Coastal Storms and Building Code Adoption: Motivators and Impacts 1979-2022

Abstract

This thesis investigates the piecemeal adoption of the International Building Code (IBC) by individual states and the related repercussions with respect to coastal hazards of high winds, storm surge, and rainfall in the period 1979-2022 for states along America’s Eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, storm impacts are considered in terms of resulting deaths and property damage. This work highlights extremely inconsistent IBC adoption (spatially and temporally) across the United States (US) and how this has contributed to unprecedented losses nearing 2% of America’s gross domestic product. The work also underscores the insufficiency of the code in addressing rain and storm surge effects with respect to protecting people and property. The thesis further demonstrates a persistent lag in the timely and uniform adoption of the IBC in much of the US and establishes the relative statistical significance of impacts of the newer versions of the code in reducing damage costs and loss of life. In addition, this thesis highlights the problematic cycle of more severe and frequent storms (i.e. those producing more than 1 billion dollars in damage or at least one death), while IBC code changes remain reactive.