Building Science Success Stories

Building and construction success stories that result after disasters often start when a community has properly enforced building codes and standards. For homeowners, building professionals, or elected officials, it is important to realize that building codes are a minimum standard and that it is essential to build above the baseline.

This page highlights numerous stories from around the nation where individuals, communities, and even states have taken action to increase their building safety.

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian’s devastating impact on Florida in 2022, the need for information on resilience and mitigation against future disasters became abundantly clear.
At 6 a.m. on Feb. 9, 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck outside Los Angeles in the foothills above the San Fernando Valley. An estimated half a billion dollars in damages and 65 deaths were attributable to the earthquake. Most of the deaths occurred in two nearby hospital complexes, Olive View and Veterans, both of which suffered significant damage. 
On March 31, 2023, an EF3 tornado wreaked havoc in Tipton County, causing one fatality and 28 injuries in Covington, Tennessee. The Tipton County School Board took on the critical responsibility of swiftly reintegrating students into classrooms for the remainder of the academic year.
On May 3, 1999, a series of intense storms moved through “Tornado Alley,” producing numerous tornadoes that tore through areas of Oklahoma and Kansas.
Current building codes require site inspections at several stages throughout the construction process. These can include inspections of concrete slabs, foundation walls, insulation, and roof ice guards, as well as re-inspections of specific or code-required (i.e., welds, masonry, etc.) items.
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