47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

2.4 RISK REDUCTION FOR EXISTINGCRITICAL FACILITIESOwners and operators of public and notfor-profitcritical facilities should be awareof the importance of flood insurancecoverage for facilities that are located inthe flood hazard areas shown on NFIPmaps. If not insured for flood peril, theamount of flood insurance that shouldhave been in place will be deducted fromany Federal disaster assistance paymentthat would otherwise have been madeavailable. A particular facility may have toabsorb up to $1 million in unreimbursedflood damage per building, becausethe NFIP offers $500,000 in buildingcoverage and $500,000 in contentscoverage for nonresidential buildings(coverage limits as of early 2006).2.4.1 IntroductionSection 2.2.2 describes the type of damage that can besustained by critical facilities that already are located inflood hazard areas. The vulnerability of these facilitiescan be reduced if they can be made more resistant to flood damage.Decisionmakers may take such action when flood hazardsare identified and there is a desire to undertakerisk reduction measures proactively.Interest may be prompted by a flood or bythe requirement to address flood resistanceas part of proposed substantial improvementor an addition. Some questions andguidance intended to help identify buildingcharacteristics of importance when consideringrisk reduction measures for existingfacilities are included in the checklist inSection 2.5.Work on existing buildings and sites is subjectto codes and regulations, and theappropriate regulatory authority with jurisdictionshould be consulted. With respectto reducing flood risks, work generally fallsinto the categories described in the followingsubsections.2-78 MAKING CRITICAL FACILITIES SAFE FROM Flooding