

 deeai and Virginia Worthington. Second-class postage 

 paid at Raleigh, N.C. 27611. 



Engineer offers builders help 



During its useful life, a coastal house can be ex- 

 pected to experience severe weather conditions in- 

 cluding continuing erosion, Northeasters and 

 hurricanes. Houses could be made more storm resis- 

 tant if buyers and builders knew more about the 

 vagaries of coastal weather, says Spencer Rogers, Sea 

 Grant's coastal engineering advisory specialist. 



Rogers works out of the Fort Fisher Marine 

 Resources Center advising coastal buyers and 

 builders on sound engineering practices. He 

 emphasizes, for example, the need for substantial pil- 

 ings to elevate structures above the 100-year storm 

 level as well as the use of secure tiedowns. Part of 

 Rogers' job is to work with individuals who need help 

 in designing homes that are as well engineered as 

 possible. 



Another of nature's nasty habits that takes people 

 by surprise is estuarine erosion. Such erosion is a fact 

 of life; but there are ways to slow its effects. Rogers' 

 other major area of concern is advising people on how 

 to deal with estuarine erosion using such devices as 

 bulkheads, revetments and groin fields. 



He is particularly concerned with the bulkhead 

 problems he has seen recently. A well designed bulk- 

 head should have a lifetime of 20 to 30 years. Instead, 

 bulkheads are failing in a year to five years. Though 

 the costs for a well designed bulkhead are high, in the 

 long run, Rogers says, it is probably cheaper to do it 

 right the first time rather than replace bulkheads 

 every few years. 



Rogers, a native of Virginia's Eastern Shore, came 

 to North Carolina this year from Florida where he 

 worked with the Bureau of Beaches and Shores in the 



Department of Natural Resources administering the 

 coastal construction setback line. He Tiolds a 

 Bachelors degree in engineering from the University 

 of Virginia and a Master's from the University 

 of Florida Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering 

 Laboratory. 



For more information on bulkheads, erosion con- 

 trol and other coastal engineering questions, contact 

 Rogers at (919) 458-5780. 



Related publications 



The following related publications are 

 available from UNC Sea Grant, Box 5001, 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27650. Please enclose a check 

 made out to UNC Sea Grant where appropriate. 



Information for buyers and owners of coastal 

 property in North Carolina, details on permits 

 and the coastal environment, no charge. 



Relative estuarine shoreline erosion potential 

 in North Carolina, a method for determining 

 erosion intensity on specific shorelines, no 

 charge. 



The citizen's guide to North Carolina's 

 shifting inlets, photos and illustrations of 22 

 migrating inlets, UNC-SG-77-08, $1.00. 



Know your mud, sand and water, a practical 

 guide to coastal development, information on 

 the coastal environment and its management, 

 UNC-SG-76-01, $1.25. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant College Program 

 105 1911 Building 

 North Carolina State Universitv 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27650 



