Get ready for the next disaster now!
Much has been discussed about John Boyle’s and Victoria Ifatusin’s Sept. 17 detailed review of the Asheville floods of 1916, 2004 and 2021 published by Asheville Watchdog. It was a warning about how ill-prepared we were. Helene’s devastation started only 10 days later. The article reviewed the aging 2010 100-year flood maps, the number of buildings at risk in the 100-year flood plains (about 3,000 for Buncombe and Madison counties) and an $88 million estimate of damages that would result from a 100-year flood.
How quaint. Many experts have stated that Helene was a 1,000-year rain event.
Have we learned anything? Will the legislature and the municipalities tighten building codes, adjust zoning maps, pull development back from riverbanks, buy out structures and recreate wetlands, marshes and buffer zones? Don’t expect much: The North Carolina legislature after Helene passed Senate Bill 382, which delayed the rollout of the 2024 building code by six months (Section 1F.3(b)) and appropriated $250,000 for legal fees (Section 2.E.2) to fight new rules specifically designed to protect fragile coastal habitats (according to NC Newsline Dec. 19). N.C. Republicans have been fighting for developers and the Home Builders Association for years, weakening any measures that would have reduced the devastation and loss of life from Helene (Christopher Flavelle, The New York Times, Oct. 3).
While we fight battles over floor elevation, building in floodplains or on steep slopes, can we look to Los Angeles and project that the next disaster might be fire? When driving around town, all I see on the ground is fuel. And houses packed together. “Home hardening” helps protect your home from catching fire from embers or keeps fuel away from your house. Recommendations include changes to roofs, siding, decks, eaves, doors and windows. “Fortified” home standards guide changes to bracing, connections and many technical details. It is designed to protect against high winds, hail and rain.
Homeowners need support to implement these upgrades. Developers and builders need to be incentivized or required to implement them. And we buyers need to be informed to demand them from sellers and advocate they be included in code and zoning regulations.
Using our tax dollars to weaken codes and regulations seems foolish, doesn’t it? If we don’t fix this, Mother Nature and the insurance industry will do it for us!
— David Dixon
Asheville
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