47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

The NFIP’s broad performance requirements for new buildingsproposed for flood hazard areas (and substantial improvement ofexisting flood-prone buildings) are as follows:m Buildings shall be designed and adequately anchored toprevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement resulting fromhydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads, including the effects ofbuoyancy.m Building materials used below the design flood elevation shallbe resistant to flood damage.m Buildings shall be constructed to minimize flood damage(primarily by elevating to or above the base flood level, or byspecially designed and certified floodproofing measures).m Buildings shall be constructed with electrical, heating,ventilation, plumbing, and air conditioning equipment andother service facilities designed to prevent water from enteringor accumulating within the components.States often use governors’ executiveorders to influence State-constructed andState-funded critical facilities, requiringlocation outside of the 500-year floodplainwhere feasible, or protection to the500-year flood level if avoiding thefloodplain is not practical. In 2004, areview of State and local floodplainmanagement programs determined thatAlabama, Illinois, Michigan, New York,North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia haverequirements for critical facilities (ASFPM,2004).Owners, planners and designers shoulddetermine if there are any applicableState-specific requirements for floodplain development.Some States require that localjurisdictions apply standards that exceedthe minimum requirements of the NFIP. Inparticular, some States require that critical facilitiesbe located outside of the floodplain(including the 500-year floodplain) or theyare to be designed and constructed to resistconditions associated with the 500-year flood.Some States have regulations that imposeother higher standards, while some Stateshave direct permitting authority over certaintypes of construction or certain types ofapplicants.As participants in the NFIP, States are required to ensure that developmentthat is not subject to local regulations, such as Stateconstruction, satisfies the same performance requirements. Ifcritical facilities are exempt from local permits, this may be ac-2-32 MAKING CRITICAL FACILITIES SAFE FROM Flooding