Building Performance Assessment

On September 5, 1996, Hurricane Fran made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina and generated considerable rainfall, moderately high winds, and storm surge and waves along the cost. Although the storm generated high winds along the coast and well inland, severe damage to buildings was concentrated in those areas also impacted by the flood surge and waves. This report focuses on the damage along the North Carolina coast that resulted from flood surge, wave action, erosion, and scour. On September 12, 1996, the Mitigation Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed a Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) to coastal North Carolina to assess damage caused by Hurricane Fran. The mission of the BPAT was to assess the performance of buildings on the barrier islands most directly affected by Hurricane Fran and to make recommendations for improving building performance in future events. Better performance of building systems can be expected when the causes of observed failures are determined and repair and construction are undertaken in accordance with recognized standards of design and construction. The immediate goal of the BPAT process is to provide guidance to State and local governments for post-hurricane reconstruction. In addition, the BPAT's findings can enhance future coastal design and construction. The BPAT developed recommendations for reducing future hurricane damage. The recommendations address areas of concern such as building materials, design practices, construction techniques, and quality of construction. The recommendations presented in this report are applicable in other communities that experience similar coastal flooding. This report presents the BPAT's observations of the successes and failures of buildings that experienced the flood effects of Hurricane Fran, comments on building failure modes, and provides recommendations intended to enhance the performance of buildings in future hurricanes.