certification program for disaster training

At a recent meeting in Atlanta, an expert panel consisting of representatives from government, academia, insurance, non-profit organizations, and designers, came together to address aspects of what a resilient building certification program should entail.  The meeting was hosted by the Resilient Home Program, a partnership between Clemson University, North Carolina State University (NC State), Savannah River National Laboratory and the US Army Corp of Engineers - Construction Engineering Research Lab and funded by the Southeast Region Research Initiative (SERRI).
The meeting was part of the ongoing efforts of the Resilient Home Program, which was established to determine the way in which home owners prepare for, and recover from, natural disasters; to find ways to make new and existing homes more resilient; to educate the public on home resiliency; and to encourage homeowners to take steps to make their homes more resilient.
"Following a natural disaster, the faster people can safely move back into their homes, the faster the community will recover its economic footing and its vitality.  That's the goal of the Resilient Home Program," said Tim Smail, program lead for the Resilient Home Program.
The program spent twelve months completing a gap analysis on homeowners' preparation and recovery from natural disasters.  The analysis involved surveying the stakeholder groups- including builders, homeowners, engineers, government officials, insurers, researchers, architects and organizations involved in disaster response and planning - to better understand their needs.
"The gap analysis brought to light four major areas that need to be addressed immediately, according to our stakeholders," said Smail.  "These areas include the effects of catastrophic mold and materials resistant to it, incentives for building homes more resiliently, the benefits of retrofitting for disaster and additional outreach aimed at target audiences."
Understanding the science of mold growth, what materials are resistant to it, and effective clean up methods requires a certain expertise.  So to address these issues, SERRI and the Resilient Home Program team are collaborating with Mississippi State University and Tuskegee University.
"Stakeholder concerns related to mold that were at the forefront of the gap analysis focused both on the basic science and the development of new materials that might be ‘mold proof.'  And rather than addressing some of the basic science issues ourselves, we expanded our collaboration with people experienced with mold issues so that we can focus on the application of their results," said Dr. Dave Tilotta a North Carolina State faculty member.
Tilotta and his team from NC State have been focused on creating a program for providing incentives to home-owners for building resiliently.
"The technology and materials are available today to build homes that are resilient to wind and water.  The trick is getting people to spend the money to include these materials and practices," said Smail.  "That's what led us to convene the experts in Atlanta to discuss this issue.  We will also schedule follow up meetings in other areas as we continue to develop this program."
Anyone wishing to participate in discussions about a resilient home certification program should contact the program through its Web site at http://home.resilientus.org.
Additionally, the team recognizes that new construction accounts for only a portion of the housing market.  Therefore, giving home-owners options for retrofitting their homes for resilience is also being given a high priority in the Resilient Home Program.
"The number of options and materials that exist for retrofitting a home can leave even the most seasoned home-owner shaking their head.  It is important to provide the home-owners an unbiased opinion on retrofitting technologies and how they're applied" said Dr. Leidy Klotz a Clemson researcher.
That is exactly what Clemson University and Tom Napier from the USACE-Construction Engineering Research Lab are developing; a system for measuring the effectiveness of retrofit technologies that takes into account its resiliency, energy efficiency and "greenness" to highlight a few characteristics.
Lastly, the team takes outreach and education of the stakeholders very seriously.  They are currently working on outreach techniques and materials aimed at targeted audiences. And the materials they're preparing span the spectrum from brochures to drink coasters to YouTube videos.    NC State graduate students are holding focus group meetings to gauge the "stickiness" of the message and the effectiveness of various methods.
"We have also partnered with community organizations like the Gulfport Community and Regional Resilience Institute (CARRI) team to plan resilient building shows and education seminars," said Napier.