There are two types of flood-proofing—dry and wet. The design intent of dry flood-proofing is to allow flood waters to enter and exit the structure freely and allow the waters to rise and fall evenly inside the structure in the same rate and manner they rise and fall on the outside.
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As a direct outgrowth of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) P-361, Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms, and the International Code Council (ICC) 500, Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters, rolling doors are one step in the battle to protect critical infrastructure from extreme weather events.
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This year is shaping up to be a record-breaking one for tornadoes and severe weather. In just the first nine months, nearly 1300 tornadoes swept across the country. Since 2009, the International Building Code (IBC) has included standards for tornado shelters. However, not until the 2015 edition did it require certain buildings in tornado-prone areas to take additional precautionary measures. New K–12 facilities with occupant loads of 50 or more, as well as critical emergency operations, are among the structures that are now required to include a storm shelter if they reside in a 402-km/hr (250-mph) wind speed zone.
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Safe rooms are specially designed structures that offer an enclosed space for people to seek refuge in the event of extreme weather, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. These structures are designed to provide what the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) considers to be “near-absolute protection”—a term describing the level of protection necessary to significantly lower chances of people within the room suffering injury or death.
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