View all text of Chapter 148 [§ 15701 - § 15707]
§ 15703. National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program
(a) Establishment
(b) Responsibilities of Program agencies
(1) Lead agencyThe National Institute of Standards and Technology shall have the primary responsibility for planning and coordinating the Program. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director shall—
(A) ensure that the Program includes the necessary components to promote the implementation of windstorm risk reduction measures by Federal, State, and local governments, national standards and model building code organizations, architects and engineers, and others with a role in planning and constructing buildings and lifelines;
(B) support the development of performance-based engineering tools, and work with appropriate groups to promote the commercial application of such tools, including through wind-related model building codes, voluntary standards, and construction best practices;
(C) request the assistance of Federal agencies other than the Program agencies, as necessary to assist in carrying out this chapter;
(D) coordinate all Federal post-windstorm investigations to the extent practicable; and
(E) when warranted by research or investigative findings, issue recommendations to assist in informing the development of model codes, and provide information to Congress on the use of such recommendations.
(2) National Institute of Standards and Technology
(3) National Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation shall support research in—
(A) engineering and the atmospheric sciences to improve the understanding of the behavior of windstorms and their impact on buildings, structures, and lifelines; and
(B) economic and social factors influencing windstorm risk reduction measures.
(4) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(5) Federal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency shall—
(A) support—
(i) the development of risk assessment tools and effective mitigation techniques;
(ii) windstorm-related data collection and analysis;
(iii) public outreach and information dissemination; and
(iv) promotion of the adoption of windstorm preparedness and mitigation measures, including for households, businesses, and communities, consistent with the Agency’s all-hazards approach; and
(B) work closely with national standards and model building code organizations, in conjunction with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to promote the implementation of research results and promote better building practices within the building design and construction industry, including architects, engineers, contractors, builders, and inspectors.
(c) Program components
(1) In general
(2) Understanding of windstorms
(3) Windstorm impact assessmentActivities to improve windstorm impact assessment shall include—
(A) development of mechanisms for collecting and inventorying information on the performance of buildings, structures, and infrastructure in windstorms and improved collection of pertinent information from sources, including the design and construction industry, insurance companies, and building officials;
(B) research, development, and technology transfer to improve loss estimation and risk assessment systems; and
(C) research, development, and technology transfer to improve simulation and computational modeling of windstorm impacts.
(4) Windstorm impact reductionActivities to reduce windstorm impacts shall include—
(A) development of improved outreach and implementation mechanisms to translate existing information and research findings into cost-effective and affordable practices for design and construction professionals, and State and local officials;
(B) development of cost-effective and affordable windstorm-resistant systems, structures, and materials for use in new construction and retrofit of existing construction; and
(C) outreach and information dissemination related to cost-effective and affordable construction techniques, loss estimation and risk assessment methodologies, and other pertinent information regarding windstorm phenomena to Federal, State, and local officials, the construction industry, and the general public.
(d) Budget activities
(e) Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction
(1) Establishment
(2) MembershipIn addition to the chair, the Committee shall be composed of—
(A) the heads or such designees of—
(i) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(iii) the National Science Foundation;
(iv) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and
(v) the Office of Management and Budget; and
(B) the head of any other Federal agency, or such designee, the chair considers appropriate.
(3) Meetings
(4) General purpose and duties
(5) Strategic planThe Committee shall develop and submit to Congress, not later than 1 year after September 30, 2015, a Strategic Plan for the Program that includes—
(A) prioritized goals for the Program that will mitigate against the loss of life and property from future windstorms;
(B) short-term, mid-term, and long-term research objectives to achieve those goals;
(C) a description of the role of each Program agency in achieving the prioritized goals;
(D) the methods by which progress towards the goals will be assessed; and
(E) an explanation of how the Program will foster the transfer of research results into outcomes, such as improved model building codes.
(6) Progress reportNot later than 18 months after September 30, 2015, the Committee shall submit to the Congress a report on the progress of the Program that includes—
(A) a description of the activities funded under the Program, a description of how these activities align with the prioritized goals and research objectives established in the Strategic Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these activities;
(B) the outcomes achieved by the Program for each of the goals identified in the Strategic Plan;
(C) a description of any recommendations made to change existing building codes that were the result of Program activities; and
(D) a description of the extent to which the Program has incorporated recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction.
(7) Coordinated budget
(Pub. L. 108–360, title II, § 204, Oct. 25, 2004, 118 Stat. 1676; Pub. L. 114–52, § 3, Sept. 30, 2015, 129 Stat. 496.)