Page 94 - Building Codes News Today

A lot of building codes actually changed for homes especially for the rooftops, specifically because they couldnt sustain category four winds. so miami beach, how does it, how does it hold up? >> locally, the decisions on where people build, of course, zoning laws are a local decision, and then building codes are the responsibility of the state. but the federal government is concerned about -- and specifically the corps of engineers -- is the movement of water around the state, in particular lak...

This, or at least very much aware of it. >> i think so, anderson. weve been preparing for about five or six days now. literally putting in portable generators, portable pumps, sandbags to all of our residents. locking down construction projects so there is no debris flying around. weve been communicating so aggressively with our entire residents and visitors so that they hear our message, what to do, what not to do and hopefully evacuate. >> so for you is it storm surge? >> i think its a combina...

Leaving. >> yeah. this is, this is not something to trifle with. you know, because look, first responders cant be coming in after you. things are going to -- right now in the keys, theyre telling, the national weather service said three things. get out. if you dont get out, youre probably going to die. and the keys will be changed probably forever. >> al roker, thanks. >> thank you. >> all right, we also have now florida senator bill nelson who joins me by phone and senator, how prepared is is f...

Weve been reporting a lot on the threat to florida here with irma bearing down, but we want to give you a sense how its cut this path of destruction through the caribbean. at least 23 confirmed deaths, another storm jose right behind it, wind speeds up to 115 miles an hour, hes been following irmas destructive path through the caribbean. we cover a lot more what happens in america but what were learning is these horse orors o there. >> we talk about the building codes in the u.s., from east to s...

No way you could stand in this, significant damage to roofs, window. this is now a category 3, 115 miles per hour. the wind is pulling my cheeks and my skin back. anything that isnt tied down will be uprooted and attorney from its foundation. >> after just a few minutes in cat 3 winds last year, the engineers said, enough. >> its just absolutely exhausting to stand in those kinds of winds. >> today, irma at 155 miles per hour is among the strong e. hurricanes ever recorded. even homes built to n...

Additional risk extreme wind speeds like that pose. in 2017 in the particular part of the country thats about to get the brunt of the storm, what do we know about how vulnerable they are to winds that fast. what is likely to be knocked down by winds that fast. what can stay standing in wind speed like that. we have seen what these 180-plus mile an hour wind speeds have done in the caribbean already and what they are continuing to do. we can see in these caribbean islands what was left standing a...

And is anticipated to restrengthen as it heads north away from cuba to florida. joining me now is nbcs gotti schwartz, i think it was your pictures we were looking at when we were speaking to the mayor of homestead as you had been driving through there. irma is expected to be worse than andrew in certain ways. what lessons has homestead learned and that we can all learn from homestead? rrtd its all about building codes here. im going to show you a mobile home park that was completely destroyed d...

It is -- lets see here. lots of high rises. what draws people to miami beach. booming with development. since hurricane andrew, this area has seen a population explosion. 35% growth. and thats despite the fact that these high-rise buildings have new building codes since hurricane andrew. theyre considered to be more safe. i want you to take a look at this picture, from 1925. just to give you a sense of how much miami beach has changed. one year before a category 4 storm hit it in 1926, this is w...

In answer to your previous ye question, we need stronger building codes. we had them in 92. theyre much stronger today. second is this requires people who really are professionals. unfortunately, people ma had been a political dumping ground before 1992. the man who was the head of fema wanted to be the ambassador to belgium. he didnt get that job so they gave him fema and he acted like he wanted to be in brussels. >> and now? >> its made up of people whose career is in dealing with emergencies....

Suicide. the guys we met last night. but when they do the math in their heads, they say, well, the building codes in the keys are much stronger than, say, tampa, so id rather ride it out in a structure thats rated for cat 4. theres all these interesting bits of calculus that theyre doing whether to stay or go. but that is the reality. thats the psyche of the conchs. this is the conch republic and they fly that flag proudly. >> all right. i hear you. i get it. i mean, we all respect the spirit, b...