Assessing Disaster Impacts with the Building Science Disaster Support Program

Main Functions

Resource Library

The Building Science Disaster Support (BSDS) Program sends experts to assess the performance of buildings, structures and Community Lifelines after disasters like extreme wind, floods, wildfires, earthquakes and more.

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The Building Science Disaster Support Program has been around for over 30 years. However, it hasn’t always gone by that title – in the past it’s been referred to as the Building Performance Assessment Team Program and the Mitigation Assessment Team Program.

Main Functions

Disaster Readiness (Steady State)

During disaster readiness, the program gathers information about natural hazard events and locations to determine if disaster support is needed.

Disaster Support Operations

Depending on the analysis of the events, the BSDS program can provide Disaster Support Operations by assembling and deploying Mitigation Assessment Teams (MAT) to evaluate the performance of buildings, other structures, and associated community lifelines.

Working closely with federal and state, local, tribal and territorial officials, academia and private sector partners, the MAT develop conclusions and recommendations to improve building, utility and community resilience on the local and state levels.

Technical Assistance

The Building Science Disaster Support Program can also provide Technical Assistance and subject matter expert support for the disaster.

You Have Questions

“How do we build back better?”

“What can we do differently to prevent future damage?"

BSDS Has Answers

Learning from the disaster damage, the BSDS program provides expert support and technical assistance throughout the recovery process.

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Resource Library: Search for Reports and Advisories

This collection contains all available resources produced as a result of the Building Science Disaster Support Program’s recommendations.

These reports, fact sheets and advisories are based on their observation of the impact of natural hazards on the built environment and otherwise.

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Most Recent Reports

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Building the Case for Open Space (Foundations)

Developed in response to Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, this guidance compares the two predominant construction foundation systems available in South Louisiana and provides greater detail regarding their costs, impacts, and advantages.

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Considering Policies and Regulations to Reduce Risks Caused by Urban Flooding (Hurricane Ida in New York Fact Sheet 4)

This fact sheet summarizes the recommendations from technical reports FEMA prepared after Hurricane Ida. Communities use different mechanisms to put recommendations into practice.

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Flood Warning and Inundation Mapping (Hurricane Ida in New York Fact Sheet 2)

This fact sheet describes how flood warning systems, flood alerts, and flood inundation products convey flood risk information.

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Hurricane Ida DRRA Section 1206 Implementation Case Study

This study reviews the implementation of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) Section 1206 Policy implemented after Hurricane Ida in Louisiana (DR-4611) and shares the lessons learned for future state, local, tribal, and territorial governments looking to implement this type of project.

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Essential Facilities Located in Tornado-Prone Regions: Recommendations for Facility Owners (2021 Kentucky Tornadoes Recovery Advisory 1)

The purpose of this advisory is to inform essential facility owners, operators, and planners of ways to improve the tornado performance of their existing or new essential facilities and how to reduce loss of functionality of the facility during and after a tornado.

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Improving Windstorm and Tornado Resilience: Recommendations for One- and Two-Family Residential Structures

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide a brief overview of building envelope and load path improvements to reduce damage to wood-framed, one- and two-family residential structures when impacted by tornadoes rated on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale as EF2 or less intensity, and indirectly by tornadoes with a greater EF rating.

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Reconstructing a Non-Residential Building After a Tornado (2021 Kentucky Tornadoes Recovery Advisory 2)

The purpose of this Recovery Advisory is to emphasize the importance of building codes and introduce best practices intended to minimize tornado damage as part of the rebuilding effort for non-residential buildings that are not essential facilities

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Design Guide for New Tornado Load Requirements in ASCE 7-22

This instructional guidance is for design professionals and building officials to help them determine when a building or other structure is required to be designed to minimum tornado loads and how to calculate design tornado forces. This guide is in accordance with the updated requirements of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) / Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) standard ASCE 7-22, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

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Code-Based Wind-Resistant Roofing for Homes: Reducing Wind Damage in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI Recovery Advisory 1)

This Recovery Advisory focuses on residential roof construction and materials, and roof-to-wall connections. It also details a seven-step process for enhancing your safety by improving the performance of your home during high winds.

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Maintenance and Retrofit Options for Key Building Systems (CNMI MAT 2)

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide options to reduce disaster damage, minimize repair costs, and reduce service losses for key building systems in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This fact sheet describes lower-cost maintenance recommendations and higher-cost wind retrofits to improve building performance in future disasters.

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