NIST Resilience Initiative Visiting Committee on 

Advanced Technology

February 6, 2014

Stephen A. Cauffman

Lead, Disaster Resilience

Materials and Structural Systems Division

Engineering Laboratory
NIST Program to Develop Disaster 

Resilience Framework and Model Resilience 

Guidelines

• Natural and man-made disasters cause an estimated $57B in 

average annual costs.

• Large single events can cause losses exceeding $100B.

• Current approach of response and rebuilding is impractical 

and inefficient for dealing with natural disasters. 

• A resilience-based approach will provide the framework and 

guidance needed to enable communities to resist, respond to, 

and recover from hazard events more rapidly and at lower 

cost.

• The NIST program will develop a Disaster Resilience 

Framework 1.0 and Model Resilience Guidelines for critical 

buildings and infrastructure lifelines.
EL Core Competencies Relating to 

Disaster Resilience

• Fire modeling and prediction at the building and 

community scale

• Firefighting strategy and tactics at the building and 

community scale

• Hazard analysis

• Structural modeling and prediction under wind, 

earthquake, and fire loads

• Wind/storm surge load characterization

• Service life prediction of materials 
Statutory Authorities

• National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program

– Established by Public Law (PL) 95-124, the Earthquake Hazards 

Reduction Act of 1977

– Reauthorized in 2004 (PL 108-360); NIST named lead agency

• Disaster and Failure Studies

– NCST Act (2002): building failures, evacuation, and emergency 

response procedures

– NIST Act (1985): structural investigations

– Fire Prevention and Control Act (1974): fire investigations

– NEHRP Reauthorization Act (1990): earthquakes

• National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

– Created by the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (PL 

108-360)

– Support R&D to improve building codes and standards and practices for 

design and construction of buildings, structures, and lifelines
Community Needs Drive Functional 

Requirements for Buildings and 

Infrastructure

Functional

Requirements

Business

Government

Citizens

Industry

Transportation Energy

Structures

Water

Communications
Community Resilience for the Built Environment

• Performance 

Goals

• Mitigation

• Response 

• Recovery

• Natural 

hazards

• Manmade 

hazards

• Degradation

• Climate 

change
NIST Program on Resilience for Critical 

Buildings and Infrastructure Lifelines

Through the FY 2013 initiative, NIST will provide the measurement science 

and convener role to:

• Convene highly diverse stakeholder interests across all hazards to:

– Develop a comprehensive Disaster Resilience Framework for achieving community 

resilience that considers the technical interdependence of the community's physical 

and human assets, operations, and policies/regulations

– Develop Model Resilience Guidelines for critical buildings and infrastructure lifelines 

essential to community resilience based on existing model standards, codes, and 

best practices

Program included in President’s Climate Action Plan

• Deliver Disaster Resilience Framework 1.0 

• Convene Disaster Resilience Standards Panel
Disaster Resilience Framework 1.0

• The Disaster Resilience Framework 1.0 will focus on the 

role that buildings and infrastructure lifelines play in 

ensuring community resilience.

• The Framework will:

– Establish overall performance goals

– Identify existing standards, codes, and best practices to enhance 

resilience

– Identify gaps that must be addressed to enhance resilience

– Capture regional differences in perspective on resilience
NIST Technical Team

• Lean NIST program team 

– Resilience Lead/Program Manager

– Research Engineer/Buildings and Infrastructure Lifelines 

– Social Scientist

– Administrative Support

• Resilience “Tiger Team”

– Access NIST expertise to provide advice 

– Provides for alignment of existing programs related to disaster 

resilience to achieve broader resilience goals

• Technical and Administrative Support Contractor

– Applied Research Associates

– Technical support to draft Disaster Resilience Framework and conduct 

regional workshops

– Administrative and logistical support to organize and hold workshops
Federal Stakeholder Engagement is Critical

• Coordinate and collaborate with Federal agency partners 

• Federal stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

– Executive Office of the President (National Security Staff, OSTP, NSTC)

– Department of Homeland Security

– Department of Commerce

– Department of Defense

– Environmental Protection Agency

– U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

– Department of Energy

– Department of Health and Human Services

– Department of Housing and Urban Development

– Department of Transportation 

– U.S. Geological Survey

– National Science Foundation
... As is External Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage the external stakeholder community through a series of 

regional workshops

• External stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

– Codes and standards organizations

– State, local, and regional officials

– Insurance/re-insurance industry

– Architects

– Engineers

– Utility operators

– Urban planners

– Industry

– Emergency managers

– Relief organizations

– Regulators
Technical Approach

• NIST will draft Disaster Resilience Framework 1.0

• Gather input for the Disaster Resilience Framework 1.0 

through a series of quarterly regional workshops to 

gather input and refine Disaster Resilience Framework

• First workshop to be held in Washington, DC in MarchApril 2014

• Deliver Disaster Resilience Framework in 18 months

• Form a Disaster Resilience Standards Panel (DRSP) 

using the Disaster Resilience Framework 1.0 as a 

starting point
Disaster Resilience Standards Panel

• The Disaster Resilience Standards Panel (DRSP) will be modeled 

after the approach used for the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel 

• The (DRSP) will be formed to represent:

– The broad interests of the stakeholder community with respect to 

disaster resilience

– The regional variations in perspectives on disaster resilience

• The DRSP will: 

– be open to all interested participants

– have a governing board of 10-15 members

• The DRSP is intended be a self-governing entity

• The DRSP will lead development of:

– Disaster Resilience Framework 2.0

– Model Resilience Guidelines
Resilience Strategies for the Built 

Environment – Scale-Up

• With new funding in FY 2014, NIST will develop 

science-based tools for:

– resilience assessment of critical buildings and 

infrastructure lifelines

– evaluating options for enhancing resilience in the 

short, medium, and long term at the community scale 
NIST Contacts

Mr. Stephen Cauffman

Engineering Laboratory Lead for Disaster Resilience

E-Mail: stephen.cauffman@nist.gov

Phone: 301-975-6051

Dr. Howard Harary

Engineering Laboratory, Acting Director

E-Mail: howard.harary@nist.gov

Phone: 301-975-3401
Questions?