40.0 



| 30.0 



£ 25.0 



Storm Surge - SLOSH MODEL 



TOP: This Gulf Coast home didn't receive as much damage as some homes nearby because the ground level has 

 elevated parkingand storage areas. BOTTOM: The SLOSH Model shows the predicted storm surge for the Gulf 

 Coast that would occur with different hurricane categories. 



Only federal flood insurance covers 

 rising water. FEMA manages this supple- 

 mentary insurance through the National Flood 

 Insurance Program. 



Wind damage also contributed to 



the destruction. Widespread wind damage 

 to buildings occurred despite the fact that 

 Katrina's wind speeds were generally at or 

 below the speeds for which wind codes are set, 

 the FEMA report says. 



LONG 

 ODES 



Prior to Katrina, 

 Alabama, Louisiana and 

 Mississippi did not have 

 statewide codes for non- 

 state-owned buildings, 

 according to the FEMA 

 report. 



Many of the 

 communities that were 

 heavily impacted by 

 Katrina did not have up-to- 

 date building codes or had 

 no codes at all. "The lack 

 of adequate building codes 

 greatly compounded the 

 effect of Hurricane Katrina 

 on building performance," 

 the report says. 

 The primary model building codes in the 

 United States are the International Building 

 Code (IBC) and the International Residential 

 Code (IRC). The 2003 editions of the IBC and 

 IRC address flood hazards. 



Vhe record surge caused widespread devastation 

 in the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana and 

 Mississippi, including Bay Saint Louis, Pass Christian 

 and Long Beach. A few weeks after Katrina, 

 Hurricane Rita damaged the western half 

 of the Louisiana coastline all the way into Texas. 



In Alabama, the City of Mobile, Mobile 

 County and the City of Orange Beach had 

 adopted IBC codes before Katrina. 



Since Katrina, Dauphin Island adopted 

 the IBC requirements and recently adopted 

 provisions requiring deeper pile embedment. 



In addition, a number of jurisdictions 

 in Mississippi have adopted the 2003 IBC 

 codes. However, the state hasn't adopted a 

 code for buildings not owned by the state. 

 A Governor's Commission report, issued 



Continued 



Coctstwatch I Autumn 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 



