How Innovation Can Help Greer Businesses and Residents Recover from Storms and Floods Faster

5/8/2018 (Permalink)

Freeboard is a voluntary increase in the height of new construction or substantial damage requiring elevation adopted by a community. (FEMA)

The weather in the Upstate can provide us with amazingly beautiful days, and sometimes it can leave us in a bit of a bind. Our area’s location at the base of the foothills is mostly protected from harsh winter weather that comes in from the northwest by the mountains. But a significant portion of our rain events can come from the southwest and are not blocked, and some unfortunate storm events come from the east and are then held in our area by the same mountains that shelter us from the snow and ice. When a storm system is held over our area, high rainfall totals can cause the many creeks, rivers, and lakes in Greer and Greenville to rise and waters to flood. Roads are impassable, bridges swept away, homes and businesses are damaged.

Week 2 of National Building Safety Month’s theme is Advancing Resilient Communities Though Science & Technology. Here is some general information about an innovation designed to help limit the negative impacts of water damage.

What is Freeboard

Weather control technology is (fingers crossed) decades away, but innovations and advancements have been made to limit the damage and reduce recovery time and cost. One such innovation is using a process called “Freeboard” to elevate a structures lowest floor 1 to 3 feet above predicted flood levels for a given area. In most instances, the cost of incorporating Freeboard into building a new structure or renovation of an existing structure can be offset by the reduction of premiums. *It is critical to consult with a licensed insurance professional to discuss if Freeboard will have an impact on premiums.*

Benefits of Freeboard

• Increased protection from floods and storms. Storm waters can and do rise higher than shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Freeboard helps protect buildings from storms larger than those that FIRMs are based on and provides an added margin of safety to address the flood modeling and mapping uncertainties associated with FIRMs.
• Greatly reduced flood insurance premiums. Recognizing that freeboard reduces flood risk, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, which administers the NFIP) provides substantial (sometimes more than 50 percent) reductions in flood insurance premiums for structures incorporating freeboard. These savings can rapidly accumulate, especially over the life of a normal mortgage.

• Codes are cost-effective, too. A study for FEMA done by the National Institute of Building Sciences’ Multihazard Mitigation Council showed that for every dollar spent on mitigation efforts like adopting current codes, four dollars were saved in post-disaster relief costs.

 Who Can Benefit from Freeboard

• Homeowners- Whether or not you live in the house year-round, having it elevated increases the chances that it will weather storms safely, decreasing your worry and protecting your investment. If you’re building a new home or doing a renovation, ask your builder/designer about incorporating freeboard.
• Builders/contractors- Freeboard provides a competitive edge over other builders, allowing you to market the benefits of reduced flood insurance and flood risk to potential buyers. When doing retrofits (especially those requiring bringing structures up to current NFIP standards), explain the benefits of freeboard to your clients.
• Municipalities- When constructing new municipal buildings (schools, fire stations, etc.) use freeboard as a means of saving tax dollars. Encourage all new construction in your community to include freeboard.
• Businesses- Freeboard helps: protect your buildings, important records, and inventory from flooding; drastically decrease your recovery/clean-up time after the storms, and potentially save your business. The Institute for Business and Home Safety reports that more than 25 percent of businesses that close due to storm damage never reopen.

Information provided by Mass.gov

For more information about Freeboard contact your licensed insurance professional. If your home or business has been impacted by a flood or rain event, SERVPRO of East Greenville County can assist you with water damage repair and restoration or mold remediation and restoration.