Virginia has edged out Florida as the state with the most stringent hurricane building codes, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety’s “2015 Rating the States” report.
Florida, which overhauled its building codes after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, slipped to the second spot. Most states with strong building code systems in place at the time of IBHS’s first report in 2012 remain committed to building safety, the organization says.
Most of these states have updated their codes to the latest model code editions, or are in the process of doing so, and maintained effective enforcement systems.
Some states, however, took no action to improve their codes, and a few have weaker systems in place now than in 2012, IBHS says. The study assesses the progress of 18 hurricane-prone coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast.
Another study done by IBHS, the University of Florida and the FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team following Hurricane Charley, which struck Florida in 2004, found that modern building codes reduced the cost of insurance losses by 42% and the number of insured losses by 60%.
Related Stories
| Aug 21, 2014
American Iron and Steel Institute revises 14 test standards
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) published 14 revised test standards in its S900-series.
| Aug 14, 2014
Mississippi county rejects adoption of state building code
The county board of supervisors voted unanimously to opt out of the state building code.
| Aug 14, 2014
Boards at odds over North Carolina county’s CM-at-Risk policy
Some local small contractors are not pleased with the school board’s CM-at-Risk policy that was instituted in 2007. The county’s board of commissioners has offered a sympathetic ear to their complaints
| Aug 14, 2014
2014 National Electrical Code now effective in 12 states; 11 more to come online by January
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that the 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code(NEC) is now effective in 12 states: Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
| Aug 14, 2014
CDC report highlights need for heat acclimatization to prevent worker deaths
CDC supports OSHA’s analysis suggesting that the primary risk factor for heat fatalities is the lack of acclimatization programs.
| Aug 8, 2014
California revives study of earthquake faults
California reinstituted an ambitious plan to study dangerous earthquake faults and create zoning maps that could restrict development.
| Aug 6, 2014
Loudoun County, Virginia may dump green building requirements
Loudoun County, Va., supervisors may do away with a county policy that requires LEED Silver certification on new county buildings.
| Aug 6, 2014
$300 million mixed-use project in Chicago’s medical district wins key approval
The Illinois Medical District Commission approved a 1.16 million-sf, $300 million mixed-use project in Chicago’s Illinois Medical District.
| Aug 4, 2014
Facebook’s prefab data center concept aims to slash construction time in half
Less than a year after opening its ultra-green, hydropowered data center facility in Luleå, Sweden, Facebook is back at it in Mother Svea with yet another novel approach to data center design.
| Jul 31, 2014
LEED Dynamic Plaque gives owners and tenants ability to monitor building performance
The LEED Dynamic Plaque could aid certified buildings in maintaining performance with up-to-date information about water and energy use, waste reduction efforts, occupant experience, and other green performance categories.
