FEMA Building Science Releases New Guidance: Assessing Seismic Performance of Buildings with Configuration Irregularities

06/25/2019

FEMA’s Building Science Branch is pleased to announce that FEMA P-2012, Assessing Seismic Performance of Buildings with Configuration Irregularities, is now available through the FEMA Warehouse as well as online.

The publication’s primary purpose is to facilitate improvement of irregularity-related design requirements of FEMA P-1050-1, NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures; ASCE/SEI 7-16, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures; and ASCE/SEI 41-17, Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Building.

This guidance evaluates current building code triggers, the influence of structural irregularities on seismic building performance (in terms of collapse probability), and the effectiveness of relevant code provisions. The objective of the studies conducted under this project was to inform and improve U.S. codes and standards so that structures with configuration irregularities have a level of safety against collapse in an earthquake that is comparable to that for regular structures. The publication focuses primarily on design requirements for new buildings, with limited consideration of the treatment of irregularities for existing buildings.

It is commonly accepted that structural configuration irregularities can affect seismic performance. A structural irregularity is defined as an aspect of configuration that detrimentally affects a structure’s performance during an earthquake, leading to an unacceptable reduction in collapse safety or increase in damage. Generally, there are three remedies for such irregularities, as follows:

Remove the irregularity from the design;
Address the irregularity using an analytical approach; or
Resolve the irregularity through a design approach (e.g., by changing the proportioning).

With a focus on irregularities that have detrimentally affected structural performance in past earthquakes or that are common in current construction trends, the project considered 12 classes of structural configuration irregularities identified in current U.S. codes and standards and two new classes as follows:

Torsional stiffness
Reentrant corner
Diaphragm discontinuity
Out-of-plane offset
Nonparallel system
Torsional strength
Soft story
Weight [mass]
Vertical geometric
In-plane discontinuity
Weak story
Weak-column/strong-beam

Findings and recommended treatments include quantitative evaluation of potential collapse risks for torsion, soft/weak story and weak-column/strong-beam irregularities, some suggested modifications to code triggers and requirements, and general discussions and clarifications of other irregularities.

To download FEMA P-2012, please visit: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/177455.

To learn more about FEMA’s Building Science Branch, visit our website.

FEMA Bulletin Week of June 24, 2019

06/25/2019

June 24, 2019

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In this Edition:

FEMA Announces Mitigation Grant Awards
Reminders and Upcoming Deadlines
FEMA Podcast Episode 40: Amanda Ripley “The Unthinkable: Lessons from Survivors”
Stay Hydrated During Extreme Heat

FEMA Announces Mitigation Grant Awards

On June 18, FEMA announced pre-award selections for both the Flood Mitigation Assistance and Pre-Disaster Mitigation programs for Fiscal Year 2018, totaling more than $405 million.

This competitive grant funding is provided to state, tribal, territorial and local governments for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damage.

This year’s selections include:

• Flood Mitigation Assistance: 130 government agencies are selected for projects totaling $158.9 million.

• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Assistance: 359 government agencies are selected for projects totaling $239.2 million. Additionally, 27 tribal governments are selected for projects totaling $10.7 million.

FEMA reviewed each submission to ensure eligibility, cost effectiveness, technical feasibility and alignment with the agency’s identified priorities to reduce the impacts of disasters. These funding priorities are listed in a Notice of Funding Opportunity at Grants.gov.

Applicants can review the status of their application at FEMA.gov on the following pages:

• Flood Mitigation Assistance

• Pre-Disaster Mitigation

For additional information or any questions, grant applicants can contact their FEMA Regional Office. More information about Hazard Mitigation Assistance is available at www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.

Submit Feedback for FEMA’s New Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program

FEMA is designing a new program, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, to replace the existing pre-disaster mitigation grants in 2019.

With the passage of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act in October 2018, FEMA now has the authority to set aside six percent of estimated disaster expenses for each major disaster to fund pre-disaster mitigation. On May 20, FEMA requested public input to inform the development and implementation of BRIC on Ideascale and has already received over 2,700 comments and suggestions via its forum on Idealscale. Anyone wishing to provide comment can do so by July 15.

As FEMA transitions programs, there will be no gap in mitigation assistance for our state, local, tribal and territorial government partners. FEMA will make $250 million available for the 2019 grant program.

Reminders and Upcoming Deadlines

FEMA Seeks Feedback on the National Response Framework

The draft “National Response Framework“ and “Emergency Support Function (ESF) #14 – Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure Annex” documents are now available for public comment. Feedback and recommendations will help ensure the final versions of the documents are effective resources for emergency managers across the nation.

For more information on the updates and to download the drafts, visit the National Planning Frameworks page on the FEMA website. Comments, input, and recommendations should be submitted using the comment matrix on the website by June 28.

FEMA Hosts Webinars on Incident Command System Course Changes

FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is hosting a webinar series highlighting the changes in three courses on the Incident Command System All-Hazards Position Specific Curriculum. The webinars will provide instructor requirements and future course releases. The webinars will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27.

The curriculum changes will apply to:

• E/L0962 – Planning Section Chief

• E/L0964 – Situation Unit Leader

• E/L0965 – Resources Unit Leader

How to Participate:

• Register on the FEMA Adobe Connect platform at NIMS ICS Training Forum

• Please sign in as a guest using the following format:

Last Name, First Name, ST (example: Patrick, Robert, NJ)

• FEMA Teleconference: 800-320-4330, PIN 884976#

FEMA Podcast Episode 40: Amanda Ripley “The Unthinkable: Lessons from Survivors”

Listen in on this PrepTalk with Amanda Ripley, a journalist and a senior fellow at the Emerson Collective. Ripley combines the inspiring stories of disaster survivors with research into how the brain works when confronted with unusual events to provide advice on how emergency managers can help individuals become more decisive in an emergency.

The FEMA podcast is an audio program series available to anyone interested in learning more about the Agency, hearing about innovation in the field of emergency management, and listening to stories about communities and individuals recovering after disasters.

Podcast

Stay Hydrated During Extreme Heat

Stay hydrated

FEMA’s Office of External Affairs (OEA) provides this bulletin to highlight the agency’s recent and upcoming program and policy activities and announcements. Feedback is welcome at fema-bulletin@fema.dhs.gov. Previous editions are available at www.fema.gov/fema-bulletin. This bulletin is not intended to provide a comprehensive list of policies that are open for public comment, nor does it describe all of the instructions or requirements necessary to submit a comment. For a complete list of instructions and deadlines please click the hyperlinks included. FEMA does not endorse any non-government organizations, entities or services.

OEA’s mission is to engage, inform, and educate all of FEMA’s stakeholders in support of the Agency’s programs and initiatives to achieve its mission. OEA accomplishes its mission by coordinating and maintaining visibility of public and internal communications; advising FEMA program and support offices on decision-making regarding policies, plans, and actions that affect stakeholder, media, and Congressional audiences; and organizing outreach efforts targeted at principal stakeholders to include state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, the private sector, national organizations and associations, and the American public.

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