NATIONAL WINDSTORM 

IMPACT REDUCTION PROGRAM

BIENNIAL PROGRESS REPORT TO CONGRESS

FOR FISCAL YEARS 2015 AND 2016
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This progress report for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) is 

submitted to Congress by the Interagency Coordinating Committee of NWIRP, as required by 

the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-360, Title II), as 

amended by the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 (Public Law 

114-52). 

Interagency Coordinating Committee

Dr. Walter G. Copan - Chair 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Dr. John Cortinas

Director

Office of Weather and Air Quality

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

Dr. Barry Johnson

Acting Assistant Director

Engineering Directorate

National Science Foundation

Mr. Michael Kratsios 

Deputy Assistant to the President, and 

Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer

Executive Office of the President

Mr. Mick Mulvaney

Director 

Office of Management and Budget 

Executive Office of the President

Mr. John Murphy

Chief Operating Officer

National Weather Service 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

Mr. David Maurstaud

Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Insurance and Mitigation 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
NWIRP Windstorm Working Group

Staff

Marc Levitan 

Acting Director

National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Stephen Potts

Program and Management Analyst

National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Members

Jason Averill

Dana Bres

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Harold Bosch Federal Highway Administration

DaNa Carlis National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Sharon Jasim-Hanif Department of Energy

Edward Laatsch Federal Emergency Management Agency

Chungu Lu National Science Foundation

Ted Mansell National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Jacqueline Meszaros Office of Science and Technology Policy 

Shirley Murillo National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Robert O’Connor National Science Foundation

Joy Pauschke National Science Foundation

Long Phan

Lori Schultz 

Michael Uhart

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Ty Wamsley U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Jonathan Westcott Federal Emergency Management Agency 
Table of Contents

Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................................iv

1. Background...........................................................................................................................................1

1.1. Program Legislation and History ..................................................................................................1

1.2. Structure of the Progress Report ...................................................................................................2

2. Windstorms and Their Impacts in 2015 and 2016 ................................................................................3

3. Program Leadership, Management and Coordination ..........................................................................7

3.1. Windstorm Working Group ..........................................................................................................7

3.2. Interagency Coordinating Committee...........................................................................................8

3.2.1. Strategic Plan ........................................................................................................................8

3.2.2. Coordinated Budget ............................................................................................................10

3.3. National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction...............................................10

3.4. NIST Lead Agency Activities.....................................................................................................11

3.4.1. Support for Performance-Based Engineering .....................................................................11

3.4.2. Coordination of Federal Post-Windstorm Investigations....................................................11

3.4.3. Recommendations for Model Codes...................................................................................12

4. Progress in Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016 .............................................................................................13

4.1. Strategic Priorities.......................................................................................................................13

4.2. Objectives ...................................................................................................................................20

5. Outcomes Achieved............................................................................................................................36

5.1. Strategic Goals............................................................................................................................37

5.2. Changes to Model Building Codes and National Standards.......................................................39

5.3. The Path Forward........................................................................................................................44

Appendix A: Acronyms..............................................................................................................................45

Appendix B: NWIRP Agency Statutory Responsibilities...........................................................................47

Appendix C: NWIRP Coordinated Budget.................................................................................................50
1

1. Background

Severe windstorms cause significant losses of life, injuries, destruction of property, and economic and 

social disruption in all states and regions. In recognition of this loss and dispruption, combined with ever

increasing vulnerability due to rapid development and population growth in high risk areas, Congress 

established a coordinated federal-agency effort in 2004 – known as the National Windstorm Impact 

Reduction Program – to accomplish significant reductions in windstorm-related losses of life and 

property. Improved windstorm impact reduction measures requires a multidisciplinary approach based on 

atmospheric-related research to better understand the behavior and impact of windstorms on the built 

environment, engineering research on improving new structures and retrofitting existing ones to better 

withstand windstorms, and social sciences research to understand economic and social factors influencing 

windstorm risk reduction measures. This approach has the potential to reduce these losses through: 

improved data collection and analysis and impact prediction methodologies; cost-effective and affordable 

design and construction methods and practices; effective mitigation programs at the local, state, and 

national level; and public education and outreach.

1.1. Program Legislation and History

The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP or Program) was established by 

Congress through the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act (NWIRA) in 2004 to achieve “major 

measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms through a coordinated federal 

effort, in cooperation with other levels of government, academia, and the private sector, aimed at 

improving the understanding of windstorms and their impacts and developing and encouraging 

implementation of cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce those impacts.”1

 

The Program consists of three components: 

• Understanding of Windstorms; 

• Assessing Windstorm Impact; and

• Reducing Windstorm Impact. 

The Program agencies are the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), each having defined responsibilities in research, development 

and/or implementation. Program leadership was provided by the Office of Science and Technology 

Policy (OSTP).

Following passage of the NWIRA in 2004, OSTP established, within the structure of the National Science

and Technology Council (NSTC), an interagency Windstorm Working Group (WWG) of the Committee 

on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (SDR). The 

WWG consists of the NSF, NOAA, NIST, and FEMA, and at the Director’s discretion, the Federal 

Highway Administration (FHWA), and the group serves to coordinate activities in furtherance of the 

Program’s objectives. 

 1 Public Law 108-360 Title II - Windstorm Impact Reduction Act. https://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ360/PLAW108publ360.htm
2

As an initial step, in 2006, the working group developed the Windstorm Impact Reduction 

Implementation Plan,

2 which identified research activities needed to improve windstorm hazard 

mitigation. The plan served as a guide for the federal agencies to coordinate new and existing research to 

fill gaps in understanding, predicting, and forecasting windstorms. Building on that plan in a subsequent 

and related effort, and as part of a broader undertaking by the NSTC and SDR to identify and prioritize 

the federal investments in science and technology needed to reduce future disaster losses, the NWIRP 

agencies contributed expertise to the development of a series of 15 implementation plans which, in 

addition to addressing other hazards, articulated necessary steps for reducing windstorm impacts. This 

series includes plans that prescribe specific science and technology actions that inform and support 

mitigating impacts of hurricane and tornado hazards, as well as the coastal inundation and flood hazards 

which hurricanes and other windstorms often produce. These plans, published in 2008, include the Grand

Challenges for Disaster Reduction Implementation Plans3 for Hurricane, Tornado, Coastal Inundation, 

and Flood.

NWIRP activities from Fiscal Years 2005 through 2014 have been documented in a series of biennial 

reports to Congress.4,5,6 NWIRP research, development, and implementation actions in a number of areas

have reduced the impact of windstorms to lives and property. Highlights of these successes are also

included in the biennial reports.

The Program was reauthorized at the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015.

7 The FY 2015 reauthorization moved 

the lead agency function to NIST and provided updated responsibilities for the four Program Agencies 

(see Appendix B). It additionally called for creation of an Interagency Coordinating Committee, 

comprised of the Directors (or their designees) of the four Program agencies, OSTP, and the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), with the Director of NIST as the Chair. The Interagency Coordinating 

Committee is responsible for planning and coordinating the Program, including development of a 

strategic plan. The Interagency Coordinating Committee also has reporting requirements, including 

submission of annual coordinated budgets for the Program, and reporting NWIRP progress to Congress.

1.2. Structure of the Progress Report 

Section 1: An overview of the Program legislation and a brief history of NWIRP.

 2 Windstorm Impact Reduction Implementation Plan, National Science and Technology Council, 2006. 

http://www.sdr.gov/docs/Windstorm%20Impact%20Reduction%20Implementation%20Plan%20FINAL.pdf

3 Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction and Hazard-specific Implementation Plans. National Science and Technology 

Council, 2008. http://www.sdr.gov/grandchallenges.html 4 National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program Biennial Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014. National Science 

and Technology Council. https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/el/nwirp/NWIRP-FY2013-2014-Biennial-Report-toCongress-2.pdf 5 National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program Biennial Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012. National Science 

and Technology Council. https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/el/nwirp/NWIRP-FY2011-2012-Biennial-Report-toCongress.pdf. (Note – activities for Fiscal Years 2007-2010 are included in appendices).

6 Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, Biennial Progress Report for Fiscal Years 2005-2006. National Science and 

Technology Council. https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/el/nwirp/NWIRP-FY2005-2006-Biennial-Report-toCongress.pdf

7 Public Law 114-52: National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015. 

https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ52/PLAW-114publ52.pdf
3

Section 2: Provides a short description of windstorms occurring during calendar years 2015 and 20168

and their impacts on the loss of life and property. 

Section 3: Describes program leadership and coordination, including development of the NWIRP 

Strategic Plan.

Section 4: Summaries of the major research, development, and implementation activities conducted by 

the program agencies, including collaborative activities with academia and the private sector. These 

activities are mapped to the Strategic Priorities and Objectives of the NWIRP Strategic Plan. Consistent 

with previous NWIRP reports to Congress, the descriptions focus on activities that have taken place 

during the past biennial period, in this case FYs 2015 and 2016 (also referred to in this document as the 

“reporting period”). Longer term projects also include brief descriptions of prior years’ activities to 

provide context. 

Section 5: Summarizes the outcomes achieved for each of three Strategic Goals, as well as a description 

of the path forward.

2. Windstorms and Their Impacts in 2015 and 2016

Each year, severe windstorms (such as hurricanes and tornadoes) and severe thunderstorms are among the 

most destructive and economically-damaging hazards that affect the United States, claiming many lives, 

causing even more injuries, and resulting in billions of dollars in damages to property. The years 2015 

and 2016 were no exception.

There were 1,257 tornadoes in 2015, according to the Storm Prediction Center.9

 Tornadoes claimed 36 

lives and caused 924 injuries.10 The locations of these tornadoes are mapped in Figure 1. Thunderstorms

and other high wind events claimed 65 lives and caused 221 injuries.11 The 2015 season for hurricane 

activity in the Atlantic basin included 11 tropical storms, four of which became hurricanes, and two

reached major hurricane strength (Category 3 or higher).12 Most of the season’s hurricanes remained well 

east of the United States east coast, although Tropical Storm Ana made landfall in South Carolina — the 

earliest U.S. hurricane making landfall on record — and Tropical Storm Bill made landfall along the 

central Texas coast. In total, windstorms that struck the United States in calendar year 2015 claimed 117

lives and injured 1,215 people.13 

 8 The summary of storm activities is provided for calendar years 2015 and 2016, rather than Fiscal Years referred to elsewhere in 

this report, consistent with how storm and loss data are typically available.

9 NOAA Annual Trends in Local Storm Reports-Tornadoes: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/2015/torngraph-big.png

10 Summary of Natural Hazard Statistics for 2015 in the United States 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/sum15.pdf

11 Data Source: NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Summary of Natural Hazard Statistics for 2015 in the United States. 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/sum15.pdf

12 National Hurricane Center Annual Summary – 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season. 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/summary_atlc_2015.pdf

13Data Source: NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Summary of Natural Hazard Statistics for 2015 in the United States. 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/sum15.pdf
4

Figure 1. Tornadoes Occurring in 2015. Source: National Centers for Environmental Information, 

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/tornadoes/201513.

In 2016, there were 1,059 tornadoes and 13,578 reported wind events.14 Figure 2 shows the locations 

where wind damage was reported as a result of severe weather. For the 2016 hurricane season, 15 named 

storms formed, seven of which became hurricanes, and three became major hurricanes. The number of 

named storms and hurricanes in 2016 was above the long-term averages of 12 and six per year, 

respectively. U.S. landfalling tropical cyclones included Tropical Storms Bonnie, Colin and Julia, and 

Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew. In total, windstorms that struck the United States in calendar year 

2016 claimed 76 lives and injured 558 people.15 

 14 NOAA Storm Prediction Center Annual Severe Weather Report Summary.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/2016_annual_summary.html#

15 Data Source: NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Summary of Natural Hazard Statistics for 2016 in the United States. 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/sum16.pdf
5

Figure 2. Wind Damage Reports Occurring in 2016.11 Excludes damage from tropical cyclones.

One of the worst tornado events during this reporting period was the multi-state tornado outbreak which 

began on December 23, 2015. Tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service (NWS) on each 

day from December 21 to December 27. The seven-day streak now represents the most consecutive 

tornado days on record in the month of December.

16 On December 24, seven tornadoes were reported to 

the NWS, along with nine reports of high winds.17 On December 25, another seven tornado reports (with 

injuries) were filed across Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.18 Then on December 26, the deadliest 

outbreak of the month ripped through northeast Texas in the dark. The event spawned nine tornadoes, 

including one with an intensity rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale of 4 (i.e., EF-4) – with estimated 

winds of up to 180 miles per hour and a continuous damage path of 13 miles across two counties. Eleven 

 16 Washington Post “This month is now the deadliest December for tornadoes in over 60 years”. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/12/28/decembers-deadly-tornado-outbreaks-end-whatwas-almost-the-safest-year-on-record/?utm_term=.c626bf4479a7 17 Storm Prediction Center (SPC) – SPC Storm Reports for 12/24/15. 

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/event.php?date=20151224

18 Ibid.
6

people lost their lives in tornadoes that night. In all, more than 40 people died in severe weather between 

December 23-26, 2015.

19 

Hurricane Matthew was the most impactful tropical cyclone that occurred in 2015 or 2016. The storm

brought devastating flooding, strong winds, and moderate storm surge to the coast of North Carolina 

during the afternoon and evening of October 8 through the early afternoon hours of October 9. Cape 

Hatteras suffered a record six-foot storm surge.

20 River flood levels not seen since Hurricane Floyd in 

1999 caused millions of dollars of damage and multiple deaths across the eastern third of the state. North 

Carolina’s Governor at the time, Pat McCrory, said that more than 2,300 people were rescued in more 

than 600 rescue operations, eighty of which were air rescues.21 Hurricane Matthew was responsible for 

585 direct deaths, including 34 in the United States and its territories. The hurricane also resulted in an 

additional 18 indirect deaths in the United States as well as estimated $10 billion damage, mainly in the 

area from Florida to Virginia. Hurricane Matthew was the 10th most destructive hurricane to affect the 

United States.22

In addition to thousands of smaller windstorms, over the course of the two-year period from 2015 through

2016, there were 13 severe storm events and one tropical cyclone event (Hurricane Matthew) with losses 

exceeding $1 billion (CPI-adjusted) each across the United States. Figure 3 shows the states impacted by 

these billion-plus dollar disasters.

 19 Washington Post: “This month is now the deadliest December for tornadoes in over 60 years”. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/12/28/decembers-deadly-tornado-outbreaks-end-whatwas-almost-the-safest-year-on-record/?utm_term=.c626bf4479a7

20 NWS -Hurricane Matthew Summary. http://www.weather.gov/mhx/MatthewSummary

21 The Weather Channel - Hurricane Matthew Leaves 43 Dead in the U.S.; Flooding Crisis Continues in North Carolina. 

https://weather.com/news/news/hurricane-matthew-southeast-updates 22 NOAA National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report - Hurricane Matthew, April 2017. 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL142016_Matthew.pdf 
7

Figure 3. Billion-Dollar Severe Storm and Tropical Cyclone Disasters in 2015-2016, by State (CPI 

adjusted). Note: the map reflects a summation of billion-dollar events for each state affected (i.e., it does 

not mean that each state shown suffered at least $1 billion in losses for each event). Source: NOAA.23

3. Program Leadership, Management and Coordination

A change in Program leadership occurred since the last NWIRP biennial reporting period. Pursuant to 

Public Law 108-360, OSTP led NWIRP through FY 2015. Following passage of the National Windstorm 

Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 (Public Law 114-52) on September 30, 2015, NIST began 

to lead NWIRP. 

3.1. Windstorm Working Group

OSTP’s WWG was most recently chartered in May 2015 as a Working Group of NSTC’s Committee on 

Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability - Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction. 24 Its purpose 

was to “advance knowledge and policies that reduce the loss of life and property from windstorms.” The 

WWG was co-chaired by NSF and NOAA. Other members included FEMA, FHWA, and NIST. During 

FY 2015, the WWG assisted OSTP in the development of the NWIRP Biennial Report to Congress for 

 23 NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2017). 

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/ 24 Charter of the Windstorm Working Group, Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction, Committee on Environment, Natural 

Resources, and Sustainability, National Science and Technology Council. 

http://www.sdr.gov/docs/SDR%20Windstorm%20Working%20Group%20-%20Charter%20FINAL%20Website%20Version.pdf
8

FYs 2013 and 2014.25 The WWG also held a meeting in July 2015 titled, “Computational Fluid 

Dynamics (CFD): Applications for Wind Engineering and Windstorm Impact Reduction.” The meeting 

included presentations by NSF, NOAA, NIST, FEMA, and the United States Navy, followed by 

discussion of federal research and development (R&D) needs and priorities in CFD. 

With the change in leadership to NIST, the OSTP WWG was decommissioned,

26 and formal coordination 

activities between the program agencies are now handled by the new Interagency Coordinating 

Committee (see Section 3.2). To provide additional coordination at the working level, NIST formed a 

new WWG in FY 2016. In addition to the program agencies of NSF, NOAA, NIST, and FEMA, other 

federal agencies may participate. Current WWG membership also includes the Department of Energy 

(DoE), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (USACE), and a liaison member from OSTP . The WWG has been active planning the 

future of the program and documenting its activities to date, including work on the NWIRP Strategic Plan 

and this Biennial Progress Report.

3.2. Interagency Coordinating Committee 

The NWIRP Interagency Coordinating Committee oversees the planning and coordination of the 

Program. The Interagency Coordinating Committee consists of the heads or designees of FEMA, NOAA, 

NSF, OSTP, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and is chaired by the Director of NIST 

or the Director’s designee. The Interagency Coordinating Committee is charged with developing a 

Strategic Plan for NWIRP, reporting to Congress on NWIRP progress, and submitting annual coordinated 

budgets for the Program to Congress.

The NWIRP Interagency Coordinating Committee met on December 15, 2016, to review and discuss the 

following items: the draft NWIRP Strategic Plan prior to its release for public comment; NWIRP 

progress, including development of this report; and the NWIRP Coordinated Budget.

3.2.1. Strategic Plan

The NWIRP Strategic Plan (or Plan) was developed by the Program agencies and the WWG following 

review and assessment of national research needs and planning documents, and with stakeholder input 

from the NWIRP Strategic Planning Stakeholder Workshop. This Workshop, held at NSF on June 17, 

2016, was attended by over 80 participants from the public and private sectors. Participants engaged in 

11 breakout sessions and provided ideas to help shape the plan. To obtain feedback on the plan from a 

wider cross-section of the windstorm impact reduction community, a draft for public comment was 

released for a 60-day comment period on March 14, 2017. 27 

 25 National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program Biennial Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014, National 

Science and Technology Council. https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/el/nwirp/NWIRP-FY2013-2014-BiennialReport-to-Congress-2.pdf

26 The SDR WWG ceased meeting following the NWIRP Reauthorization, and terminated per its charter on March 31, 2017.

27 Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program: Draft for Public Comment. March 2017. 

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/13/strategic_plan_for_national_windstorm_impact_reduction_progra

m_-_draft_f.pdf.
9

The plan establishes three overarching, long-term Strategic Goals, with 14 associated objectives, broadly 

outlining the range of activities needed to achieve major reductions in the losses of life and property from 

windstorms. Implementation strategies and anticipated outcomes are provided for each goal. Together, 

the linked goals and objectives provide a solid foundation for windstorm impact reduction, spanning the 

range of necessary actions from basic research through implementation. 

Goal A. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards

Objective 1: Advance understanding of windstorms and associated hazards 

Objective 2: Develop tools to improve windstorm data collection and analysis 

Objective 3: Understand long term trends in windstorm frequency, intensity, and location

Objective 4: Develop tools to improve windstorm hazard assessment 

Goal B. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts on Communities

Objective 5: Advance understanding of windstorm effects on the built environment 

Objective 6: Develop computational tools for use in wind and flood modeling on buildings 

and infrastructure

Objective 7: Improve understanding of economic and social factors influencing windstorm 

risk reduction measures 

Objective 8: Develop tools to improve post-storm impact data collection, analysis, and 

archival

Objective 9: Develop advanced risk assessment and loss estimation tools 

Goal C. Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide

Objective 10: Develop tools to improve the performance of buildings and other structures in 

windstorms 

Objective 11: Support the development of windstorm-resilient standards and building codes 

Objective 12: Promote the implementation of windstorm-resilient measures 

Objective 13: Improve windstorm forecast accuracy and warning time

Objective 14: Improve storm readiness, emergency communications and response

The plan also identifies seven priority focus areas for new and enhanced efforts. These Strategic 

Priorities (SP), listed below, build upon and support elements of all 14 objectives. Strategic Priorities 

provide focused areas of foundational research critical to supporting future advances, as well as 

crosscutting themes and key opportunities for more rapid windstorm impact reduction.

SP-1: Develop Baseline Estimates of Loss of Life and Property due to Windstorms

SP-2: Obtain Measurements of Surface Winds and Storm Surge Current and Waves in Severe 

Storms

SP-3: Develop Publicly Available Databases of Windstorm Hazards and Impacts

SP-4: Develop Performance-Based Design for Windstorm Hazards
10

SP-5: Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve Windstorm Preparedness and Hazard 

Mitigation 

SP-6: Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering Strategies

SP-7: Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in Windstorm Hazard Mitigation Fields

The plan includes a mapping of each program agency’s statutory responsibilities (42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)) 

to the Strategic Plan’s Goals, Objectives, and Strategic Priorities, reproduced in this report as Appendix 

B.

The goals, objectives, Strategic Priorities, and implementation strategies of the plan will serve as 

guidelines for NWIRP efforts, but NWIRP will remain adaptable to contingencies and opportunities as 

they arise. Progress on implementation of the plan and the rate of program accomplishment will depend 

on, among other things, the resources that are available to program agencies. 

3.2.2. Coordinated Budget

The NWIRP Coordinated Budget summarizes the planned activities by each of the four program agencies 

and provides recently enacted funding levels and budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year. A copy of 

the FY 2016 Coordinated Budget submitted to Congress is provided in Appendix C. 

3.3. National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction

The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 (Public Law 114-52) calls for 

the creation of a National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction (NACWIR or 

Committee). NACWIR is charged with offering assessments and recommendations on:

• trends and developments in the natural, engineering, and social sciences and practices of 

windstorm impact mitigation;

• the priorities of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program's Strategic Plan;

• the coordination of the program;

• the effectiveness of the program in meeting its purposes; and

• any revisions to the program which may be necessary. 

The charter28 for NACWIR was approved by the Department of Commerce in June 2016. Nominations 

were solicited via Federal Register Notice29 in July 2016, which was publicized by NIST and distributed 

via email to windstorm impact reduction stakeholders, with vetting of nominees beginning shortly 

thereafter. Additional information about the Committee is available on the NACWIR website at 

https://www.nist.gov/el/mssd/nwirp/national-advisory-committee-windstorm-impact-reduction.

 28 NACWIR Charter. https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/el/nwirp/Windstorm-Advisory-Committee-Charter.pdf

29 NACWIR Federal Register Notice. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/07/12/2016-16373/request-fornominations-of-members-to-serve-on-the-national-advisory-committee-on-windstorm-impact. 
11

3.4. NIST Lead Agency Activities 

NIST has a dual role in NWIRP; it is one of the four designated program agencies and also serves as the 

lead agency. Statutory responsibilities for all program agencies are listed in Appendix B; Table B.2 

additionally identifies NIST lead agency responsibilities.

As the lead agency, NIST has the primary responsibility for planning and coordinating the program and

ensuring that the program includes the necessary components to promote implementation of windstorm 

risk reduction measures. The strategic planning effort described in Section 3.2.1 identified these 

necessary components. NIST is also responsible for requesting assistance of federal agencies (other than 

the program agencies) to assist in carrying out the program. Section 3.1 describes the transition of the 

WWG from OSTP to NIST leadership. As a part of the transition, NIST invited other federal agencies to 

participate; several have joined the WWG. Fourteen federal agencies participated in the stakeholder

workshop supporting the development of the NWIRP Strategic Plan, including all the agencies in the 

WWG, as well as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the General Services Administration

(GSA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and 

the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). Most of these agencies also participated in September 2015 

workshops on tornado hazard mapping. These workshops were designed to inform stakeholders on 

NIST’s multiyear effort to develop next generation tornado maps for engineering design and risk 

assessment, as well as to gather information on federal tornado impact reduction R&D needs (see 

Objective 4 in Section 4.2). NIST has continued direct engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, as potentially one of the primary users of new tornado hazard maps. 

Three additional statutory lead agency responsibilities are to: support the development of performancebased engineering; coordinate federal post-windstorm investigations; and issue recommendations to 

inform development of model codes. NIST activities supporting these responsibilities are described in 

the following sections. 

3.4.1. Support for Performance-Based Engineering

Performance-based engineering uses specific performance metrics to drive the assessment, design, and 

construction of engineered facilities and differs from more traditional, prescriptive procedures. Lead 

agency responsibilities in the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 (Public 

Law 114-52) include supporting “the development of performance-based engineering tools, and work 

with appropriate groups to promote the commercial application of such tools, including through windrelated model building codes, voluntary standards, and construction best practices.” Strategic Priority 4

(SP-4) engages the Program agencies in performing basic and applied research that supports performancebased engineering development. SP-4 also encourages the knowledge-transfer activities needed to 

support implementation in national standards, model building codes, and professional practice. Activities 

in support of performance-based engineering are described in further detail under SP-4 in Section 4.1.

3.4.2. Coordination of Federal Post-Windstorm Investigations

NIST’s statutory responsibilities as lead agency include coordination of “all federal post-windstorm 

investigations to the extent practicable.” NIST has a long history of coordination and collaboration with 

other federal agencies on post-windstorm investigations and studies, including working with NOAA and 

FEMA on the tornado Super Outbreak in 2011, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and the tornadoes in Joplin, 

Missouri in 2011 and Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013. In 2016, NIST-supported researchers studying tornado 
12

damage engaged with NWS meteorologists in the field following several tornadoes. This engagement 

allowed researchers to better understand the intricacies of NWS assessment procedures to best interpret 

the information in the NOAA tornado database. 

NIST will continue to assess the scope of federal post windstorm activities during the FY 2017-2018 

period, and it will use this information to complete a formal coordination plan by the end of FY 2019. 

This effort incorporates identification of existing federal coordination activities for windstorm 

investigations (including hazard and impact data collection) and currently unmet coordination needs, to 

identify opportunities for providing added value, as well as avoiding duplication of effort. The plan will 

leverage coordination functions that are already in place. For example, the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) already provides 

coordination for wind and storm surge hazard data collection for landfalling tropical cyclones. This 

coordination is accomplished through implementation of Annex 2 of the National Plan for Disaster 

Impact Assessments (NPDIA).

30 There is not a specific plan for other windstorm types. 

NIST currently co-chairs the OFCM working group (Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments 

and Plans (WG/DIAP31)), which provides oversight and management of the NPDIA and coordination of 

event-driven wind and water data collection and documentation activities. NIST will be leading the

effort to create a new Annex 3: Tornado/Windstorm Data and will support data collection for other types 

of storms beyond hurricanes. As part of this effort, NIST will cooperate with OFCM through the 

WG/DIAP to coordinate acquisition, dissemination, and exchange of windstorm data.

3.4.3. Recommendations for Model Codes

NIST and FEMA have program agency responsibilities in the broad area of supporting improvements to

national standards and model building codes. In addition, NIST lead agency responsibilities include

issuing recommendations to assist in informing the development of model codes, and informing Congress 

on the use of such recommendations. Work to improve national standards and model building codes to 

reduce the impacts of windstorms is integrated into several of the NWIRP Strategic Priorities and 

Objectives, as described in Section 4 (particularly in SP-4, SP-6, and Objectives 4, 5, and 11). 

Recent program successes in making changes to national standards and model building codes are 

summarized in Section 5.2. Many of these improvements result from investigative findings from NIST 

and FEMA studies of recent storms, such as those mentioned in Section 3.4.2 and others described in 

previous NWIRP Biennial Reports. Code and standard improvements have also resulted from 

implementation of research findings (e.g., see Objective 4 in Section 4.2).

 30 National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments: Weather and Water Data. OFCM, March 2017. 

http://www.ofcm.gov/publications/diap/newp33.htm. 31 Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans, OFCM. http://www.ofcm.gov/groups/DIAP/diap3.htm
13

4. Progress in Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016

Progress made during FYs 2015 and 2016 on windstorm impact reduction is summarized in this section. 

Activities are presented in terms of the seven Strategic Priorities and the broader Goals and Objectives 

described in the NWIRP Strategic Plan: Draft for Public Comment.

32

4.1. Strategic Priorities

SP-1: Develop Baseline Estimates of Loss of Life and Property due to Windstorms

NIST: Planning began in FY 2016 for a new effort, beginning in FY 2017, to identify causes and 

trends in windstorm damage and fatalities. This work will aid in identification and prioritization of 

NWIRP R&D, tech transfer, and outreach activities, as well as the establishment of methods and data 

for tracking future losses of life and property.

SP-2: Obtain Measurements of Surface Winds and Storm Surge Current and Waves in Severe 

Storms

NSF: In-situ and Radar Observations at Low levels for Tornadic Winds. NSF funded studies to 

understand tornado formations using x-band polarimetric mobile radars. One of the studies is the 

“Tornadic Winds: In-situ and Radar observations at Low levels (TWIRL)” field campaign. TWIRL 

scientists, using Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radars (a component of NSF’s Lower Atmosphere 

Observing Facilities portfolio, owned and operated by the Center for Severe Weather Research in 

Boulder, Colorado), are developing 3-D maps of the strongest tornado winds near the ground. These 

scientists are studying how these winds cause damage to buildings, power lines, trees and other 

structures. One of the DOW radars revealed winds of more than 224 mph and a dangerous multiplevortex tornado structure. The TWIRL team also deployed weather “pods” out ahead of the path of 

developing tornadoes to measure winds near ground level; one of the pods measured winds over 100 

mph before being destroyed by debris. 

NOAA/NSF: Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment. In FYs 2009 

and 2010, NSF and NOAA’s National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL) jointly supported the field 

phase of the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 (VORTEX2), which 

was the largest and most ambitious tornado field study conducted to date. This $14 million effort 

involved nearly 100 scientists and students from 16 American universities, organizations and federal

agencies, as well as forecasters from the NWS, including the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), 

Environment Canada, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and the Finnish Meteorological 

Institute. 

The VORTEX2 teams sought to better understand how, when, and why tornadoes form. Specifically, 

they investigated: the wind, temperature, and humidity conditions that result in the development of 

tornadoes within thunderstorms; the detailed structure of tornadic winds and their relationship to 

localized damage patterns; and the relationships between tornadoes, their parent thunderstorms, and 

 32 Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program: Draft for Public Comment. March 2017. 

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/13/strategic_plan_for_national_windstorm_impact_reduction_progra

m_-_draft_f.pdf
14

the larger-scale environment. Continuing analysis of the VORTEX2 dataset advanced the 

understanding of tornado formation, improving prediction, and offering prospects for increased 

warning lead-times. 

Following on from these VORTEX projects, the VORTEX-Southeast (VORTEX-SE) is a research 

program initiated in FY 2016 to understand how environmental factors characteristic of the 

southeastern United States affect the formation, intensity, structure, and path of tornadoes in this 

region (http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/vortexse/). This is the first VORTEX experiment to have a 

focus on all the processes ranging from the conditions and storms that produce the tornadoes and the 

way NWS forecasters anticipate, detect, and warn for tornadoes, to the way the end users receive and 

respond to that information. As such, it integrates meteorology, NWS operations, and a broad range 

of social sciences, and supports a number of NWIRP Strategic Priorities and Objectives in addition to 

SP-2. VORTEX-SE projects include one related to forecasting the occurrence of tornadoes in 

landfalling tropical cyclones (Objective 13) and another characterizing the interconnected nature of 

debris and damage propagation within communities (Objective 5).

SP-3: Develop Publicly Available Databases of Windstorm Hazards and Impacts

NSF: National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Based on merit review and 

programmatic relevance, NSF funds projects aimed at increasing understanding of weather-related 

high impact events. NSF’s federally funded research and development center, NCAR has played a 

crucial role in collaboration with the United States research community, especially academic 

researchers in large-scale field campaigns to gather critical observations. NCAR’s role is several 

fold. First, it helps deploy research facilities, such as aircraft, radar, and LiDar, into the field. 

Second, it serves as a central repository for all collected data for the research community to use. 

Third, it provides large-scale, high performance computers and develop community models to assist 

the United States atmospheric research community. NCAR-supported projects include, for example, 

VORTEX-SE and its predecessors, and Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) (see SP-2 and 

Objective 1, respectively).

NIST: Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning. The NIST-funded Center for 

Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning (http://resilience.colostate.edu), a collaboration of 10 

universities led by Colorado State University, will be conducting extensive field studies to collect 

data on resilience and recovery from disasters for validation of community disaster resilience models. 

During FY 2016, the Center collected data in Joplin, Missouri, on the continuing impacts of and 

recovery from the May 22, 2011, Joplin tornado. 

NSF: Rapid Response Research Facility. The scientific goal of the NSF-supported five-year 

Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) post-disaster, rapid response research 

(RAPID) facility, initially funded in September 2016, is to support natural hazard researchers to 

conduct next generation RAPID research through reliable acquisition and community sharing of highquality, post-disaster data sets. These data sets will enable characterization of civil infrastructure 

performance under natural hazard loads, evaluation of the effectiveness of current and previous 

design methodologies, calibration of computational models used to predict civil infrastructure 
15

component and system response to natural hazards, and the development of solutions for resilient 

communities. As a community resource, the facility will: 

(1) support acquisition of an unprecedented amount of perishable, post-disaster, high-quality, 

open data by the natural hazards community; 

(2) provide learning and training opportunities in post-disaster reconnaissance; 

(3) promote public engagement with science and technology through a citizen science data 

collection initiative; and 

(4) develop new and strengthen existing international research partnerships by establishing 

collaborations with foreign organizations during global deployments. 

The RAPID facility will also develop tools to support data collection and analysis (see Objective 8). The 

NSF-funded NHERI Cyberinfrastructure facility (see Objective 5) will archive the collected data. 

SP-4: Develop Performance-Based Design for Windstorm Hazards

NSF: Design Frameworks for Structural Wind Performance. Reducing the impact on structures 

from wind hazards is a critical consideration in the design of buildings. NSF is funding awards that 

create design frameworks for satisfying performance requirements that go beyond prescriptive 

building code provisions. Principles of performance-based design have been adopted in earthquake 

engineering, and NSF-funded projects are extending these performance-based design principles to 

wind engineering. 

An NSF award to Iowa State University is supporting performance-based design for structures 

equipped with high performance control systems for mitigation of wind hazards. The goal of the 

project is to improve structural performance by integrating control systems at the design stage, with 

particular attention to structures subjected to a variety of wind hazards, including thunderstorms, 

hurricanes, gust-fronts, and tornadoes. In a collaboration between the University of Notre Dame and 

the University of Michigan, researchers are developing a holistic performance-based design 

framework for a wide class of low- to mid-rise buildings sensitive to wind. Key to this framework is 

integration of water ingress, debris impact, impact on building envelope and other non-structural 

damage due to pressure and drift.

NIST: Performance-based Design for Wind. Implementing recommendations from the 2014 

report on its technical investigation of the May 2011 Joplin Tornado, 33 NIST is developing a

performance-based design for tornadoes, including new tornado hazard maps (see Objective 4). Both 

NIST and FEMA are also working with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Ad Hoc 

Committee on Performance-based Design for Wind Hazards. This effort is focused on developing 

the overall framework and pre-standard provisions for performance-based design for all windstorms, 

including tornadoes. This effort includes adaptation of some elements of performance-based design

for earthquakes, developed over the last decade through efforts of the National Earthquake Hazards 

Reduction Program.

 33 Final Report - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Technical Investigation of the May 22, 2011, Tornado in 

Joplin Missouri, by E. Kuligowski, F. Lombardo, L. Phan, M. Levitan, and D. Jorgensen. NCSTAR 3, March 2014. 

http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=915628
16

SP-5: Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve Windstorm Preparedness and Hazard 

Mitigation 

NOAA: Weather-Ready Nation. During FYs 2015 and 2016, the Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) 

initiative continued to make progress. The purpose of WRN is, first and foremost, to save more lives 

and livelihoods. By increasing the Nation’s weather-readiness, the country will be prepared to 

protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from weather-related disasters such as severe 

windstorms. Society’s ability to prepare for natural disasters requires a societal response equal to the 

risk, which is why the NWS is leveraging its vast nationwide network of partners and incorporating 

new ones that share the NWS’s vision of building a weather-ready nation. Partners in this program 

include: other federal agencies, emergency managers, researchers, the media, the insurance industry, 

non-profits, and the private sector. Building a WRN starts with these internal actions but requires the 

action of a vast nationwide network of partners. In this reporting period, examples of new initiatives 

provided by WRN include: a project for simplifying the way hazards are communicated (hazards 

simplification); a NOAA water model for better predictions of streamflow at neighborhood scales of 

resolution for protecting life and property from localized flooding; a safety application from 

Raytheon Corp and NOAA designed to teach students and adults to prepare for, survive, and recover 

from weather and water emergencies; and an updated method for communicating risk published in 

the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) published a study in its September 

2016 edition titled, “Effectively Communicating Risk and Uncertainty to the Public.” Additional 

information about WRN, publications, initiatives, and news and events can be found at: 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation.

FLASH/NOAA: #HurricaneStrong. Launched during the 2016 hurricane season, 

#HurricaneStrong is a national resilience initiative led by the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes 

(FLASH)® to save lives and homes through collaboration with leading organizations in the disaster 

safety community. The collaboration with NOAA and the National Hurricane Center offers 

empowering hurricane safety and mitigation information through business summits, digital channels, 

events, home improvement store workshops, media outreach, school lesson plans, and a social media 

campaign featuring a #HurricaneStrong “pose". In 2016, #HurricaneStrong garnered success with 

White House recognition, national television programming, public service announcements, more than 

200 traditional news stories, 695 Home Depot workshops, 15,000 Tweets, 4,400 contributors on 

Twitter, and an audience reach exceeding 24 million. For more information, visit 

www.hurricanestrong.org. 

IBHS: FORTIFIED HomeTM Program. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s 

(IBHS) FORTIFIED HomeTM program is a uniform, voluntary, superior set of standards to help improve a home’s resilience by adding system-specific upgrades to minimum code requirements. Over 

this reporting time period, the program continued to gain momentum. The science-based, third-party 

validated FORTIFIED HomeTM program comprises three progressive designation levels (Bronze, 

Silver and Gold) that address critical building systems, such as the roof, openings and attached 

structures, and the critical continuous load path. For hurricanes, these are the same standards outlined 
17

in FEMA P-804, the Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings.34 IBHS launched the new 

FORTIFIED HomeTM–High Wind and Hail standards during the 2016 National Tornado Summit 

alongside several partners and supporters. Meanwhile, the FORTIFIED HomeTM–Hurricane program 

continued its significant growth in the Southeast with major companies such as DR Horton 

(America’s largest homebuilder) building more than 1,000 FORTIFIED homes in coastal Alabama. 

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) adopted FORTIFIED standards in a new “Habitat STRONG” program, 

which includes training, information and resources for affiliates using IBHS standards –

approximately 70 HFH affiliates were participating in the program by December 2016. 

A critical development related to FORTIFIED occurred in 2016, when independent research 

identified the financial value of FORTIFIED standards. The study found that switching from a 

conventional construction standard to a FORTIFIED designation increases the value of a home by 

nearly seven percent.35

Both state and federal agencies have endorsed FORTIFIED HomeTM, and/or integrated FORTIFIED 

standards into their own programs and initiatives. For example, to address increasing risks of 

property damage due to natural disasters, which may adversely affect the mortgage market, the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture and the 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs informed their lenders, borrowers, and stakeholders about the 

importance of using robust standards designed to strengthen homes. Together, these agencies back 

$400 billion in mortgages, which represents approximately 20 percent of the single-family mortgage 

market. IBHS’ FORTIFIEDTM programs were singled out in HUD’s announcement about the new 

initiative as: “...robust resilient wind standard[s] validated by third parties. Recent academic 

research shows that the Fortified Home designation increases home resale values by seven percent.”36

SP-6: Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering Strategies

NIST/FEMA: Storm Shelter Standard. NIST and FEMA made significant contributions to the 

Second edition of the International Code Council (ICC) 500 Standard for the Design and 

Construction of Storm Shelters, which was published in December 2014. Highlights include a new 

10,000 year mean recurrence interval wind speed map for design of hurricane shelters developed by 

NIST. FEMA led many changes based on observations of shelter and safe room performance 

following severe storms, and to harmonize requirements for shelters and safe rooms. NIST and 

FEMA also worked together with the ICC to write the first ever commentary for the ICC 500 

Standard, which was completed and published in 2016.

FEMA: Development of Technical Guidance Materials on Safe Rooms and State-of-the-Art 

Wind-Resistant Design and Construction Methods. Each year, many thousands of publications 

dealing with wind hazards are ordered and distributed by FEMA. For example, FEMA’s safe room 

guidance publications are among the most widely downloaded and distributed documents by FEMA’s 

 34 Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings, FEMA P-804, December 2010. https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/21082

35 Estimating the Effect of FORTIFIED Home Construction on Home Resale Value. Alabama Center for Insurance Information 

and Research. https://culverhouse.ua.edu/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/31/FORTIFIEDReport_V2__2_.pdf, p.5.

36 Federal Housing Administration, HUD. https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=FTDOOct16.pdf, p. 2. 
18

library and publications warehouse (FEMA P-320: Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe 

Room For Your Home or Small Business and FEMA P-361: Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and 

Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms). During FYs 2015 and 2016, 

FEMA continued developing and publishing technical guidance materials related to state-of-the art 

wind-resistant design and construction methods and making these materials available to those who 

need them. Examples include:

• Published the fourth edition of FEMA P-320 Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe 

Room For Your Home or Small Business. https://www.fema.gov/fema-p-320-takingshelter-storm-building-safe-room-your-home-or-small-business

o Developed updated training curriculum to support updated FEMA P-320

• Published the third edition of FEMA P-361 Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: 

Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms. https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/3140

o Developed updated training curriculum to support updated FEMA P-361

• Developed numerous fact sheets supporting wind-resistant design and construction, including:

- Flood Hazard Elevation and Siting Criteria for Residential Safe Rooms 

- Flood Hazard Elevation and Siting Criteria for Community Safe Rooms 

- Foundation and Anchoring Criteria for Safe Rooms 

- Community Safe Room Fact Sheet

- Residential Safe Room Fact Sheet 

NIST: Building Safety Assessment for New Mass Evacuation and Sheltering Standard. A new

standard being developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the NFPA 1616 

Standard on Mass Evacuation, Sheltering, and Re-entry Programs will provide criteria for the process 

of planning and implementing mass evacuation and sheltering programs for all hazards, including 

hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms. NIST developed all the requirements and supporting 

annex materials for consideration and assessment of building safety in the selection of facilities for 

use as shelters and best available refuge areas.

SP-7: Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in Windstorm Hazard Mitigation Fields

NSF: Research Awards. NSF awards supporting NWIRP typically provide research funding for 

academic faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. These awards are an invaluable 

learning experience for graduate and undergraduate students. Some NSF awards support postdoctoral early career researchers as well. 

NSF: Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU): The REU program supports active 

research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the NSF. 

REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs (REU supplements) 

or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program (REU sites). 

Many NSF-funded projects supporting NWIRP have REU supplements. One REU site is located at 

the National Weather Center (NWC) on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. This is a 10-

week summer research program and brings students together with faculty to conduct research on 
19

topics such as: severe weather, tornadoes, societal impacts of weather, numerical weather prediction 

models, atmospheric radiation, climatological studies, dryline studies, and more. The research is 

conducted through workshops, field trips and direct interaction with researchers working at the 

leading edge of science in severe weather and the impacts of wind. This REU site successfully 

attracts a diverse group of students to participate in the program and to increase their interest in 

conducting research in the field of severe weather and wind impacts. 

NOAA: Storm Surge Education and Awareness. Storm surge is one of the most destructive 

threats to life and property in the path of a hurricane. Public awareness and outreach are vital to 

building a resilient community. NOAA's NWS along with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) 

developed new tools to improve communication and public understanding of storm surge. In FY 

2015, NHC developed a series of YouTube videos that explain storm surge.37 As part of hurricane 

awareness week, NHC posted a blog on storm surge. NHC also provide storm surge outreach 

material on its website. The web videos and outreach material are also available in Spanish. NHC 

also partnered with FEMA to teach emergency managers about the hazards of storm surge.

FEMA: Education, Outreach, and Information Dissemination. The FEMA website, 

http://www.fema.gov, serves as the nation's portal to emergency and disaster information. FEMA 

publications related to wind and coastal surge hazards are available for free on the web on FEMA’s 

media library, the Google BooksTM service, and MADCAD.com. FEMA gave dozens of 

presentations at conferences and other forums highlighting the importance of both hurricane 

mitigation and safe rooms. FEMA has partnered with communities and community organizations to 

teach design professionals and local officials the concepts of hurricane mitigation and safe room 

design. FEMA has maintained its partnership with external organizations such as The Walt Disney 

Company and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH®), which have been operating an 

interactive exhibit titled “Storm Struck: The Tale of Two Homes” at the Innoventions Pavilion, 

Epcot® Theme Park, Walt Disney World® Resort, for the last several years with over 700,000 

annual visitors. The FLASH® attraction allows visitors to experience a severe weather incident, such 

as a hurricane, with the goal of teaching the guests about cutting-edge technology used to protect 

homes. FEMA sponsored and provided technical direction for the National Building Museum’s 

“Designing for Disaster” Exhibit, which was on display through September 13, 2015. Visitors to the 

exhibit explore new approaches in design and engineering to protect life and property against a range 

of natural hazards, including hurricanes and tornadoes. The exhibit includes a partially deconstructed 

safe room following the design plans in FEMA P-320 Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a 

Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business. FEMA also sponsored curriculum kits that teach 

students in grades 7-9 about planning and designing in preparation for natural disasters. 

In addition, FEMA participated in a Tornado Safe Room Showcase at the 2015 International Builders' 

Show and 2015 World of Concrete. This showcase promoted the use of safe rooms to approximately 

100,000 attendees from the homebuilding and construction industry. An estimated 10,000 visitors 

stopped by to see the safe rooms first hand and took with them copies of the recently updated FEMA 

P-320 Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business.

 37 For example, Storm Surge Fast Draw, NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBa9bVYKLP0
20

FLASH/FEMA/NVOAD: Volunteer Construction Guides. In partnership with FEMA Building 

Science Branch and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD), the 

FLASH® developed high wind, flood, and wildfire guides and accompanying volunteer cards to assist 

volunteers that are doing rebuilding or retrofitting work. Assets are currently used by local volunteer

organizations that rebuild or renovate hundreds of properties in at-risk communities. For more 

information, visit www.flash.org/volunteers.

FHWA: Training and Technology Transfer. Technology transfer of high performance 

computational analysis techniques is an important part of Argonne National Laboratory’s (ANL)

work to support and advance wind-related engineering and research programs at the Turner Fairbank 

Highway Research Center (TFHRC). The technology transfer is accomplished by publishing 

techniques developed and the work done in reports and papers, presentations at conferences, and 

training courses in CFD capabilities and techniques offered by the Transportation Research and 

Analysis Computing Center (TRACC). 

4.2. Objectives

GOAL A. IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF WINDSTORM PROCESSES AND 

HAZARDS

Objective 1: Advance understanding of windstorms and associated hazards 

NSF: Hurricane Predictability and Predictions. NSF continues to invest in studies related to the 

basic science behind tropical cyclones and hurricanes. These studies range from the small-scale 

analysis of the effects of sea spray and cloud particles to questions regarding the genesis of cyclones 

and how large-scale environmental factors affect their intensity and movement. In FYs 2015 and 

2016, NSF funded studies on how wind shear affects intensity change in tropical cyclones, how 

radiation affects the early stages of a tropical cyclone, and how spiral rainbands affect tropical 

cyclone structure and intensity. 

NSF: Understanding of Severe Thunderstorms at Night. In FYs 2015 and 2016, NSF funded a 

number of American institutions to conduct basic research on understanding of generation and 

development of tornadoes and severe storms that threaten human life and property. In particular, 

NSF funded a large field campaign: PECAN, which included over 20 university researchers and the 

involvement of other federal agencies such as NOAA, NASA, and DoE 

(https://www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/pecan). The field campaign focused on nocturnal severe 

storms initiated in the central plains of the United States, which are potentially dangerous to the 

general public. 

NSF/NOAA: Predictability of Severe Convective Storms. The Mesoscale Predictability

Experiment is (MPEX) is an ongoing research program which seeks to determine whether additional 

observations of weather conditions upstream form a target area could improve predictions of severe 

weather. In FY 2016, collected upsonde data on more cases in the southern plains. Results from 

recent (FY 2016) data assimilation experiments suggest that ingestion of data obtained from targeted 
21

weather balloons a few hours prior to thunderstorm development can significantly improve forecasts 

of severe thunderstorms made from high-resolution computer models.

NIST: Tornado Climatology. One of the major challenges in tornado climatology is understanding 

and accounting for limitations and biases in the national tornado databases, which date back to 1950. 

Changes over time in weather observing technology, communications technology, information 

technology, tornado science, NWS tornado rating and reporting practices, and many other factors 

serve to complicate the analysis of the 66 years of available tornado climate data. NIST began a 

study of the United States tornado climatology in FY 2015, with the goals of documenting, 

quantifying, and developing procedures to account for these limitations and biases, which are needed 

to produce accurate tornado hazard maps (Objective 4) and tornado loss estimation tools (Objective 

9). Keys to this effort are better assessments of the population bias over time, and better correlation

of the observed damage to wind speed relationship that provides the basis for tornado ratings in the 

Fujita (F) and Enhanced Fujita (EF) scales.

Objective 2: Develop tools to improve windstorm data collection and analysis 

NOAA: New Observing Technologies. NOAA is testing new observing technologies as a part of 

the Intensity Forecasting Experiment (IFEX – see Objective 13). These technologies include use of 

NASA’s remotely piloted high altitude Global Hawk scientific research unmanned aircraft system in 

a hurricane research capacity; the low altitude unmanned Coyote system for measuring winds, 

temperature, and moisture in the hurricane boundary layer where manned aircraft cannot safely reach; 

and the Doppler wind lidar, which provides the capability to sample winds in precipitation-free 

regions that radars cannot measure.

NOAA: Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR). The National Severe Storms Laboratory

(NSSL) is demonstrating the capabilities of the MPAR, a program funded through a partnership 

between NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) with significant technical contributions from industry and academia. The 

MPAR project will demonstrate the potential to simultaneously perform aircraft tracking, wind 

profiling, and weather surveillance with a single, phased array weather radar. The capability to 

perform simultaneous weather and aircraft surveillance functions, with a multi-agency radar, is 

expected to provide significant cost savings through the reduction of the number of radars through 

consolidation, and joint research and development, engineering, and maintenance operations. 

Research conducted at NSSL is showing rapid-scan phased array technology to be beneficial in 

improving the detection and warning of severe storm phenomena and to improving numerical 

weather prediction in support of severe storm forecasting. 

During FYs 2015 and 2016, engineering activities have primarily centered on the design and 

development of two demonstration radars, the Ten Panel Demonstrator (TPD) and the Advanced 

Technology Demonstrator (ATD). The purpose of these systems is to gain knowledge and reduce the 

technical risks associated with the engineering and application of phased array technology to meet the 

proposed multifunction goals. The TPD is a small-scale dual polarization phased array radar that was 

developed and delivered to NSSL for the purpose of mitigating engineering risks. Lessons learned 

from this engineering demonstrator have led to design changes for the ATD development. The ATD 

is a larger demonstration radar that will be capable of assessing the ability of phased array technology 
22

to address the operational meteorological requirements of the NWS as well as the multifunction 

requirements of all the agencies. Design and development of the ATD are underway with 

development, delivery and assessment occurring in the FYs 2017 and 2018 timeframe. 

NOAA/NIST/ASCE: Tornado Wind Speed Estimation. Although the EF Scale adopted by the 

NWS in 2007 represented a major improvement over the previously used F Scale, it still has 

significant shortcomings. Most notably, the wind speed estimates from observed damage are based 

on expert elicitation, i.e., judgement. Users of the EF Scale and other stakeholders, including NWS, 

NIST, and FEMA, have identified many needed changes, including expansion of the number of 

damage indicators and, to the extent possible, incorporation of a more scientific basis for new and 

existing damage indicators. In FY 2015, NWS and NIST staff worked with the American Society of 

Civil Engineers to establish and co-chair a standards development committee on tornado wind speed 

estimation. This committee is charged with developing improvements to the EF Scale and other 

damage-based, post-storm techniques, including forensic engineering, analysis of airborne and spacebased remotely sensed imagery, and treefall pattern analysis. The scope of the standard also includes 

methods of tornado wind speed estimation from data collected during the storm, including radar and 

in-situ measurements, as well as photogrammetric analysis. The Committee includes representatives 

from academia and the private sector, multiple units within NOAA and NIST, and other federal 

agencies, including FEMA, DoE, NRC, and NASA.

Objective 3: Understand long term trends in windstorm frequency, intensity, and location

NOAA: Toward Seasonal Prediction and Long-term Severe Weather Variability. In FY 2015, 

the NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) continued work started in 2012 with the NWS Climate

Prediction Center, academia, and the NOAA NSSL to improve understanding of the links between 

large-scale climate variability and windstorm and tornado activity. While climate predictions expect 

increased temperature and humidity in the lower atmosphere, there may also be decreased wind shear. 

Since both factors are required to form tornadoes, NOAA research in FY 2015 continued to focus on 

the prediction of these local factors as well as quantification of the role of more-remote climate 

signals.

Objective 4: Develop tools to improve windstorm hazard assessment 

NIST: Wind Speed Maps (nontornadic). In FY 2016, NIST completed the development of new 

design wind speed maps intended for adoption in current American building codes and standards (see 

also Objective 11). The project incorporated several technical advances over previous generations of 

maps.38 In addition to using more years of data from more weather stations around the United States, 

NIST made adjustments to account for terrain conditions at anemometer locations, classified peak 

gusts at each station by storm type (thunderstorm, non-thunderstorm, and tropical), and used a peaksover-threshold technique for estimation of wind speeds at the different return periods, instead of 

simply using annual extreme values. The new maps more accurately reflect the regional differences 

in extreme windstorm climatology.

 38 Maps of Non-hurricane Non-tornadic Wind Speeds With Specified Mean Recurrence Intervals for the Contiguous United 

States Using a Two-Dimensional Poisson Process Extreme Value Model and Local Regression, by Pintar, A.; Simiu, E.; 

Lombardo, F. and Levitan, M., NIST SP 500-301. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 2015.

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.500-301
23

NIST: Tornado Hazard Maps. In FY 2015, NIST initiated a multiyear effort to develop a new 

generation of tornado hazard maps, intended for use in tornado-resistant design of new buildings and 

structures (and supporting creation of performance-based design methodology for tornadoes – see SP5), as well as risk assessment for existing facilities. NIST presented an overview of the tornado 

hazard mapping process and preliminary results to a broad group of windstorm impact reduction 

stakeholders at a workshop in September 2015. NIST also held a second workshop to brief federal 

agencies on this effort and learn more about their needs in tornado mapping and tornado hazard 

reduction, with 14 agencies participating.

GOAL B. IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF WINDSTORM IMPACTS ON 

COMMUNITIES

Objective 5: Advance understanding of windstorm effects on the built environment 

NSF: Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI). The NSF-supported 

NHERI consists of 11 awards made during the current reporting period: one award for the Network 

Coordination Office (NCO), one award for Cyberinfrastructure (CI), one award for the 

Computational Modeling and Simulation Center (SimCenter – see Objective 6), and eight awards for 

earthquake and wind engineering experimental facilities (including one award for a post-disaster 

RAPID facility – see Strategic Priority 3). The scientific purpose for NHERI is to:

• Understand, model, and predict the lifecycle performance of civil infrastructure, from 

component to holistic system levels, under different natural hazard events; 

• Reduce the reliance on physical testing for modeling the performance of civil infrastructure 

under natural hazard events through advanced computational modeling and simulation 

capabilities;

• Build the basic science knowledge and computational modeling and simulation capabilities to 

evaluate multi-hazard resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure and communities; 

• Translate research into innovative mitigation strategies and technologies to reduce the impact 

of natural hazards on existing and new sustainable civil infrastructure and communities; and 

• Integrate research, education, and outreach to train a broad and inclusive science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics workforce to conduct and translate research into an innovation 

ecosystem for multi-hazard resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure and communities.

Serving the wind engineering and coastal engineering research communities, the 12-fan Wall of Wind 

facility at Florida International University provides a testing ground for simulated hurricane wind 

speeds up to 157 mph which is the minimum wind speed for a Category 5 hurricane. Oregon State 

University houses a NHERI experimental facility consisting of a large wave flume and a directional 

wave basin for fundamental research to understand and reduce risks to civil infrastructure from 

windstorm surge, hurricanes, and other coastal windstorms. The NHERI experimental facility at 

University of Florida supports research for mitigating the impacts of extreme wind and rain events on 

civil infrastructure. The facility provides users with a suite of wind engineering experimental 

resources, including an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel which can replicate damaging effects 

from tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. 
24

The NSF-supported NHERI cyberinfrastructure award hosts online research and education tools for 

the natural hazards community at http://www.DesignSafe-ci.org. Publicly available tools will include 

the Data Depot for archiving earthquake and wind engineering experimental data generated at the 

NHERI experimental facilities, computational modeling and simulation tools, and a post-disaster, 

RAPID Reconnaissance Integration Portal for archiving perishable geotechnical, structural, coastal, 

and social science data obtained during field work by researchers following an earthquake or 

windstorm event in the United States or abroad. 

NSF: RAPID Awards - Collection of Perishable Following Windstorms. The NSF has a standing 

funding mechanism, the RAPID mechanism, to provide funding to university faculty members to 

collect perishable data from the field after a significant windstorm or other hazard event. During FYs

2015 and 2016, the institutions that NSF funded for collecting data after Typhoon Haiyan completed 

their work. The data include hazard and damage levels of residential structures, transportation 

infrastructure, and government buildings, as well as environmental impacts on coastal aquifers, coral 

reef fishes and sediment patterns, among others. The institutions that participated in the research 

included: University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Rutgers University, University of Notre Dame, 

University of Southern Mississippi, University of Texas-Austin, and University of Washington. The 

institutions house the collected data on their web sites which are available to principal investigators 

and the public. In FY 2016, faculty and students at West Texas A&M University, Texas Tech 

University, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln began collecting perishable data and damage scene 

images following tornadoes that impacted areas near Pampa, Texas in November 2015. The data is 

expected to serve as a basis for collaborative, multi-disciplinary research extending knowledge of 

tornado wind structure, validity of the EF scale, damage scene preservation, structural performance, 

and advancement in the understanding of debris fields and debris field patterns.

FEMA: Mitigation Assessment Team Evaluations Following Major Hurricanes, Tornadoes 

and Windstorms. FEMA conducts building performance studies after unique or nationally 

significant disasters to better understand how natural events affect the built environment. A 

Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) is deployed only when FEMA finds damage and believes the 

findings and recommendations derived from field observations and analysis will provide design and 

construction guidance that will improve the disaster resilience of the built environment in the affected 

state or region and will be of national significance to other disaster-prone regions. The MAT studies 

the adequacy of current building codes, local construction requirements, building practices, and 

building materials in light of the damage observed after a disaster. Lessons learned from the MAT’s 

observations are communicated through a comprehensive MAT Report, Recovery Advisories, and 

Fact Sheets made available to communities to aid their rebuilding effort and enhance the disaster 

resistance of building improvements and new construction. In FYs 2015 and 2016, FEMA did not 

deploy any MATs for major windstorms but follow-on work related to previous MATs is ongoing.

NSF: Infrastructure Resilience. The electric power infrastructure in the United States, especially 

in coastal areas, faces substantial risk from wind hazards. Researchers at Iowa State University are 

building wind load models that can predict the dynamic response of bundled cables subjected to 

moderate and high wind speeds. The goal of this research is to improve the resilience of cables used 

in cable-supported structures and power transmission lines to hurricanes and other windstorms. 

Another project at Northeastern University is advancing our understanding of hazards impact on off-
25

shore wind energy technologies. By integrating models of wind and wave hazards with system-level 

performance models, findings from this research may contribute to more cost-effective renewable 

energy.

FHWA: Full Scale Measurement of Structural Dynamic Properties. In an ongoing program to 

characterize the dynamic properties of bridge stay cables – which are critical to structural 

performance and aerodynamic stability – the analysis of data from full-scale, FHWA continued 

forced vibration tests on selected major structures during FYs 2015 and 2016. Tests had been 

previously performed on the Zakim (Massachusetts), Emerson (Missouri), and Penobscot Narrows 

(Maine) bridges. During this reporting period, a technical report on the Emerson study was finalized 

and submitted for publication.39 The report documents the behavior of large, ungrouted bridge cables 

and illustrates the effectiveness of cross ties as a mitigation measure. Information collected during 

the tests has enabled further evaluation of design details and assessment of the effectiveness of 

various mitigation measures such as dampers, cross ties, and aerodynamic surface treatments. The 

information also serves as a benchmark that will be useful during later inspections to assess the 

bridge’s structural condition and overall health. During this reporting period, measurements on the 

cables of five bridges (four in service and one under construction) were completed. Information from 

these measurements is being used to establish the degree of variance in pipe roundness as produced 

by vendors, as delivered to the bridge site, and as the result of environmental effects while in service. 

In addition, it is being used for the design of realistic physical experiments underway in the wind 

tunnel laboratory (see below).

FHWA: Physical Modeling of Wind Effects on Highway Structures. In collaboration with the 

National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) and in cooperation with the University of Stavenger in 

Norway, FHWA performed wind tunnel tests at NRCC on small-scale section models representative 

of “out-of-round” bridge stay cables. Tests were performed in simulated wind conditions over a 

broad range of wind speeds to evaluate the influence cable roundness on overall performance and 

aerodynamic stability. A comprehensive technical report40 was prepared for publication, one 

technical paper41 was published, and five technical papers were submitted for journal publication. As 

noted in the report, the imperfect shape of High Density Polyethelene (HDPE) used on bridge stay 

cables can play an important role in the aerodynamic stability and performance of cables. 

Objective 6: Develop computational tools for use in wind and flood modeling on buildings and 

infrastructure

NSF: NHERI Computational Modeling and Simulation Center. The goal of the NSF-supported 

five-year NHERI Computational Modeling and Simulation Center (SimCenter), awarded in FY 2016, 

is to provide the natural hazards engineering research and education community with access to next 

generation computational modeling and simulation software tools, user support, and educational 

 39 Dynamic Properties of Stay Cables on the Bill Emerson Bridge, by H.R. Bosch and J.R. Pagenkopf, Report No. FHWA-HRTxx-xxx, Federal Highway Administration, McLean, VA, Pending Publication. 

40 Wind Tunnel Investigations of the aerodynamics of bridge stay cable cross-sectional shapes, by Heidi Christiansen and Guy L. 

Larose, Report No. FHWA-HRT-xx-xxx, Federal Highway Administration, McLean, VA, Pending Publication. 41 Comparison of the Aerodynamics of Bridge Cables with a Smooth Surface and Helical Fillets in Turbulent Flow, by H. 

Christiansen, G.L. Larose, J.B. Jakobsen, J.H.G. Macdonald, and H.R. Bosch, Proceedings of the 14th International Conference 

on Wind Engineering, Porto Alegre, Brazil, June 2015.
26

materials. Such research and education is needed to advance the nation's capability to simulate the 

impact of natural hazards on structures, lifelines, and communities, and to make informed decisions 

about the need for and effectiveness of potential mitigation strategies. These tools will be publicly

available on the NHERI CI's DesignSafe-ci.org Discovery Workspace. The SimCenter will provide 

computational modeling and simulation tools using a new open source simulation framework that 

addresses various natural hazards, including windstorms and storm surge.

NIST: Science-Based Methodologies for Aerodynamic Simulation to Determine Wind Loads on 

Buildings and Structures. NIST is helping to develop practical CFD methods for the numerical 

determination of time and space dependent aerodynamic forces on structures induced by strong 

winds. Such methods have the potential to produce more accurate, site-specific wind loads, resulting 

in safer and more economical structures. During the reporting period, NIST performed a review of 

recent meteorological studies on turbulent atmospheric flows and their numerical modeling and on 

the structural engineering consequences of those studies.

42 NIST developed a physics-based 

methodology for simulating turbulent atmospheric flows for structural engineering applications,

43 

and established its effectiveness through comparisons with turbulent flows defined in standards and 

achieved in wind tunnel simulations.

44 To begin development of methods for reliable prediction of 

pressures on bluff bodies, NIST employed state-of-the-art turbulence models to simulate flow past a 

square cylinder under smooth flow45 and evaluated the sensitivity of the aerodynamic pressures to 

simulation parameters using experimental design techniques.

46 The wind tunnel tests were performed 

to support the validation of pressures in the CFD simulations.

FHWA: Numerical Modeling of Wind Effects on Highway Structures. During the reporting 

period, an existing interagency agreement continued to be in effect between the U.S. Department of 

Transportation and the DoE for modeling the effects of natural hazards, such as windstorms, 

hydraulics, and flooding, on infrastructure. This agreement enabled FHWA to utilize highperformance computing and support staff from the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Resources 

located at the TRACC were used to model wind effects on highway users as well as highway 

structures. To evaluate performance of the facility and to enhance simulation capability, a detailed 

CFD model of the FHWA Aerodynamics Laboratory at the TFHRC – including the large wind tunnel 

– was completed and a technical report published in a previous reporting period. Research has 

continued in this area to further refine and streamline the model with the objective of developing an 

 42 Planetary Boundary-Layer Modelling and Tall Building Design, by Simiu, E., Shi, L., and Yeo, D., Boundary-Layer 

Meteorology, 159(1), 173-181, 2016.

43 OpenFOAM large-eddy simulations of atmospheric boundary layer turbulence for wind engineering applications, by Shi, L., 

and Yeo, D., NIST Technical Note 1944, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. 2016. 

http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/TechnicalNotes/NIST.TN.1944.pdf

44 Large-Eddy Simulation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Winds for Structural Engineering Applications, by Yeo, D. and Shi, 

L., Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference 2016 (EMI 2016) & Probabilistic Mechanics & Reliability Conference 2016 

(PMC 2016), Nashville, Tennessee, May 22-25, 2016

45 RANS and Hybrid LES/RANS Simulations of Flow over a Square Cylinder, by Ke, J and Yeo, D., Eighth International 

Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and Applications (BBAA VIII), Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, Jun. 7-

11, 2016.

46 A Practical Verification and Validation approach for Computational Wind Engineering Simulations Using an Experimental 

Design Technique, by Mac Réamoinn, R. and Yeo, D., Eighth International Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and 

Applications (BBAA VIII), Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, Jun. 7-11, 2016.
27

effective computational framework, or “virtual wind tunnel,” that will complement physical testing 

facilities. A technical paper47 was published during the performance period. This improved model is 

being tested and validated using results of physical tests in the laboratory. Special techniques have 

been developed by ANL staff to couple CFD software with Computational Structural Mechanics 

(CSM) software to enable study of wind and structure interaction problems. These emerging tools 

were used to develop and refine models to study the interaction of wind with inclined bridge stay 

cables as well as wind (or truck-induced gust) interaction with large message sign48 and signal 

structures. 

FHWA and ANL staff have also refined skills with using “moving mesh” capabilities of CFD 

software so that objects, such as trucks, can be moved through still air or wind fields to study fluid 

and structure interaction. This complex meshing has been used to develop a computational model for 

studying the wind “shielding” effects of large bridge towers on trucks crossing elevated bridge 

structures.

49 These CFD tools, as well as multi-physics modeling capabilities, were used to study the 

impact of salt spray from trucks, moving either through still air or a wind field, on weathering steel 

girders of highway overpasses. The first phase of this work established a modelling philosophy, 

which was found to include many assumptions regarding the initial size and velocity of spray droplets 

coming from tires. These results have been documented in an interim report during the previous 

performance period. Work has also been underway to develop software tools using Large Eddy 

Simulation (LES) techniques to evaluate the performance of long span bridges in the wind and during 

windstorms.

50,51

NIST: Tools for Analysis of Measured Wind Pressure Data. NIST is developing next-generation 

methods and tools to better characterize wind loads on buildings and structures. Progress during the 

current reporting period included improvements in analysis methods for wind pressures on building 

components and cladding. Area-averaging of wind pressures measured at discrete pressure taps on 

scaled wind tunnel models can now be performed efficiently for regular and irregular tap 

distributions, using methods52 incorporating Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi diagrams. An 

improved procedure and software for estimating peaks of stationary wind pressure time series over 

 47 Modeling of Wind Flow in a Real-size Wind Tunnel at FHWA Turner-Fairbank Aerodynamics Laboratory, by C. Bojanowski, 

S. Lottes, M. Sitek, N. Zhang, and H. Bosch, Proceedings of the 4th American Association for Wind Engineering Workshop, 

Miami, Florida, August 2016.

48Vibration of Highway Variable Message Signs Caused by Wind and Truck-Induced Gusts, by Harold Bosch, Cezary 

Bojanowski, Steven Lottes, and Jerry Shen, Proceedings of the 8th Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and Applications,

Boston, Massachusetts, June 2016. 49 Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation and Parametric Study of Wake Effect of Bridge Tower on a Truck, by Nasi Zhang, 

Harold Bosch, and Jerry Shen, Proceedings of the 8th Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and Applications, Boston, 

Massachusetts, June 2016.

50 Effect of Initial Conditions and Grid Refinements on Bridge Flutter Calculations Using CFD and HPC, by R. Panneer Selvam 

and Harold Bosch, Proceedings of the 8th Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and Applications, Boston, Massachusetts, 

June 2016.

51 Aero Elastic Analysis of Bridge Deck Sections by FDM Using LES: Improving the Performance through Implementation of 

Parallel Computing, by B. Kemayou, N. Ahmed, R. Panneer Selvam, and H.R. Bosch, Proceedings of the XIX National Congress 

of Civil Engineering 2015, Huaraz, Peru, November 2015. 

52 Methodology to Analyze Wind Pressure Data on Components and Cladding of Low-Rise Buildings, by Dat Duthinh, Joseph A. 

Main, and Brian M. Phillips. NIST Technical Note 190, 2015. 

http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/TechnicalNotes/NIST.TN.1903.pdf
28

time intervals longer than the scaled-up duration of wind tunnel tests was developed using the peaksover-threshold method, including determination of the optimal threshold level and quantification of 

uncertainties inherent in the estimates.

Objective 7: Improve understanding of economic and social factors influencing windstorm risk 

reduction measures 

NSF: Support for Windstorm Impact Reduction – Economic and Social Factors: In FYs 2015

and 2016, NSF made numerous awards that will produce significant new knowledge about economic 

and social factors influencing risk reduction measures. A wide range of programs such as 

Anthropology; Decision, Risk and Management Sciences; Economics; Geography and Spatial 

Sciences; Infrastructure Management and Extreme Events; Law and Social Science; Perception, 

Action and Cognition; and Sociology have supported this research through a variety of mechanisms. 

Individual programs fund projects through their open undefined competitions. For example, the 

Sociology Program funded research on messages that explain mitigation decisions related to wind 

hazards among different populations. In another project aimed at understanding why almost half of 

the deaths from tornadoes involve residents of mobile homes, NSF-funded work at the University of 

South Carolina. That work explores the residents’ attitudes and beliefs regarding sheltering, with the 

goal of developing and testing communications leading to better sheltering decisions. 

Individual programs can use the RAPID mechanism that allows NSF to provide immediate funding 

for projects that involve ephemeral data (and therefore cannot be funded through a standard 

competition). Individual programs also co-fund projects as more than one NSF program reviews 

proposals submitted in open undefined competitions. For example, the Economics Program and the 

Decision, Risk and Management Sciences Program combined to support a project on understanding 

the influence of economic and other incentives on wind hazard mitigation decisions. An NSFsupported project at the Louisiana State University is studying the role of social media in disaster 

resilience. Knowledge gained from the project will help develop strategies to create effective social 

media campaigns and emergency management practices to promote resilience to wind storms. 

Special competitions provide another mechanism by which NSF supports research on windstorm 

impact reduction. During the FYs 2015 and 2016 period, these special competitions include 

Interdisciplinary Research in Hazards and Disasters (Hazards SEES), Dynamics of Coupled Natural 

and Human Systems (CNH), and Critical Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure Systems and 

Processes (CRISP). For example, an NSF-funded project at the Johns Hopkins University, 

Georgetown University, and the University of Michigan is studying the effects of repeated hurricanes 

through integrating individual and organizational behavioral studies, economic models, public health 

data, infrastructure engineering, and spatial landscape analysis. The project is yielding a significant

advance in understanding regional resilience under repeated hazards. The work includes direct 

interaction with government and utility emergency response executives and should contribute to 

helping reduce regional vulnerability and increase regional resilience in areas subjected to repeated 

hurricanes. 

Another NSF-supported project at the University of Delaware is studying how to optimize 

evacuations and sheltering from hurricanes through integrating the methods and perspectives of 
29

engineers and social, behavioral, and economic scientists. The work identifies multiple objectives 

such as minimizing the loss of lives and costs and then considers the full range of sheltering strategies 

designed to meet the objectives. By cooperating with state and local emergency management 

departments and the American Red Cross, the research results are being disseminated to practitioners 

as quickly and effectively as possible. 

Objective 8: Develop tools to improve post-storm impact data collection, analysis, and archival

NSF: Rapid Response Research Facility. The NHERI post-disaster, RAPID facility (see also 

Strategic Priority 3 and Objective 5) will provide many resources to improve post-windstorm data 

collection, analysis, and archival, including: 

(1) a portfolio of state-of-the-art data collection tools (including geomatics technologies; image 

capture and laser scanning equipment; seismological, wind, and inundation instruments; and 

unmanned aircraft systems, among others); 

(2) new software tools to aid in data collection and processing; 

(3) education, outreach, and training services; 

(4) advisory services to assist reconnaissance teams with the planning of safe and successful field 

missions for data collection; and 

(5) a headquarters that includes a 3D mini Computer Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE) 

for viewing and preliminary analysis of the various forms of image data collected during field 

campaigns. 

As a community resource, the facility will: 

(1) support acquisition of an unprecedented amount of perishable, post-disaster, high-quality, 

open data by the natural hazards community; 

(2) provide learning and training opportunities in post-disaster reconnaissance; 

(3) promote public engagement with science and technology through a citizen science data 

collection initiative; and 

(4) develop new and strengthen existing international research partnerships by establishing 

collaborations with foreign organizations during global deployments. 

Objective 9: Develop advanced risk assessment and loss estimation tools 

NSF: Hurricane Resilience of Electric Power Transmission Infrastructure. An NSF-supported 

project at the Ohio State University is investigating a new approach to system reliability and 

resilience assessment of power transmission systems. The goal of the project is to identify vulnerable 

transmission lines and provide cost-effective retrofit solutions to reduce the likelihood of damage, 

prevent service loss, and improve recovery time during hurricanes.
30

FEMA: Maintain Hazus-MH Hurricane Loss Estimation Model. FEMA develops and maintains 

the Hazards – United States Multi-Hazard model (Hazus), a nationally applicable standardized 

methodology that contains models for estimating potential losses from multiple hazards, including 

hurricane winds. Hazus uses geographic information system (GIS) technology to estimate physical, 

economic, and social impacts of disasters and graphically illustrates the limits of identified high-risk 

locations due to a region’s hazards. Users can then visualize the spatial relationships between 

populations and other more permanently fixed geographic assets or resources for the specific hazard 

being modeled, a crucial function in the pre-disaster planning process. During the reporting period 

for FY 2015 and FY 2016, the Hazus program was undergoing major modernization efforts that 

focused primarily on general Hazus code and data and the flood module. Updates to Hurricanespecific elements during this time period were minimal, but included minor enhancements and fixes, 

keeping up with ArcGIS versions, and improvements to data, database engine, and reports.

NOAA: State of Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model. NOAA continued to work with the state 

of Florida during the fiscal period on the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model (FPHLM). The 

FPHLM is an open, transparent computer model that is used by the Florida Office of Insurance 

Regulation to provide a baseline for evaluating rate change requests for windstorm insurance. The 

FPHLM is the first such model that enables all of the results and details from the modeling approach 

to be open to scrutiny. The model’s engineering component estimates damage to residential 

structures within Florida zip codes and an actuarial component then estimates the insured loss. The 

average annual loss is then estimated statewide for every zip code in Florida. NOAA researchers at 

the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute 

for Marine and Atmospheric Studies partnered with the Florida International University researchers 

in the fiscal period to update and maintain the wind model within the FPHLM. In FY 2015, 

researchers worked on extending the historical database to include tropical storms below hurricane 

strength. An evaluation of the wind model to determine suitability for modeling weak tropical 

systems that can cause significant flooding was also performed.

GOAL C. IMPROVE THE WINDSTORM RESILIENCE OF COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE

Objective 10: Develop tools to improve the performance of buildings and other structures in 

windstorms 

NSF: Optimal Design of Structures. An NSF-funded project at the University of Maryland is 

taking a cyber-physical approach to the optimal design of structures for wind hazards by combining 

wind tunnel testing results from the University of Florida facility with computational design and 

optimization. The goal of the project is to enable rapid creation of structural designs that meet 

specified objectives, advancing the capability to build stronger, lighter, and more resilient structures 

in the face of wind hazards.

NIST: Database-assisted Design. Database-assisted design (DAD) methods can provide more 

accurate results than more simplified procedures in building codes and standards. During FYs 2015 

and 2016, a methodology and software were developed to directly calculate member demand-tocapacity indexes used in sizing structural members of rigid structures, using as input extreme wind 
31

speeds and aerodynamic pressure time histories available in wind engineering databases.53 NIST also 

developed a novel DAD computational framework applicable to flexible structures experiencing 

significant wind-induced dynamic effects.54

Objective 11: Support the development of windstorm-resilient standards and building codes 

NIST: Translating R&D Advances into Model Building Codes and Standards. Following R&D 

of the technical basis for improvements in voluntary standards and model building codes to enable 

windstorm-resilient construction, NIST worked to move the research results into practice by 

proposing changes to these codes and standards. During FYs 2015 and 2016, the new wind speed 

maps developed by NIST (see Objective 4) were approved for inclusion in the 2016 edition of the 

ASCE 7 Standard Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures and the 2018 edition of 

the International Building Code (IBC). Unlike their predecessors, these new maps clearly reflect the 

significant differences between the extreme wind climates of non-hurricane prone regions of the 

conterminous United States, which will result in more rational, risk-consistent designs throughout the 

country. A new wind speed map for design of hurricane shelters developed by NIST was 

incorporated into the ICC 500 standard, and NIST provided major contributions to the new ICC 500 

Commentary, including the chapter on structural design criteria (see SP-6). 

FEMA: Improving Wind-Resistant Provisions. During FYs 2015 and 2016, FEMA continued to 

work with its partners to develop and incorporate high-wind-resistant provisions and requirements in 

the nation’s model building codes and standards. Working with other federal agencies, state and 

local governments, building regulators, building industry groups, and other entities, FEMA advocated 

for specific changes to increase wind-resistant requirements of the following building and structural 

codes: International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Code 

Council’s Storm Shelter Standard (ICC 500) and Residential High Wind Standard (ICC 600), and 

other industry regulations such as ASCE 7. As a result of these efforts, buildings are being built

stronger, reducing the risks of death, injury, and property loss from high-wind storms.

In addition to championing improvements to the wind-resistant provisions of the IBC, FEMA 

developed supporting commentary and improvements to reference standards for wind-resistant 

design. During FY 2015 and 2016, FEMA has supported the development of first ever commentary 

for the ICC 500: Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters (see SP-6) and new 

tornado commentary for ASCE 7-16: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. 

FEMA also began working with NOAA, NIST, and ASCE on creation of a tornado wind speed 

estimation standard (see Objective 2). FEMA will continue these and other efforts to improve windresistant provisions of codes and standards.

FEMA/NIST: Building Code Requirements for Storm Shelters. As a result of the 2011 spring 

tornadoes MAT recommendations, FEMA proposed two code changes. Both changes were approved 

for publication in the 2015 IBC. The code changes call for mandatory storm shelters in tornado prone 

 53 The Use of Demand-to-Capacity Indexes for the Iterative Design of Rigid Structures for Wind, by Habte, F., Chowdhury, A.G., 

and Park, S. NIST Technical Note 1908, 2016. http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/TechnicalNotes/NIST.TN.1908.pdf. 54 Database-Assisted Design and Second-Order Effects on the Wind-Induced Structural Behavior of High-Rise Steel Buildings, 

by Park, S. and Yeo, D., NIST Technical Note 1940, 2016. http://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=921073
32

regions (where the shelter design wind speed for tornadoes is 250 mph) for schools and firstresponder facilities as follows: 

• All new kindergarten through 12th grade schools with 50 or more occupants in total per

school shall have an ICC 500-compliant storm shelter. 

• All new 911 call stations, emergency operation centers, and fire, rescue, ambulance and 

police stations shall have an ICC 500-compliant storm shelter.

Implementing recommendations resulting from its studies of deadly EF-5 tornadoes in Joplin, 

Missouri (2011)55 and Moore, Oklahoma (2013),56 NIST, with support from FEMA, successfully 

proposed code changes for the 2018 IBC and 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC). 

These changes expand the requirements for storm shelters in schools and associated construction in 

tornado-prone regions as follows:

• New construction for 50 or more occupants at new and existing kindergarten through 12th 

grade schools shall have an ICC 500 compliant storm shelter capable of housing all the 

occupants of the school. When the new construction is not of sufficient size to accommodate 

the entire school, it shall at least accommodate the occupants of the new building or the 

addition to the existing building.

• This requirement includes associated indoor assembly facilities on the school sites, such as 

gymnasiums with bleachers, multipurpose rooms, theaters, and libraries.

FHWA: Development of Design Guidelines and Specifications. FHWA continued its research on 

wind- and rain-induced vibration of bridge stay cables and made the results available to the PostTensioning Institute’s DC-45 Cable-Stayed Bridge Committee for consideration during periodic 

updates of their guide specification on cables. During this reporting period, FHWA also worked 

closely with the Transportation Research Board on the project NCHRP 12-111 “Evaluating the 

Effectiveness of Vibration Mitigation Devices for Structural Supports of Signs, Luminaires, and 

Traffic Signals” aimed at updating AASHTO LRFD Specifications for Structural Supports for Signs, 

Luminaires, and Traffic Signals (AASHTO LRFD SLTS Specifications).

Objective 12: Promote the implementation of windstorm-resilient measures 

FLASH/FEMA: Building Code Commentaries. The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH®)

in partnership with FEMA Building Science Branch, developed a series of building code focused 

commentaries to help inform community officials and other stakeholders of the need for and benefits 

of adopting disaster-resilient building codes. For more information, visit 

http://newsroom.flash.org/news/commentary/.

 55 Final Report - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Technical Investigation of the May 22, 2011, Tornado in 

Joplin Missouri, by E. Kuligowski, F. Lombardo, L. Phan, M. Levitan, and D. Jorgensen. NCSTAR 3, March 2014. t 

http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=915628

56 Preliminary Reconnaissance of the May 20, 2013, Newcastle-Moore Tornado in Oklahoma, by E. Kuligowski, L. Phan, M. 

Levitan, and D. Jorgensen, NIST SP 1164. December 2013. http://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=914721
33

FLASH: Texas State Collaborative. The Texas State Collaborative is a private-public 

collaboration to: 1) Increase public safety through enhanced awareness of Texas weather risks; 2) 

foster strong, modern state and local building codes; and 3) support effective enforcement of state and 

local building codes by well-trained and adequately resourced professionals. Developed in 

partnership with FEMA Building Science Branch, State Farm Insurance Companies, the Texas 

Department of Insurance, and the Building Officials Association of Texas, local leaders and the 

FLASH® brings national support and resources to assist with achieving agreed upon goals. While 

specific to Texas, the model program can be implemented in jurisdictions across the U.S. For more 

information, visit www.texasstatecollaborative.org. 

FLASH: Protect Your Home in a FLASH. The FLASH® using FEMA Building Science Branch 

guidance documents, developed four do-it-yourself videos and other online resources that provide 

steps consumers should take to ensure their homes are protected in the event of hurricane or other 

potentially damaging storms. Each Protect Your Home in a FLASH video is fast-paced, simple to 

follow, and packed with valuable information for safeguarding homes. The videos showcase 

activities that can be completed in one hour, one day, and one weekend. For more information, visit 

www.flash.org/protect.php. 

Objective 13: Improve windstorm forecast accuracy and warning time

NOAA: Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program. NOAA established the 10-year Hurricane 

Forecast Improvement Project (HFIP) to accelerate the improvement of forecasts and warnings of 

tropical cyclones and to enhance mitigation and preparedness by increased confidence in those 

forecasts. Specific goals include reducing track and intensity errors by 20 percent in five years and 

50 percent in 10 years and extending the useful range of hurricane forecasts to 7 days. Under HFIP, 

NOAA has made significant improvements to its operational hurricane prediction model, the 

Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) system, resulting in increased accuracy in the 

numerical guidance for tropical cyclone intensity predictions. In fact, HWRF was the best intensity 

forecast guidance model in 2015 for the North Atlantic Basin.

57 HWRF also showed some 

significant improvements in detecting rapid intensity (RI) and structure changes, hence improving the 

probability of detection for RI forecasts

NOAA: Joint Hurricane Testbed. During FYs 2015 and 2016, the U.S. Weather Research 

Program within the NOAA OAR Office of Weather and Air Quality supported eight new projects 

conducted at the Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT) in Miami, Florida – a NOAA testbed jointly managed 

by the NHC and AOML. These projects involved testing of new techniques, applications, and model 

enhancements to improve the analysis and prediction of tropical cyclones. The JHT is designed to 

facilitate the transfer of new technology, research results, and observational advances by partnering 

researchers from the academic community, federal agencies, and other groups with hurricane 

forecasters at the NHC throughout the entire project. These new projects represent a wide range of 

partners from academia (University of Miami and Florida International University), and federal

 57 2015 HFIP R&D Activities Summary: Recent Results and Operational Implementation.

http://www.hfip.org/documents/HFIP_AnnualReport_FY2015.pdf
34

government laboratories (Naval Research Laboratory, NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Research in 

the Atmosphere, and NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies). 

NOAA: Intensity Forecasting Experiment. NOAA's Hurricane Research Division is in the midst 

of a multi-year experiment to improve hurricane-intensity forecasting. Developed in partnership with 

other parts of NOAA, the goals of the Intensity Forecasting Experiment (IFEX) are collecting 

observations that span the tropical cyclone (TC) life cycle in a variety of environments for 

improvements in the initialization and evaluation of the next-generation Hurricane Weather Research 

and Forecasting Operational Model; developing and refining measurement strategies and

technologies that provide improved real-time monitoring of TC intensity, structure, and environment; 

and improving the understanding of physical processes important to intensity change for a TC at all 

stages of its life cycle. Measurable progress is occurring in TC intensity forecasts as a result of these 

efforts, though much work remains. When possible, IFEX partners with other federal agencies such 

as NASA, ONR, and NSF to accomplish a more complete sampling of TC structure and intensity. 

For example, recent experiments with which IFEX partnered include NASA’s Hurricane and Severe 

Storm Sentinel (HS3) Project, ONR’s Tropical Cyclone Intensification and Structure (TCI) Project, 

and NSF’s Pre-Depression Investigation of Cloud-systems in the Tropics (PREDICT). In 

combination, these agencies deployed multiple aircraft over a 45-day period during the peak of the 

Atlantic hurricane season to gather robust and complementary data sets. These innovative 

interactions provide the opportunity for extensive monitoring of tropical cyclones undergoing 

significant changes in their structure and intensity such as Hurricane Patricia in 2015, a poorly 

forecasted storm which broke records for intensification rate, peak intensity, and warm core 

amplitude. The NOAA P-3 (IFEX) and ONR WB-57 (TCI) aircraft sampled Patricia prior to and 

during its unprecedented intensification, at peak intensity, and during its unprecedented rapid 

weakening just prior to landfall on the Mexican coast. 

NOAA: Warn-on-Forecast. NOAA’s NSSL is working with the NWS to develop a new vision for 

the warning decision process. This new vision is is aimed at increasing tornado warning lead time, 

reducing the false alarm ratio, and providing quantified uncertainty and/or probabilistic hazard 

information that users of local warnings can use in formulating the best response for their situation. 

Toward this end, NSSL scientists and collaborators are developing on-demand, probabilistic, NWPbased convection-resolving analysis and forecast system. The NSSL continues to investigate various 

model parameterization schemes, impacts of the assimilation of radar data, satellite data and other 

observations on probabilistic forecasts, and techniques to improve model initialization through threeand four-dimensional data assimilation. In FY 2015, the NSSL continued to receive funding to 

support the Warn-on-Forecast (WoF) project. 

NOAA: Hazardous Weather Testbed. In FYs 2015 and 2016, NOAA’s NSSL, SPC, and OUN 

continued joint testing of new techniques and applications for enhancing forecasts and warnings of 

hazardous weather – particularly thunderstorms and their attendant damaging winds, hail, and 

tornadoes. This work has been conducted in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT), which 

is designed to accelerate the transition of promising new meteorological insights and technologies 

into advances in forecasting and warning for hazardous mesoscale weather events throughout the 

United States. The NOAA/NASA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R Series 

(GOES-R) Proving Ground also conducts experiments within the HWT and the University of 
35

Oklahoma's Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms to provide key contributions each spring 

during peak severe weather season. Several collaborative experiments are conducted in the HWT 

each year, typically involving multiple external collaborators such as the NCAR, other universities, 

various NOAA agencies, private industry, and leading research scientists and forecasters from around 

the world.

NOAA: Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs). NOAA tested a

prototype of the FACETs Probabilistic Hazard Information (PHI) tool with forecasters in the 2016 

HWT experiment. Forecasters evaluated 4-hourly probabilistic calibrated hazard guidance and 

produced their own warning-scale PHI for tornadoes, lightning and severe thunderstorms utilizing the 

prototype tool. A primary result was the PHI provided a more focused warning than the current 

polygon system, with less false alarm area in proximity to the hazard area and more lead time for the 

projected path of threat (i.e., warnings extend farther than polygon). It was also noted that forecasters 

can have difficulty issuing probabilistic forecasts at warning scales because of a lack of calibration 

and comprehension, such that a human-machine mix is crucial for producing warning scale PHI. 

HWT activities also included the participation of emergency managers and broadcasters in an 

Integrated Warning Team paradigm.

NOAA: High-Resolution Rapid Refresh Model (HRRR) and the Rapid Refresh Model (RAP). 

There is a longstanding need for higher-resolution weather models to increase accuracy of local 

forecasts for emergency managers, air traffic managers, renewable energy producers, wildfire 

managers, and others. To fulfil this need, scientists at the NOAA ESRL/GSD developed a radarinitialized, storm-resolving, high-resolution, hourly-updating assimilation and modeling system 

known as the HRRR model to advance the prediction of weather changes in the environment. The 

HRRR provides hourly weather updates at three km resolution (i.e., a 3.5 square-mile area), which 

increases the protection of lives and property, helps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of 

wind and solar energy of the American energy sector, and provides air traffic managers with rapidly 

updated projections of developing severe weather. During FY 2014, NOAA ESRL/GSD and NOAA 

National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) scientists worked together to transition the 

HRRR model into NWS operations, providing forecast products to users beginning on September 30, 

2014. Version 2 of the HRRR was implemented in NWS operations in late FY 2016. This 

significant upgrade increased the use of satellite data, ingests new data from lightning sensors, radar, 

surface stations, and cloud observations, and extends hourly forecasts from XX to 18 hours. The 

RAP is a coarser version of the HRRR assimilation and modeling system, providing forecasts for the 

North American domain and updated hourly. The RAP provides the boundary conditions used to 

execute the HRRR model. NOAA implemented Version 3 of the RAP in FY 2016, which included a 

larger domain and hourly forecasts out to 21 hours.

Objective 14: Improve storm readiness, emergency communications and response

NOAA: StormReady Program. The StormReady program supports a WRN by preparing 

communities for the occurrence of high impact environmental events. On an annual basis NWS 

targets 100 new StormReady communities if funds are available. StormReady supports NWS’s

disaster risk reduction strategy and provides guidance and incentives to emergency management 

officials who want to improve their hazardous weather and flood operations. A long-term goal for 
36

the program is to make every county or county-equivalent in the United States StormReady. The 

2010 U.S. Census identifies 3234 county or county-equivalents in the United States. We are 38 

percent of the way there with 1235 county or county-equivalents currently recognized as 

StormReady. Overall, there are nearly 2600 communities recognized as StormReady in the U.S. A 

StormReady Community is defined as a local government entity or facility that has the authority and 

ability to adopt the StormReady recognition guidelines for the residents and visitors within its 

jurisdiction. The StormReady web site, http://www.stormready.noaa.gov, was completely updated in 

FYs 2015 and 2016, greatly exceeding the FY 2016 Annual Operating Plan milestone of 189 counties 

becoming StormReady. NOAA also partnered with the Simon Property Group on recognizing all of 

their 209 Regional Malls, The Mills and Premium Outlets locations as StormReady Supporters (and 

WRN Ambassadors).

NOAA: Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs). The FACETs program 

conducted a baseline watch, warning, and advisory (WWA) survey to assess current methods of 

communicating threats to the public. This survey included a systematic analysis of previous research 

on tornado warning reception, comprehension, and response (database of 108 studies). FACETs 

developed and tested new measures for tornado warning reception, comprehension, and response in a 

pilot survey of about 3,000 Oklahomans. One survey goal was to evaluate new measures and 

compare them with the old ones. A second goal was to address important gaps in previous research 

and answer basic questions, e.g., to determine how many people actually receive a warning when it is 

issued for a given area. Both of these goals were achieved during the FY 2015 and FY 2016 reporting 

period.

NIST: Emergency Communications. NIST conducts emergency communication research to 

develop the measurement science that provides the foundation for national codes, standards, and 

guidance on the creation and dissemination of clear, consistent, and accurate emergency 

communications for tornadoes. NIST’s current focus is on developing evidence-based guidance for 

communities on the creation and provision of public alerts, including both outdoor siren (warning) 

systems and social media (including mobile alerts). Progress in FY 2016 included: 1) a review of 

current technology for outdoor siren systems, siren usage, and public response to sirens; 2) a NIST 

and Fire Protection Research Foundation sponsored workshop for emergency managers and NWS

representatives from 13 jurisdictions located in tornado-prone areas within the U.S. The outcome of 

the workshop provided feedback on NIST-developed interim guidance on the usage of outdoor siren 

systems; and 3) beginning development of guidance on the usage of outdoor siren systems for the 

next edition (2019) of NFPA 1600: Standard on Disaster/ Emergency Management and Business 

Continuity/Continuity of Operations Programs. Additionally, NIST developed guidance on 1) public 

alerts and warnings, and 2) application of social media to support emergency communications, was 

successfully proposed for incorporation into the new NFPA 1616 Standard on Mass Evacuation, 

Sheltering, and Re-entry Programs.

5. Outcomes Achieved 

NWIRP has continued to make progress towards achieving the goals and objectives of the Program, 

which is to significantly reduce the losses of life and property due to windstorms. Section 5.1 addresses

outcomes achieved by the Program for the goals identified in the Strategic Plan: improving the 
37

understanding of windstorm processes, hazards, and impacts; and using this knowledge to make 

improvements to windstorm resilience of communities. 

The Program has been successful in using research and investigative findings to inform the development 

of model building codes and national standards. Over thirty recently approved changes to building and 

emergency management codes and standards resulting from Program activities are summarized in Section 

5.2.

5.1. Strategic Goals

Highlights of successes achieved in the areas of each of the three Strategic Goals are summarized below.

Goal A. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards

 Advances in the use of aircraft data have demonstrated the potential for significant improvements 

in hurricane intensity forecasts (20 to 40 percent), breaking a 30-year logjam in intensity forecast 

improvements.

 Results from the NOAA and NSF-supported second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in 

Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) are advancing the understanding of tornado formation, 

improving prediction, and offering prospects for increased warning lead-times.

 Improvements in tornado intensity estimation (developed jointly by NIST, NOAA, and Texas 

Tech University) allowed the EF tornado scale to be adopted and used by the NWS in 2007 for 

more accurate rating of tornado intensity.

Goal B. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts on Communities 

 NSF created national, multi-user facilities to provide the natural hazards engineering community 

with access to research infrastructure (earthquake and wind engineering experimental facilities, 

cyberinfrastructure, computational modeling and simulation tools, and research data), coupled 

with education and community outreach activities through NSF’s NHERI program, including

three facilities dedicated to supporting experimental research in wind and coastal engineering.

 New knowledge from NSF awards helped risk communicators improve the effectiveness of 

warning messages, zoning boards understand opportunities to increase resilience, and emergency 

managers to address the concerns of evacuees. 

 Results of wind engineering research by FHWA contributed to a better understanding of bridge 

cable aerodynamics and effectiveness of associated wind mitigation techniques, improved 

techniques for physical and computational modeling of wind hazards to transportation structures, 

and updates of design guides and specifications for wind.

Goal C. Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide

FEMA publications presenting design and construction guidance for safe rooms have been available since 

1998. Since that time, over one million copies have been distributed and thousands of safe rooms have 

been built. A growing number of these safe rooms have already saved lives in actual events. There has 

not been a single reported failure of a safe room constructed to FEMA criteria. In FY 2015, FEMA 
38

published the 4th edition of FEMA P-320, Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your 

Home and Small Business (December 2014) which includes safe room designs for multiple material types 

and 3rd edition of FEMA P-361, Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community 

and Residential Safe Rooms (March 2015). FEMA also provided training on the latest editions of the 

publications to engineers, architects, builders, and emergency managers.

 Successful building code change proposals by FEMA for the 2015 IBC will result in ICC 500-

compliant storm shelters in new schools and first-responder facilities in the areas of the nation 

with the highest tornado risk. 

 NIST successfully proposed changes to the 2018 IBC and 2018 IEBC to extend the tornado 

shelter requirements to new buildings and additions to buildings on existing school campuses, 

including indoor assembly occupancies (e.g. theaters) associated with school facilities. Shelters 

are required to have enough capacity to protect the entire population of the school, if the new 

building or addition is large enough. 

 New wind speed maps for the design of buildings and structures developed by NIST have been 

incorporated in the 2016 edition of the ASCE 7 Standard for Minimum Design Loads for 

Buildings and Other Structures and approved for inclusion in the 2018 IBC. The new wind speed 

maps provide more risk consistent design wind speeds and better incorporate regional differences 

in extreme wind climate across the country.

 NOAA’s advances in satellite‐based observations, supercomputers, and data assimilation and 

modeling have reduced average hurricane forecast track errors significantly—about half of what 

they were 15 years ago. 

 NOAA’s NWS used Doppler radar and better understanding of radar indicators for tornado threat, 

as well as forecasting and prediction to double the average warning time for tornadoes over the 

past two decades to 13 minutes. 

 NOAA’s WRN program is readying communities for extreme weather, water, and climate events. 

NOAA’s NWS is transforming its operations to help America respond. Offices now provide 

forecast information in a way that better supports the ability of emergency managers, first 

responders, government officials, businesses and the public to make fast, smart decisions to save 

lives and property and enhance livelihoods.

 The StormReady program is supporting a WRN by preparing communities for the occurrence of 

high impact environmental events, including windstorms. Overall, there are nearly 2,600 

communities NOAA recognized as StormReady in the U.S. 

 A new collaboration, #HurricaneStrong, offers empowering hurricane safety and mitigation 

information for families and practitioners through business summits, digital channels, home 

improvement store workshops, kids programming, media outreach, school lesson plans, special 

events, and a social media campaign. The program was created by the (FLASH®) in partnership 

with NOAA and FEMA.
39

5.2. Changes to Model Building Codes and National Standards 

Significant improvements have been made to model building codes and national standards pertaining to 

design and construction of windstorm-resistant buildings and other structures as the result of Program 

activities. The Program also provided significant contributions to the development of a new emergency 

planning and operations standard. Successful recommendations for changes (i.e., successful change 

proposals) were made to the following six model building codes and standards, and one emergency 

management standard:

• ICC 500-2014 Standard and Commentary: ICC/ National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA)

Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters;

• 2015 International Building Code (2015 IBC);

• 2015 International Residential Code (2015 IRC);

• ASCE 7-16, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures;

• 2018 International Building Code (2018 IBC); 

• 2018 International Existing Building Code (2018 IEBC); and

• NFPA 1616-2017, Standard on Mass Evacuation, Sheltering, and Re-entry Programs

Highlights of these codes and standards successes include:

• New design wind speed maps in ICC 500-2014, ASCE 7-16, and the 2018 IBC;

• Requirements for incorporation of storm shelters in new K-12 schools and emergency responder 

facilities located in the most tornado-prone parts of the country (2015 IBC);

• Requirements for incorporation of storm shelters in new buildings (2018 IBC) and additions to 

buildings (2018 IEBC) on existing K-12 school campuses;

• Strengthening of peer-review and special inspection requirements for design of community storm 

shelters in ICC 500-2014;

• Strengthening of oversight on prefabricated storm shelters in ICC 500-2014;

• Better establishment of limits of the prescriptive fastening requirements for wall coverings (2015 

IRC);

• Requirements and guidance for building safety considerations in selection of emergency shelters 

and best available refuge areas for multiple hazards, including hurricanes and tornadoes (NFPA 

1616-2017); and

• Guidance on public alerts and warnings, and application of social media to support emergency 

communications (NFPA 1616-2017).

The following table summarizes 28 approved changes to windstorm-related provisions in existing 

building codes and standards that resulted from Program activities during the current reporting period, or 

resulted from prior proposals to documents that were published during this reporting period. More 

information on the activities supporting many of these change proposals is provided in Section 4 

(particularly in SP-4, SP-6, and Objectives 4, 5, and 11) and in prior NWIRP Biennial Reports. Another

15 proposals were submitted to these building codes and standards that were disapproved.
40

Table 1: Successful Changes to Model Building Codes and National Standards

CODE / 

STANDARD

MAIN 

SECTION(S)

DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE

ICC 500-2014 106.1.1 Reduce the peer review occupancy trigger from 300 to 50 

occupants.

ICC 500-2014 106.1.1

Expand the peer review by requiring designs be reviewed for 

compliance with additional chapters of ICC 500. 2008 edition of 

ICC 500 requires a peer review to be conducted for compliance 

with Chapter 3 (Structural Design Criteria). FEMA’s proposal 

added Chapter 5 (Occupancy, Means of Egress, Access and 

Accessibility) and Chapter 7 (Shelter Essential Features and 

Accessories) to the items that must be covered by the peer review. 

Chapter 6 (Fire Safety) was added by the ICC committee.

ICC 500-2014 106.1.2

Require the peer review to be submitted to the authority having 

jurisdiction along with the construction documents identified in 

Section 107 of ICC 500.

ICC 500-2014 106.1.1

Require that all shelters in Risk Category IV buildings (essential 

facilities) as defined in the IBC, as well as elementary schools, 

secondary schools, and day care facilities (with an occupant load 

greater than 16), have the design peer reviewed by a design 

professional.

ICC 500-2014 106.3

Require special inspections for certain storm shelter applications 

with the goal of targeting storm shelters installed on existing slabs 

that are not sufficient to carry the load. This proposal went 

through extensive debate and eventually evolved into a special 

inspection for anchors post-installed into hardened concrete. The 

ICC 500 requirement was subsequently expanded to include 

masonry as well. FEMA’s proposal also included the addition of 

the 2015 IBC definitions for “special inspection” and “special 

inspector” into Chapter 2 (Definitions).

ICC 500-2014 107.2.1

Require more information within storm shelter plans. The 

proposal was heavily debated and modified, but retained the 

original intent. The accepted proposal requires storm shelter plans 

to also provide minimum foundation capacity requirements and 

shelter installation requirements, including anchor location and 

minimum required capacity for each anchor. The final ICC 500 

language requires these items for all types of storm shelters.
41

CODE / 

STANDARD

MAIN 

SECTION(S)

DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE

ICC 500-2014 107.3.1

Strengthen oversight on prefabricated storm shelters. The 

proposal adds the following to the list of items for which a 

community storm shelter quality assurance plan must be provided: 

foundation design, prefabricated storm shelter installation 

requirements (including anchor location and minimum required 

capacity for each anchor), and the minimum foundation capacity 

requirements for a prefabricated storm shelter.

ICC 500-2014 303.1, 703.8 Change the rainfall rate and other provisions for design of 

hurricane shelters to more accurately reflect rain load and 

drainage-related hazards.

ICC 500-2014 304.2 Replace design wind speed map for hurricane shelters with one 

developed using an improved hurricane simulation methodology.

ICC 500-2014 301-304 Revise the load requirements for consistency with ASCE 7-10 

load provisions.

ICC 500-2014 305.1.2 Change the horizontal hurricane test missile speed from 0.4 times 

the shelter design wind speed to 0.5 times the design wind speed 

to align with FEMA P-361.

ICC 500-2014 308

Add an existing slab on grade subsection that describes the special 

inspection, evaluation, and testing criteria for existing slabs. The 

proposal was not accepted as a new section, but the section 

(formerly 309) was updated to specifically include new or existing 

slabs.

ICC 500-2014 309 Modify the language of Section 309.1 (formerly 310.1) of ICC 500 

to clarify what types of penetrations are required and address the 

issue of door undercuts.

ICC 500-2014 401

Numerous proposals related to flood elevation criteria that resulted 

in ICC 500 adopting elevation criteria that now more closely 

reflects the criteria found in FEMA P-361. See Chapter B4 of the 

2015 edition of FEMA P-361 for a detailed list of the flood 

elevation criteria found in ICC 500 and the few remaining 

differences between it and FEMA P-361.

ICC 500-2014 404

Restrict flood hazard siting for residential and community storm 

shelters. Residential restrictions were not accepted but community 

section was added to prevent community storm shelters being sited 

in high-risk flood hazard areas, including areas subject to highvelocity wave action (Zone V), and floodways; an exception was 

included to allow siting in high-risk flood hazard areas where 

permitted by the Board of Appeals in accordance with the 

provisions in the IBC.
42

CODE / 

STANDARD

MAIN 

SECTION(S)

DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE

ICC 500-2014 806.4.1 Require glazed opening testing for tornado shelters to be 

performed at a pressure of at least 1.2 times the design wind 

pressure.

ICC 500-2014 Commentary

Wrote several chapters of the commentary for the ICC 500-14 

standard and made significant contributions to the rest of the 

document.

2015 IBC 3102.7

Establishes clearly that there are two categories of membrane 

structures supported by a rigid framework:

1) Membrane-Covered Frame Structures – for which the 

membrane does not participate in the lateral restraint of the 

frame members. The membrane shall not be considered to 

provide lateral restraint in the calculation of the capacities 

of frame members

2) Tensile Membrane Structures – wherein the membrane is 

considered to participate in the lateral restrain of the frame 

members. With the passage of G186-12, Tensile Membrane 

Structures are now to be designed in accordance with the 

new ASCE 55 standard.

2015 IBC 423.3 (new)

Adds requirement for storm shelter in critical emergency 

operations facilities (911 call stations, emergency operation 

centers, fire, rescue, ambulance and police stations) where located 

in 250 mph tornado storm shelter wind zone per ICC 500 Figure 

304.2(1).

2015 IBC 423.4 (new)

Adds requirement for storm shelter in K-12 schools with more 

than 50 occupants where located in 250 mph tornado storm shelter 

wind zone per ICC 500 Figure 304.2(1). Exceptions apply for day 

care facilities and occupancies accessory to places of religious 

worship.

2015 IRC R703.4

Better establishes the current limits of the prescriptive fastening 

table for wall coverings. New charging language, new and 

modified tables capture Exposure C & D and mean roof heights 

greater than 30’. 

ASCE 7-16 26.5 Provide new design wind speed maps that better represent regional 

variations in extreme wind climate. Provide separate wind speed 

map for use in design of Risk Category IV structures (critical and 

essential facilities).

ASCE 7-16 31.4.3 Add requirements for consideration of wind directionality as part 

of the wind tunnel procedure for determination of wind loads.

ASCE 7-16 C26.5.1 Update the information on correlation between ASCE 7 design 

wind speeds and the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
43

CODE / 

STANDARD

MAIN 

SECTION(S)

DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE

2018 IBC 423 Require installation of storm shelters in new buildings on existing 

school campuses in tornado prone areas. This requirement 

includes providing shelters for indoor assembly occupancies (e.g. 

theaters and gymnasiums with bleachers) associated with Group E 

occupancies. Shelters are required to have enough occupant 

capacity to protect the full occupant load of the school or the 

assembly area, whichever is greater, if the new building is large 

enough to accommodate that capacity. Maximum travel distance 

to the shelter from the building being served is also specified.

2018 IBC 1609 Add the same new design wind speed maps that were developed 

for ASCE 7-16.

2018 IEBC 1106 (new) Require installation of storm shelters when constructing additions 

to existing school buildings in tornado prone areas. Occupant 

capacity and travel distance requirements are added consistent 

with IBC Section 423.

Additionally, the Program made significant contributions to a new emergency planning and operations 

standard during the current reporting period, the NFPA 1616 Standard on Mass Evacuation, Sheltering, 

and Re-entry Programs. Materials were developed and successfully proposed in the areas of 1) building 

safety considerations in the selection of emergency shelters for multiple hazards, including windstorms, 

and 2) improvement of emergency communications related to mass evacuation and sheltering. These 

contributions are summarized in Table 2. Additional information is provided in Section 4.1 (SP-6) and 

4.2 (Objective 14) on shelter safety and emergency communications considerations, respectively.

Table 2: Successful Changes to Emergency Planning and Operations Standards

STANDARD MAIN 

SECTION(S)

DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE

NFPA 1616-2017 5.6 and 

Annex A5.6

Requirements for consideration of building safety in the selection 

of facilities for mass sheltering before, during, and after

windstorms and other hazards.

NFPA 1616-2017 Annex E Guidance for consideration of building safety in the selection of 

mass shelters for windstorms and other hazards.

NFPA 1616-2017 Annex J New annex with guidance on public alerts and warnings.

NFPA 1616-2017 Annex K New annex with guidance on application of social media to 

support emergency communications.
44

5.3. The Path Forward

At the time of publication of this document, the NWIRP Strategic Plan has been finalized. Initial 

planning for implementation of the Strategic Plan includes the following elements:

● Expand the network of federal agencies that collaborate on windstorm impact reduction by 

adding NASA, USGS, and others to build a stronger scientific understanding of the causes and 

impacts of windstorms, and to ensure that there is no duplication of efforts between agencies. In 

addition, expand engagement with stakeholder organizations, including other levels of 

government, academia and the private sector, so that research outcomes on prevention efforts can 

be disseminated through existing communication networks and reach a wider public audience.

● Improve communication of the NWIRP’s progress through developing a more user-friendly

Program web site, a newsletter, and increased participation in windstorm-related conferences. and

publishing our work and accomplishments widely through established FEMA networks that reach 

schools, community leaders, and home-owner organizations.

Lastly, it should be noted that while the Strategic Plan is believed to address the key elements necessary 

to achieve major measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms, progress on 

implementation of the Plan and the rate of future Program accomplishments are highly dependent on the 

level of resources available to NWIRP agencies.
45

Appendix A: Acronyms

• ASCE - American Society of Civil Engineers

• ASHRAE - American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers 

• AOML - Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory 

• CFD - Computational Fluid Dynamics

• CIMAS - Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies

• CPI - Consumer Price Index

• DHS - Department of Homeland Security

• DoE - Department of Energy

• EF - Enhanced Fujita Scale

• FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency

• FHWA - Federal Highway Administration

• FLASH - Federal Alliance for Safe Homes

• FY - Fiscal Year

• GSA - General Services Administration

• Hazus® - Hazards U.S., a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based natural hazard analysis tool 

developed and distributed by FEMA

• Hazus®-MH - Hazus Multi-Hazard

• HUD - Department of Housing and Urban Development

• HWT - Hazardous Weather Testbed

• IBC - International Building Code

• IBHS - Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

• ICC - International Code Council

• IEBC - International Existing Building Code

• LiDAR - Light Detection and Ranging

• MAT - Mitigation Assessment Team

• NACWIR - National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction

• NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• NCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research

• NEHRP - National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

• NHERI - Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure

• NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology

• NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• NPDIA - National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments

• NRC - Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• NSF - National Science Foundation

• NSSA - National Storm Shelter Association

• NSTC - National Science and Technology Council

• NWIRA - National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004

• NWIRP - National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

• NVOAD - National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters
46

• NWS - National Weather Service

• OMB - Office of Management and Budget 

• OSTP - Office of Science and Technology Policy

• PBD - Performance-Based Design

• R&D - Research and Development

• SDR - Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction 

• USACE - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

• USGS - United States Geological Survey

• VA – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• WG/DIAP - Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans

• WWG - Windstorm Working Group
47

Appendix B: NWIRP Agency Statutory Responsibilities

Tables B.1 through B.4 show the relationship among the statutory responsibilities (42 U.S.C. § 15703) of 

the four Program agencies, respectively, to the Strategic Plan goals, Objectives, and Strategic Priorities. 

Many other activities within the Program agencies, conducted under different statutory authorities, also 

support the NWIRP mission and specific goals and objectives. For example, while NOAA’s assigned 

NWIRP responsibility is atmospheric science research (Table B.3), many other NOAA activities provide 

critical support for windstorm impact reduction, such as storm data collection and archival, forecasting, 

warning communications, and education and outreach programs. Other Program agency capabilities 

beyond those supporting the statutory responsibilities will be engaged by NWIRP as needed.

Table B.1: Federal Emergency Management Agency 

Program Agency Responsibilities Strategic 

Plan Goal

Strategic 

Plan 

Objective

Strategic 

Priority 

SP #

Support development of risk assessment tools and effective 

mitigation techniques. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(A)(i).

B

C

9

10 1, 6

Support windstorm-related data collection and analysis. 42 

U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(A)(ii). A

B

C

2, 4

7, 8, 9

12

2, 3 

Support public outreach and information dissemination. 42 

U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(A)(iii).

C 12, 14 5, 6, 7

Support promotion of the adoption of windstorm preparedness 

and mitigation measures, including for households, businesses, 

and communities, consistent with the agency’s all-hazards 

approach. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(A)(iv).

C 12, 14 5, 6

Work closely with national standards and model building code 

organizations, in conjunction with NIST, to promote 

implementation of research results and promote better building 

practices within the building design and construction industry, 

including architects, engineers, contractors, builders, and 

inspectors. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(B).

C 11, 12, 14 4, 6
48

Table B.2 National Institute of Standards and Technology

Statutory Responsibilities Strategic 

Plan Goal

Strategic 

Plan 

Objective

Strategic 

Priority 

SP #

Lead Agency Responsibilities

Ensure the Program includes necessary components to promote 

implementation of windstorm risk reduction measures by 

federal, state, and local governments, national standards & 

model building code organizations, architects and engineers, and 

others with roles in planning & constructing buildings & 

lifelines. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(1)(A).

All All All

Support development of performance-based engineering tools, 

& work with appropriate groups to promote commercial 

application of such tools, including wind-related model building 

codes, voluntary standards, and construction best practices. 42 

U.S.C. § 15703(b)(1)(B).

C 11, 12 4

Request assistance of federal agencies other than the Program 

agencies, as necessary to assist in carrying out the Act 

(Program). 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(1)(C).

All All All

Coordinate all federal post-windstorm investigations, to the 

extent practicable. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(1)(D). A

B

2

8 3

When warranted by research or investigative findings, issue 

recommendations to assist informing development of model 

codes & inform Congress on use. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(1)(E).

C 11 4, 6

Program Agency Responsibilities

In addition to the lead agency responsibilities, carry out R&D to 

improve model building codes, voluntary standards, and best 

practices for design, construction, and retrofit of buildings, 

structures, and lifelines. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(2).

A

B

C

1, 2, 4

5, 6, 8, 9

10, 11

All
49

Table B.3: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Program Agency Responsibilities Strategic 

Plan Goal

Strategic 

Plan 

Objective

Strategic 

Priority 

SP #

Support atmospheric sciences research to improve 

understanding of behavior of windstorms and their impact on 

buildings, structures, and lifelines. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(4).

A

B

1, 2, 3, 4

5, 6, 8 1, 2, 3, 7

Table B.4: National Science Foundation

Program Agency Responsibilities Strategic 

Plan Goal

Strategic 

Plan 

Objective

Strategic 

Priority 

SP #

Support research in engineering and atmospheric sciences to 

improve understanding of behavior of windstorms and their 

impact on buildings, structures, and lifelines. 42 U.S.C. § 

15703(b)(3)(A).

A

B

1, 2, 3, 4

5, 6, 8, 9, 

10

1, 2, 3, 4, 

6, 7

Support research in economic and social factors influencing 

windstorm risk reduction measures. 42 U.S.C. § 

15703(b)(3)(B).

B

C

7, 8

10, 11, 12 1, 3, 7
50

Appendix C: NWIRP Coordinated Budget

The Fiscal Year 2016 NWIRP Coordinated Budget, provided below, was submitted to Congress on 

October 20, 2016.

NWIRP Coordinated Budget Report

The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) was established by Congress in 

2004 “...to achieve major measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms 

through a coordinated federal effort, in cooperation with other levels of government, academia, and 

the private sector, aimed at improving the understanding of windstorms and their impacts and 

developing and encouraging the implementation of cost-effective mitigation.”

The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 (P.L. 114-52) requires 

submission of a coordinated NWIRP budget to Congress each fiscal year within 60 days after the

date of the President’s budget submission. 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

NIST has been designated as the Lead Agency for NWIRP through the enactment of P.L. 114-52 on 

September 30, 2015. As such, NIST’s responsibilities include both leadership and technical 

activities. 

Planned lead agency activities include: 

• Plan and coordinate NWIRP, in cooperation with other federal agencies and the broader 

stakeholder community 

• Lead development of a public comment draft of the strategic plan for NWIRP, supported by 

input gathered from a stakeholder’s workshop 

• Develop the charter, solicit nominations, and begin the membership appointment process for 

the National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction 

• Coordinate all federal post-windstorm investigations, to the extent practicable. 

Planned technical activities include: 

• Continue development of performance-based design approach for wind hazards 

• Develop computational wind engineering capability for simulating wind pressures on simple 

prismatic shapes, as the first step towards simulation of wind loads on real structures 

• Continue development of tornado hazard maps for use in design of buildings and structures 

• Subject to the availability of funds, solicit grant proposals for research aimed to improve 

resilience of buildings and infrastructure against windstorm hazards, including storm surge 

• Continue technology transfer, translating windstorm impact reduction research to practice 

through participation in codes and standards processes.
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National Science Foundation (NSF) 

The National Science Foundation will support research in engineering and the atmospheric sciences 

to improve the understanding of the behavior of windstorms and their impact on building, structures, 

and lifelines; and research in the economic and social factors influencing windstorm risk reduction 

measures. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

NOAA will conduct research into windstorms and work to improve our wind-related forecasts and 

warnings. NOAA activities contributing to the goals of NWIRP fall under two categories, hurricanes

and local severe weather. 

• Hurricanes - This includes funding for hurricane forecast improvement, hurricane researchto-operations (R2O) integration, and operationally-focused hurricane research. 

• Local Severe Weather, including Tornadoes, Derechoes, and Severe Thunderstorms -

This includes R&D and R2O activities related to these areas, including hazardous weather 

and aviation weather forecast improvement. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

While FEMA receives no appropriated or dedicated funding for wind related projects, a high-level 

summary of the wind related activities FEMA Building Science has or will be pursuing includes: 

supporting the development of risk assessment tools and effective mitigation techniques, postwindstorm related data collection and analysis, public outreach, information dissemination, and 

implementation of mitigation measures consistent with the agency’s all-hazards approach.