Upon Hurricane Ian’s Florida arrival, buildings were subjected to Category 4 hurricane winds, torrential rain and up to 12 feet of storm surge in western Florida coastal cities like Fort Myers and Cape Coral. A new study from a team at the University of Notre Dame found buildings that were up to date with building codes tended to fare best, and while bringing older buildings up to code could prevent damage, it would require a significant investment.
Tracy Kijewski-Correa, an engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame and the director of Pulte Institute for Global Development, and her team used Google imaging to survey damage from the storm. They found that buildings with up-to-date building codes in Florida fared significantly better than those with older codes. By retrofitting older buildings to be better protected from storms, coastal states might see less significant damage following a climate-related disaster.
“If the vast majority [of buildings] are not touched by the latest [building codes], then you will always be vulnerable,” she said. “All the structures built to modern code perform quite well.”
Mandatory Retrofitting
Some states have already implemented mandatory retrofitting of vulnerable buildings.
In California, there’s a mandatory retrofit for certain buildings susceptible to earthquake damage, such as those that feature an open garage or storefront on the first floor. California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers select homeowners up to $3,000 toward the renovations and as of 2021, an estimated 1 million homes needed to be retrofitted, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s a minor cost, relatively speaking to the horrific damage and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of expenses that could be incurred once a home is damaged,” California Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian told the Los Angeles Times.
Kijewski-Correa encouraged Florida and other hurricane-prone states to follow suit, as it could improve damage outcomes.
‘Not Too Far Behind The Science’
New international building codes are proposed every two to four years, but states aren’t required to implement them. Codes are created from expert input, but each state decides when it plans to adopt the new plans. Sometimes, it takes eight to 10 years to implement the codes, in which case newer codes have already been published.
Florida performs relatively well in keeping up to date with new building codes. In Cape Coral, Kijewski-Correa found the city was enforcing the 2018 international residential code, as of 2020.
“So as of 2020, they were using the 2018 code, making them not too far behind the science,” Kijewski-Correa said. “The latest International Code is dated 2021, so they are one cycle behind.”
However, mandatory retrofitting is hard to enforce, and Kijewski-Correa said there’s mixed compliance. Retrofitting can be cost-prohibitive, as it includes strengthening parts of the walls that connect to the building’s foundation and roof. The process also can be very intrusive, displacing a family for months even.
“We have to find ways to look for minimally intrusive ways to go into those homes,” Kijewski-Correa told Newsweek. “The next frontier is finding minimal patching solutions. I think families will have an appetite for that but not for big displacement.”
Minimally intrusive retrofitting options include reroofing, new windows and replacing shutters.
Rapid Increase of Development
A rapid increase in development along Florida’s west coast has introduced a discrepancy in building success when enduring a catastrophic storm. Newer buildings tend to be built further from the coast, with the more vulnerable, older buildings situated closer to the water, where storm surges are most likely to wreak havoc.
Some areas are more prone to hurricanes than others and climate change is expected to intensify the level of destruction in certain areas. Instead of rebuilding in the same areas that have seen devastation, University of Notre Dame political science professor Debra Javeline, advocated for rethinking where people live, although she acknowledged it’s not a politically advantageous conversation for leaders to have.
“No politician is brave enough to talk realistically about the constraints of climate change for rebuilding. Voters don’t want to hear it,” Javeline said.
Javeline noted that voters typically reward politicians who allocate money for rebuilding after natural disasters. However, she said they should be rewarding the “brave politicians” who are willing to discuss the reality of climate change and the potential to think creatively about where people can and should live.
‘It Takes A Decade Or More’
As states adopt new building codes, older structures aren’t required to adapt to them and Kijewski-Correa said 90 percent of buildings in Florida aren’t affected by new restrictions. It can take a decade or more for the new codes to be the norm for buildings and by the time that happens, there’s new knowledge about the best way to construct a structure.
“It takes a decade or more to permeate the construction practice. By the time [building codes] permeate the full inventory, there’s new knowledge,” Kijewski-Correa said. “The takeaway to Florida and every state across the country around the world’s latest scientific knowledge on how to build and to adapt to the changing climate and impending climate change always has to highlight any new technical findings.”
Kijewski-Correa applauded Florida for preventing damages by staying up to date with the code but urged states to consider how to adapt to new science surrounding how to live with climate change
