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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0281.018 2020-2022 OJNtY•OF Mitchell D.Roth •' :4 Steven Ikaika Rodenhurst,P.E. Mayor Director f OFMF' Lee E.Lord Stephen M.Pause,P.E. Managing Director Deputy Director V111UHN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Aupuni Center 101 Pauahi Street,Suite 7• Hilo,Hawaii 96720-4224 (808)961-8321 •Fax(808)961-8630 public works@hawaiicounty.gov July 20, 2021 Maile David, Council Chair and Members of the Hawaii County Council Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Re: NIST/NIBS Mitigation Saves Report (Communication Relating to Bill 44) Enclosed is a fact sheet summary report titled "Mitigation Saves" as published by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) as funded by three federal agencies and four private-sector sponsors inclusive of Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (USDHUD), U.S. Economic Development Administration (USEDA), International Code Council (ICC), Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IIBHS), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and American Institute of Architects (AIA). As an introduction, U.S. disaster losses from wind, floods, earthquakes, and fires now average $100 billion per year, and in 2017 exceeded $300 billion-25% of the $1.3 trillion building value put in place that year. Fortunately, there are affordable and highly cost-effective strategies that policy>nakers, building owners, and the building industry can deploy to reduce these impacts. These strategies include adopting and strengthening building codes, upgrading existing buildings, and improving utilities and transportation systems. The benefits and costs associated with these mitigation measures have been identified through the most exhaustive benefit-cost analysis of natural hazard mitigation to date and documented in Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves report. This fact sheet summarizes the study findings and significant savings associated with various mitigation measures. Comm. N `�� 'I V Ref. To: I Rku 4 County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Ref. Date JUL Z 1 2021 Adopting the latest building code requirements is affordable and saves $11 per $1 invested. Building codes have greatly improved society's disaster resilience, while adding only about 1% to construction costs relative to 1990 standards. The greatest benefits accrue to communities using the most recent code editions. Above-code design could save $4 per$1 cost. Building codes set minimum requirements to protect life safety. Stricter requirements can cost-effectively boost life safety and speed functional recovery. The full report can be found at: https://www.nibs.org/projects/natural-hazard-mitigation-saves-2019-report If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Department of Public Works at 961-8321. Steven Ikaika Rodenhurst, P.E. Director Enc. County of Hawaii is an Equal Opporhinity Provider and Employer. National Institute of BUILDINGInnovotive Solutions for the Built Environment Mitigation Saves: Mitigation Saves up to $13 per $1 Invested EVERY AMERICAN FACES NATURAL HAZARDS,AND THE -Adopting the latest building code requirements is affordable RISK IS GROWING and saves $11 per$1 invested. Building codes have greatly mproved society's disaster resilience, while adding only U S �isasthr 1---,s-,s from wind, floo-.s, :-arthq nl«s, and fins about 1% to construction costs relative to 1990 standards, now average $100 billion per year, and in 2017 exceeded The grea-est be-efia accrue t__ co-,muni.ies usnc the most $300 billion-25% of the $1.3 trillion building value put in recent code editions. place Ilial yea . Fui_unalely, lh_ie are atfo dable and highly cost-effective stra-egies =hat policy-akers, _-ud_-i-g owners, -Above-code design could save $4 per $1 cost. Building and the building industry can deploy to reduce these impacts. codes set minimum requirements to protect life safety.Stricter These strategies include adopting and strengthening building requirements can cost-effect vely boost life ssfety and speed codes, upgrading existing buildings, and improving utilities functional recovery. and transportation systems.The benefits and costs associated with these -,itigat cn measures have been identified:hioug- *Private-sector building retrofits could save $4 per$1 cost. the –ost exhaustive bene-i.---ost a-alysis o- natural hazard The country could efficiently invest over $500 billion to mitigation to date and documented in Natural Hazard Mitigation upgrade residences with 15 measures considered here,saving Saves.The study was funded by three federal agencies and foul more than $2 trillion. private-sector sponsors and produced by the National Institute .Lifeline retrofit saves$4 per$1 cost. Society relies on tele of Building Sciences–the nation's Congressionally chartered communications, roads,power,water,and other lifelines.Case convener of experts from the building professions, industry, studies show that upgrading lifelines to better resist disasters labor,consumer interests,and government. For the�epo��I and helps our economy and society. accompanying fact sheets,see wwv✓.nibs.orc s. This fact sh=et summai_es the study findings and sig-ificant .Federal grants save$6 per$1 cost.Public-sector investment savings associated with various mitigation measures. in mitigation since 1995 by FEMA, FDA, and HUD cost the country$27 billion but will ultimately save$160 billion,meaning $6 saved per $1 invested. ADOPT ABOVE BUILDING LIFELINE FEDERAL CODE CODE RETROFIT RETROFIT GRANTS Overall Benefit-Cost Ratio 11:1 4:1 4:1 4:1 6:1 Cost($billion) stn ear s4 year 1520 10.6 127 Benefit($billion) $13/year 116/year ,12200 12.5 i 1160 FloodRiverine �• Hurricanenot no' not Surge applicable 7:1 applicable .,plZable applicable Earthquake Wildilland-Urban Interface Fire Copyright®2019 The Nabonal Instltute otBuilding Sciences TABLE 1.Nationwide average benefit-cost ratio by hazard and mitigation measure.BCRs can vary geographically and can be much higher in some places.Find more details in the report. nilli/mitigationsaves Mitigation Saves: Mitigation is Affordable and Saves up to $13 per $1 Invested THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BETTER PROTECT SOCIETY be cost effective to build t-e first floor up tc 1-- -eet above FROM NATURAL DISASTERS base flood elevation, n some daces saving more -han S12 NIBS has updated and expandea its groundbreaking 2005 per$1 of added cost. study for the U.S. Congress on the cost-effectiveness of -Building along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts to comply with natural-hazard mitigation. The new study examines more IBHS FORTIFIED Home requirements would cost $720 mil- approaches to mitigation, beyond the federally funded retro- I cn, but save $3.3 bllion ser year, with so-e benefit-ccs- fit measur:s co-s clered In the first stucy. Other fact sheets ratios over 16:1. summarize these big takeaways: •New buildings in earthquake country could be made 3 times strong-r an7 stiffer than and cost less in the long ru-: Adopting and enforcing current building codes is among the $4.3 billion saved for$1.2 billion cost.Some places save more most efficient ways to build a resilient society. than $8 per$1 invested. -The home of Pamela and Warren Adams in Gilchrist, Texas, -In 10,000 census blocks across the country, adopting the survived Hurricane Ike in 2008 because it complied with code International Wildland-Urban Interface Code would cost$800 requirements for elevation. Neighbors with noncompliant million per year and save$3 billion,with some places saving homes lost everything. over $6 per$1 invested. •Butdi, g 1 luu_ abuve the 1 .0-yc_r Iluud el-va-iun is cost eflec_l add!- g .my SOU million of c.,ns:i uctiun cost per The nation could invest over$500 billion to retrofit existing year for new construction,while saving$550 million,a 6-to-1 buildings but save over$2.2 trillion. benefit-cost ratio. •An-euser-Busch spen= $11 mill on to etrofit its Van Nuys, •Building-code hurricane requirements save an average of California breweryjust before the 1994 Northridge earthquake $10 per $1 of added cost ($5.6 billion saved for an annual and saved $2 billion, while protecting its market share and investment of$540 '-illion;,with benefit-cost ratios that reach employees. as high as 30 to 1. •Mur= than 1 "'illi-in uldei huuses Mand in the 1UU-yea_ "uud- •Enhanced earthquake design requirement over the last 30 plain. Buyouts, eleva-ion projects, and other retrofi_s souls years save$7 billion per year of new construction while only save society$1.3 trillion at a cost of$230 billion—$6 saved adding $600 million per year in construction cost,with ben- per$1 invested. efit-cost ratios that in some places reach as high as 32 to 1. •Private-sector re-rofits for hurl --ane csuld save society$"40 bill on at a cost of $24 bill cn—a 6:1 benefit-cost raJo f-o- Model codes make buildings safe, but above-code design retrofitti-g 3 m lllcn single-fpm ly dwellings and 130,000 -,an- can reduce both damage and long-term costs. ufactured homes. -Paul Jackson of Mexico Beach, Florida, built his home to •Sets- c retrofits could scve 5330 billion at a cost of $25 comply with the higher requirements of IBHS FORTIFIED bill on by fixing soft-st ry swellings, adding engineered-ie- Home. His home survived Hurricane Michael. Those of his down systems to manufactured homes,and several low-cost neighbors didn't. nonstructural measures. •B-ildings in riverine fioodplafns soul_ cost-e--estively b:built -it would save $430 billion to make 2.5 million homes in the with up to 5 feet of freeboard rather than 1 foot, saving $4.2 wildiand-urban interface comply with the 2018 International billion in avoided future losses at a cost of $900 million, a Wildland-Urban Interface Code. It would cost between $53 savings of 5 to 1. h lllnn an-$i4()hillion t-d-so,sn-hP natinnwide hP-Pfit-cnst -In most coastal locations subject to hurricane surge, it can ratio could be as high as 8:1 or conservatively 2:1 nibs.org/mitigationsaves 2 Mitigation Saves: Mitigation is Affordable and Saves up to $13 per $1 Invested Retrofitting lifelines protects the whole economy,saving up to $31 per$1 invested. •A grant to Greenville Utilities of North Carolina was used ,. io raise a by m and floodwall aro_-: its water -r--atment -- .d plSnt, prote---ing it from more ths_n 3 feet of flooding dui nc _ -I Hurricane Matthew in 2016. -Activities that enhance resilience of water and wastewater facilities, electric utility substations, roads and railways, and cnm--uni-.atinns Pquihmen- yielded hPnnfi--cn5- ratios as FIGURE 2.Should we ignore,fix,or demolish thousands of vulnerable high as 31 to 1. concrete and steel-frame buildings in earthquake country? Federal grants saved$160 billion and cost$27 billion,a 6:1 _ _ _ _ _ ratio,with savings in each state. _ _ _ _•i _ •F3uynuts af-erthe'99 MidwPstflnods h-ought.-PnpIP of mind and protection. •A variety of federal mitigation grants to make public buildings be-ter resist floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes save the federal treasury almost$1 billion annually. • FIGURE 3.Should utilities and transportation infrastructure be MUCH REMAINS UNKNOWN ABOUT POTENTIALLY designed to remain functional rather than merely not kill people? VALUABLE MITIGATION MEASURES No study provides all the answers. Figures 1-5 illustrate open questions about high-risk commercial buildings, business y> continuity plans,stricter lifeline design,warning systems, and " protecting vulnerable populations. R281 10 mph Many more questions beg for answers that could save the � ` ► nation billions of dollars and thousands of lives: •What shall we do about tens Of thousands of elevators that `' lack emergency power, and could trap OCCupants for days FIGURE 4.Government warning systems can provide hours or days of after a big earthquake? advanced warning.Does it make sense to cut their budget? J j _. t ar :it""t FIGURE 1.Continuity plans can make the difference between business FIGURE 5.Disasters hit disadvantaged populations harder.How can survival and bankruptcy.What is their benefit-cost ratio? benefit-cost analyses better account for that? nibs.org/mitigationsaves 3 Mitigation Saves: Mitigation is Affordable and Saves up to $13 per $1 Invested •Would it make sense to repair damaged buildings and infra- •How can the people who b:nefi- from mitigation without structure to current or above-code levels? paying for it fairly incentivize owners to improve new and -How broadly does design or upgrade to meet or exceed existing buildings? code levels improve resale value? -How can we best teach ordinary people about mitigation -What a-= t-e most =ffordable, cost-effective measures -or and resilience? improving schools and other critical facilities? -Does the Fsderal Office J M�__nagement and Budget(OMB) NIBS hopes to answer these questions and more, in further- statutory discount rate of 7% make economic and ethical ante of its mission to resolve present and future problems and sense? t= p omote the ccnsti_ction o-safe, affordacle stuct ies for housing,commerce,and industry throughout the United States. -Does OMB's valuation of mitigation measures accurately To help NIBS do that, please contact Jiqiu (JO)Yuan,jyuan@ capture their benefit to the U.S. goverment? nibs.org, Executive Director of the Multihazard Mitigation •How can the economic analysis tools used by the Congressional Council and Building Seismic Safety Council,National Institute Budget Office (CBO) Joint Commi-tee on Taxation (JCT; be of Building Sciences. Visit nibs.org to learn more about how improved to adequately estimate-uture benefits cf mitigation? NIBS helps to advance building sciences and technology for the benefit of the nation. •How cos-effective is i-cremen-al reh=bilnation:st-eng-heninc: buildings during normal maintenance? -How can code clevelcpeis estimate the benefits of new requirements when they consider adopting them? nibs.org/mitigationsaves 4