This guide has been prepared for direct dissemination to the general public and is based on the most reliable hazard awareness and emergency education information available at the time of publication, including advances in scientific knowledge, more accurate technical language, and the latest physical research on what happens in disasters. This publication is, however, too brief to cover every factor, situation, or difference in buildings, infrastructure, or other environmental features that might be of interest. To help you explore your interest further, additional sources of information have been included. The guide has been designed to help the citizens of this nation learn how to protect themselves and their families against all types of hazards. It can be used as a reference source or as a step-by-step manual. The focus of the content is on how to develop, practice, and maintain emergency plans that reflect what must be done before, during, and after a disaster to protect people and their property. Also included is information on how to assemble a disaster supplies kit that contains the food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity for individuals and their families to survive following a disaster in the event they must rely on their own resources. Are You Ready? is just one of many resources the Department of Homeland Security provides the citizens of this nation to help them be prepared against all types of hazards. The Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign seeks to help America be better prepared for even unlikely emergency scenarios.

Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness

Agency, Federal Emergency Management

Security, U.S. Department of Homeland

Reference

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101 provides Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidance on the fundamentals of planning and developing emergency operations plans (EOP). CPG 101 shows that EOPs are connected to planning efforts in the areas of prevention, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation. Version 2.0 of this Guide expands on these fundamentals and encourages emergency and homeland security managers to engage the whole community in addressing all risks that might impact their jurisdictions. While CPG 101 maintains its link to previous guidance, it also reflects the reality of the current operational planning environment. This Guide integrates key concepts from national preparedness policies and doctrines, as well as lessons learned from disasters, major incidents, national assessments, and grant programs. CPG 101 provides methods for planners to: Conduct community-based planning that engages the whole community by using a planning process that represents the actual population in the community and involves community leaders and the private sector in the planning process; Ensure plans are developed through an analysis of risk; Identify operational assumptions and resource demands; Prioritize plans and planning efforts to support their seamless transition from development to execution for any threat or hazard; Integrate and synchronize efforts across all levels of government. CPG 101 incorporates the following concepts from operational planning research and day-to-day experience: The process of planning is just as important as the resulting document; Plans are not scripts followed to the letter, but are flexible and adaptable to the actual situation; Effective plans convey the goals and objectives of the intended operation and the actions needed to achieve them. Successful operations occur when organizations know their roles, understand how they fit into the overall plan, and are able to execute the plan. Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101 provides guidelines on developing emergency operations plans (EOP). It promotes a common understanding of the fundamentals of risk-informed planning and decision making to help planners examine a hazard or threat and produce integrated, coordinated, and synchronized plans. The goal of CPG 101 is to make the planning process routine across all phases of emergency management and for all homeland security mission areas. This Guide helps planners at all levels of government in their efforts to develop and maintain viable all-hazards, all-threats EOPs. Accomplished properly, planning provides a methodical way to engage the whole community in thinking through the life cycle of a potential crisis, determining required capabilities, and establishing a framework for roles and responsibilities. It shapes how a community envisions and shares a desired outcome, selects effective ways to achieve it, and communicates expected results. Each jurisdiction’s plans must reflect what that community will do to address its specific risks with the unique resources it has or can obtain. Planners achieve unity of purpose through coordination and integration of plans across all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and individuals and families. This supports the fundamental principle that, in many situations, emergency management and homeland security operations start at the local level and expand to include Federal, state, territorial, tribal, regional, and private sector assets as the affected jurisdiction requires additional resources and capabilities. A shared planning community increases the likelihood of integration and synchronization, makes planning cycles more efficient and effective, and makes plan maintenance easier.

Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans: Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101, Version 2.0

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

One of the goals of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is to encourage design and building practices that address the earthquake hazard and minimize the resulting risk of damage and injury. Publication of the 2009 edition of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (FEMA P-750) reaffirms FEMA’s ongoing support of efforts to achieve this goal. First published in 1985, the 2009 edition of the Provisions marks the seventh in a series of updates to the document and several complementary publications. FEMA is proud to have sponsored this project conducted by the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) of National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and continues to encourage the widespread dissemination and voluntary use of this state-of-art consensus resource document. In contrast to the earlier editions of the Provisions which resulted from three-year update projects, the 2009 edition is the first resulting from a five-year update effort that allowed the BSSC’s Provisions Update Committee (PUC) to make some major changes in both the substance and the format of the Provisions document. The most significant change involves the adoption by reference of the national consensus design loads standard, ASCE/SEI 7-05, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, including the related consensus standards referenced therein and Supplements 1 and 2. Part 1 of this document includes consensus-approved modifications of the seismic requirements in the standard. Among these modifications is the adoption of new seismic design maps based on seismic hazard maps issued in 2008 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) along with some design-related adjustments. Another major change has been made to the accompanying Commentary, previously issued as a separate volume but now included as Part 2 of the 2009 Provisions. The content of the Commentary has been completely rewritten to provide users with an up-to-date, user friendly explanation of how to design using the Provisions and the reference standard. Part 3 of the 2009 Provisions consists of a series of resource papers intended to clarify aspects of the Provisions, stimulate consideration of and feedback from the design community on new seismic design concepts and procedures, and/or encourage the development and adoption of new requirements in ASCE/SEI 7 and the standards referenced therein. Thus, the 2009 Provisions serves as a national resource intended for use by both design professionals and the standards- and codes-development community in fostering development of a built environment designed and constructed to protect building occupants from loss of life and serious injury and to reduce the total losses from future earthquakes.

NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (FEMA P-750 / 2009 Edition)

Council, Building Seismic Safety

Program, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction

This book is intended to acquaint the public with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Despite the highly technical nature of the Program, there has been a deliberate effort to minimize the use of technical terms. This publication is designed for readers who do not need a detailed history or refined technical or legal explanations, but who do need a basic understanding of the Program and the answers to some frequently asked questions. Readers who need legal definitions should refer to the Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP) and to NFIP and related regulations. The information provided herein is as current as possible, but changes in the NFIP are made periodically. Readers can obtain the most up-to-date insurance data by using the contact information at the back of the book. The NFIP is a Federal program created by Congress to mitigate future flood losses nationwide through sound, community-enforced building and zoning ordinances and to provide access to affordable, federally backed flood insurance protection for property owners. The NFIP is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government that states that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses. For decades, the national response to flood disasters was generally limited to constructing flood-control works such as dams, levees, seawalls, and the like, and providing disaster relief to flood victims. This approach, however, did not reduce losses, nor did it discourage unwise development. In some instances, it may have actually encouraged additional development. To compound the problem, due to its high risk and seasonal nature, insurance companies were not able to provide affordable flood insurance coverage. In light of mounting flood losses and escalating costs of disaster relief to the taxpayers, the U.S. Congress created the NFIP. The intent was to reduce future flood damage through community floodplain management ordinances, and provide protection for property owners against potential losses through an insurance mechanism that requires a premium to be paid for the protection.

Answers to Questions About the National Flood Insurance Program (FEMA F-084 / March 2011)

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a federal program that allows property owners to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding. This insurance is designed to provide an alternative to costly, taxpayer-funded disaster assistance. Congress established the NFIP with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 that provides the NFIP authority and guidelines. All changes since 1968 have been made as amendments to this act. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the NFIP. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local participating communities and the federal government. The community agrees to implement and enforce floodplain measures (ordinances and laws) to reduce future flood damage to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas; the federal government will make flood insurance available within the community as financial protection against future flood losses. In 1981, FEMA initiated efforts to once again involve the private-sector insurance industry in the NFIP. A cooperative effort between FEMA and insurance company representatives led to the creation of the Write Your Own (WYO) Program in July 1983. The WYO Companies issue and service federally backed Standard Flood Insurance Policies under their own names, collect premiums, and handle and pay claims. FEMA pays the WYO Companies a fee for these services. In August 1983, FEMA extended an invitation to all licensed property and casualty companies to participate in the WYO Program for fiscal year 1984. The NFIP now has two programs—the NFIP Direct Program and the WYO Program. 1) NFIP Direct Program The program that deals with the issuing and servicing of flood insurance policies, and the handling of resultant claims, directly by the federal government is known as the NFIP Direct Program. The NFIP Servicing Agent assists and advises agents and adjusters who handle Direct Program policies. The NFIP Servicing Agent also manages the Group Flood Insurance Policy Program and the policies for buildings that are identified as Severe Repetitive Loss Properties. 2) WYO Program The WYO Program now accounts for approximately 90 percent of all flood policies. The NFIP Bureau and Statistical Agent assist and advise the WYO Companies. However, this does not diminish the authority of the WYO Company or relieve the company of its obligations. The WYO Company still collects the premium, issues the policy, and provides adjustment and payment for claims. In addition to providing flood insurance for property, the NFIP is actively engaged in the evaluation of existing and potential flood hazards and their long-term reduction. Accordingly, various zones of flooding probability and severity have been established. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are produced to show the projected elevation to which flooding is likely to occur in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Community officials are responsible for issuing building permits and must keep the FIRM and make the information available. In some instances, the local agent may have the maps available.

National Flood Insurance Program Adjuster Claims Manual

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) both have a similar goal, which is to encourage design and building practices that address the earthquake hazard and minimize the resulting risk of damage and injury. A related FEMA goal is to present guidance that addresses all hazards in a coordinated manner. This publication is the second and final in a series developed with this related goal in mind, and examines the relationship between seismic resistant design and blast resistant design and attempts to quantify the blast resistance benefit a building designed to withstand high seismic loads would inherently incorporate. This series of publications was developed in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the New York World Trade Center and the subsequent events that led to the formation of DHS and an increased emphasis on preparedness and mitigation of terrorism-related hazards. One issue that FEMA began shortly after that was to examine whether lessons learned in response to natural hazards could be effectively applied to protect building occupants from human threats. Important similarities between seismic and blast loadings (e.g., both can impose extreme horizontal forces on a structure within a small time frame) lend themselves to such examination. The first publication of this series is Blast Resistance Benefits of Seismic Design Phase 1 Study: Performance Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Strengthening Systems Applied to the Murrah Federal Building Design (FEMA 439A, December 2005). This publication was developed based on data from the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. That event was documented in The Oklahoma City Bombing: Improving Building Performance Through Multi-Hazard Mitigation (FEMA 277, August 1996). The Phase 1 FEMA 439A report demonstrated that, with such seismic design features in place, the structural system would have been better able to dissipate and manage the blast load effects, reducing or avoiding catastrophic chain-reaction impacts on portions of the building that were not destroyed as a direct result of the bomb blast. This publication, Blast Resistance Benefits of Seismic Design Phase 2 Study: Performance Analysis of Steel Frame Strengthening Systems (FEMA 439B, November 2010), supplements the first phase study by using the same study scenario, but with a steel frame building. A federally owned steel frame building located in a low seismic area was selected from the GSA inventory and a series of seismic strengthening designs were developed based on the original plans. Both of these studies were performed under an agreement with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) to conduct advanced structural analyses on specific examples of different construction types in order to quantify the blast resistance benefits afforded by appropriately designed seismic resistance features. The purpose of these studies is not to develop or support a hypothesis that seismic design is equivalent to blast-resistant design. The findings of these studies strongly indicate that a building originally designed or later upgraded to address high seismicity will also provide a significant level of blast resistance. Although cost constraints can be daunting for building owners who need to achieve higher levels of protection than conventional construction methods provide, the findings of this study should encourage an owner to consider the potential cost benefits of addressing both types of structural safety hazard in a coordinated or holistic way. Considering the significant blast resistance benefits offered by seismic design, the building owner may find that achieving complete blast protection requires only an incremental cost increase over some types of seismic strengthening described in this report.

Blast-Resistance Benefits of Seismic Design - Phase 2 Study: Performance Analysis of Structural Steel Strengthening Systems (FEMA P-439B / November 2010))

Engineering & Transportation

Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of

Engineering

Of the 500,000 or so detectable earthquakes that occur on Planet Earth each year, people will “feel” about 100,000 of them and about 100 will cause damage. Although most earthquakes are moderate in size and destructive potential, a severe earthquake occasionally strikes a community that is not adequately prepared and thousands of lives and billions of dollars in economic investment are lost. For example, a great earthquake and the fires it initiated destroyed much of San Francisco in 1906 and a significant portion of Anchorage, Alaska, was destroyed by a large earthquake in 1964. Within the past 200 years, major destructive earthquakes also occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, and Memphis, Tennessee. Within the past 50 years, smaller but damaging earthquakes occurred several times in both Los Angeles and Seattle. Overall, more than 20 states have a moderate or high risk of experiencing damaging earthquakes. Earthquakes are truly a national problem. One of the key ways a community protects itself from potential earthquake disasters is by adopting and enforcing a building code with appropriate seismic design and construction standards. The seismic requirements in U.S. model building codes and standards are updated through the volunteer efforts of design professionals and construction industry representatives under a process sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and administered by the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC). At regular intervals, the BSSC develops and FEMA publishes the NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program) Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (referred to in this publication as the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions or simply the Provisions). The Provisions serves as a resource used by the codes and standards development organizations as they formulate sound seismic-resistant design and construction requirements. The Provisions also provides design professionals, building officials, and educators with in-depth commentary on the intent and preferred application of the seismic regulations. The 2009 edition of the Provisions (FEMA P-750) and the building codes and consensus standards based on its recommendations are, of necessity, highly technical documents intended primarily for use by design professionals and others who have specialized technical training. This introduction to the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions is intended to provide these interested individuals with a readily understandable explanation of the intent of the earthquake-resistant design and requirements of the Provisions. Chapter 1 explains the history and purpose of building regulation in the United States, including the process used to develop and adopt the nation’s building codes and the seismic requirements in these codes. Chapter 2 is an overview of the performance intent of the Provisions. Among the topics addressed are the national seismic hazard maps developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the seismic design maps adopted by the Provisions as a basis for seismic design; and seismic risk, which is a function of both the probability that a community will experience intense earthquake ground shaking and the probability that building construction will suffer significant damage because of this ground motion. Chapter 3 identifies the design and construction features of buildings and other structures that are important to good seismic performance. Chapter 4 describes the various types of structures and nonstructural components addressed by the Provisions. Chapter 5 is an overview of the design procedures contained in the Provisions. Chapter 6 addresses how the practice of earthquake-resistant design is likely to evolve in the future. A glossary of key technical terms, lists of notations and acronyms used in this report, and a selected bibliography identifying references that may be of interest to some readers complete this report.

Earthquake-Resistant Design Concepts: An Introduction to the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (FEMA P-749 / December 2010)

Seismic Safety Council, National Institute of Building Sciences Building

The 2011 Coastal Construction Manual, Fourth Edition (FEMA P-55), is a two-volume publication that provides a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, designing, constructing, and maintaining homes in the coastal environment. Volume I provides information about hazard identification, siting decisions, regulatory requirements, economic implications, and risk management. The primary audience for Volume I is design professionals, officials, and those involved in the decision-making process. Volume II contains in-depth descriptions of design, construction, and maintenance practices that, when followed, will increase the durability of residential buildings in the harsh coastal environment and reduce economic losses associated with coastal natural disasters. The primary audience for Volume II is the design professional who is familiar with building codes and standards and has a basic understanding of engineering principles.

Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal ... Edition) (FEMA P-55 / Volume I / August 2011)

The 2011 Coastal Construction Manual, Fourth Edition (FEMA P-55), is a two-volume publication that provides a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, designing, constructing, and maintaining homes in the coastal environment. Volume I of the Coastal Construction Manual provides information about hazard identification, siting decisions, regulatory requirements, economic implications, and risk management. The primary audience for Volume I is design professionals, officials, and those involved in the decision-making process. Volume II contains in-depth descriptions of design, construction, and maintenance practices that, when followed, will increase the durability of residential buildings in the harsh coastal environment and reduce economic losses associated with coastal natural disasters. The primary audience for Volume II is the design professional who is familiar with building codes and standards and has a basic understanding of engineering principles. Volume II is not a standalone reference for designing homes in the coastal environment. The designer should have access to and be familiar with the building codes and standards that are discussed in Volume II and listed in the reference section at the end of each chapter. The designer should also have access to the building codes and standards that have been adopted by the local jurisdiction if they differ from the standards and codes that are cited in Volume II. If the local jurisdiction having authority has not adopted a building code, the most recent code should be used. Engineering judgment is sometimes necessary, but designers should not make decisions that will result in a design that does not meet locally adopted building codes. The topics that are covered in Volume II are as follows: Chapter 7 – Introduction to the design process, minimum design requirements, losses from natural hazards in coastal areas, cost and insurance implications of design and construction decisions, sustainable design, and inspections; Chapter 8 – Site-specific loads, including from snow, flooding, tsunamis, high winds, tornadoes, seismic events, and combinations of loads. Example problems are provided to illustrate the application of design load provisions of ASCE 7-10, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures; Chapter 9 – Load paths, structural connections, structural failure modes, breakaway walls, building materials, and appurtenances; Chapter 10 – Foundations, including design criteria, requirements and recommendations, style selection (e.g., open, closed), pile capacity in soil, and installation; Chapter 11 – Building envelope, including floors in elevated buildings, exterior doors, windows and skylights, non-loading-bearing walls, exterior wall coverings, soffits, roof systems, and attic vents. Chapter 12 – Installing mechanical equipment and utilities; Chapter 13 – Construction, including the foundation, structural frame, and building envelope. Common construction mistakes, material selection and durability, and techniques for improving resistance to decay and corrosion are also discussed; Chapter 14 – Maintenance of new and existing buildings, including preventing damage from corrosion, moisture, weathering, and termites; building elements that require frequent maintenance; and hazard-specific maintenance techniques; Chapter 15 – Evaluating existing buildings for the need for and feasibility of retrofitting for wildfire, seismic, flood, and wind hazards and implementing the retrofitting. Wind retrofit packages that can be implemented during routine maintenance are also discussed (e.g., replacing roof shingles.

Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal ... (FEMA P-55 / Volume II / August 2011)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed this Risk Assessment, A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings, to provide a clear, flexible, and comprehensive methodology to prepare a risk assessment. The intended audience includes the building sciences community of architects and engineers working for private institutions, building owners/operators/managers, and State and local government officials working in the building sciences community. The objective of this How-To Guide is to outline methods for identifying the critical assets and functions within buildings, determining the threats to those assets, and assessing the vulnerabilities associated with those threats. Based on those considerations, the methods presented in this How-To Guide provide a means to assess the risk to the assets and to make risk-based decisions on how to mitigate those risks. The scope of the methods includes reducing physical damage to structural and non-structural components of buildings and related infrastructure, and reducing resultant casualties during conventional bomb attacks, as well as chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) agents. This document is written as a How-To Guide. It presents five steps and multiple tasks within each step that will lead you through a process for conducting a risk assessment and selecting mitigation options. It discusses what information is required to conduct a risk assessment, how and where to obtain it, and how to use it to calculate a risk score against each selected threat. This is one of a series of publications that address security issues in high-population, private sector buildings. This document is a companion to the Reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings (FEMA 426) and the Building Design for Homeland Security Training Course (FEMA E155). This document also leverages information contained within the Primer for Design of Commercial Buildings to Mitigate Terrorist Attacks (FEMA 427). The primary use of this risk assessment methodology is for buildings, although it could be adapted for other types of critical infrastructure. The foundation of the risk assessment methodology presented in this document is based on the approach that was developed for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through the National Institute for Building Sciences (NIBS). Over 150 buildings have been successfully assessed using this technique. The risk assessment methodology presented in this publication has been refined by FEMA for this audience. The purpose of this How-To Guide is to provide a methodology for risk assessment to the building sciences community working for private institutions. It is up to the decision-makers to decide which types of threats they wish to protect against and which mitigation options are feasible and cost-effective. This How-To Guide views as critical that a team created to assess a particular building will be composed of professionals capable of evaluating different parts of the building. They should be senior individuals who have a breadth and depth of experience in the areas of civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering; architecture; site planning and security engineering; and how security and antiterrorism considerations affect site and building design.

Risk Management Series: Risk Assessment - A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings (FEMA 452 / January 2005)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Security, U.S. Department of Homeland. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Security, U.S. Department of Homeland