National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee (NCSTAC) 

Meeting Summary

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Gaithersburg, Maryland

(Public Meeting conducted via web conference) 

June 8-9, 2022

Advisory Committee Members:

Ross Corotis, Chair University of Colorado, Boulder

Jose Izquierdo-Encarnación, Vice Chair PORTICUS

Reginald DesRoches Rice University

William Holmes Rutherford + Chekene

Gary Klein Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

Kimberly Shoaf Utah School of Medicine

Jeannette Sutton University at Albany, State University of New York

NIST Leadership:

Laurie Locascio Director, NIST

Joannie Chin Director, Engineering Laboratory

Jason Averill Chief, Materials & Structural Systems Division (MSSD)

Steve McCabe Associate Division Chief, MSSD

Judith Mitrani-Reiser Senior Research Scientist, MSSD Champlain Towers South NCST

Lead Investigator, and Hurricane Maria NCST member

NIST Staff (listed in alphabetical order):

Glenn Bell Structural Engineer and Champlain Towers South NCST Associate

Lead Investigator

Tanya Brown-Giammanco Director, Disaster and Failure Studies 

Benjamin Davis Designated Federal Officer, NCSTAC

Maria Dillard Social Scientist and Hurricane Maria NCST Associate Lead

Investigator

Peter Gale Administrative Office Assistant, MSSD

David Goodwin Research Chemist, Infrastructure Materials Group

Kenneth Harrison Operations Research Analyst, Community Resilience Group 

Jennifer Helgeson Economist, Applied Economics Office

Emina Herovic Social Scientist, MSSD

Ken Hover Research Civil Engineer, Champlain Towers South

Jennifer Huergo Director, Public Affairs Office and Family Liaison, 

Champlain Towers South

Kathrine “Jo” Johnson Social Scientist, Earthquake Engineering Group 

Scott Jones Mechanical Engineer, Infrastructure Materials Group

Marc Levitan Research Engineer, Structures Group

Joseph Main Research Structural Engineer, Structures Group and Hurricane Maria

NCST Lead Investigator

Jack Moehle Research Civil Engineer, Champlain Towers South

Sissy Nikolaou Research Civil Engineer, Earthquake Engineering Group

Long Phan Group Leader, Structures Group
Fahim Sadek Research Structural Engineer, Structures Group

Kamel Saidi Acting Group Leader, Sensing & Perception Systems Group 

Chris Segura Research Structural Engineer, Earthquake Engineering 

Group 

Jonathan Weigand Research Structural Engineer, Structures Group

DongHun Yeo Research Structural Engineer, Structures Group

Non-NIST Staff (listed in alphabetical order):

Emel Ganapati Evidence Preservation co-lead, Champlain Towers South

James Harris Building and Code History co-lead, Champlain Towers South

Georgette Hlepas Remote Sensing and Data Visualization co-lead, Champlain 

Towers South

Other Attendees:

Aaron Davis Vice President of Federal Relations, International Code Council 

Jeffrey Harrington Senior Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, DOC
I. Welcome and Opening Remarks

Mr. Benjamin Davis, serving as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO), called the meeting to 

order and took roll call of the Committee members. All seven members of the Committee were 

in attendance. Mr. Davis then introduced the NIST Director, Dr. Laurie Locascio, who thanked 

the Committee for their engagement and serious participation and stated that the NCSTAC and 

its reports are very important to NIST. Dr. Locascio noted that the Committee would receive an 

update on Hurricane Maria’s impacts on Puerto Rico and the Champlain Towers South partial

collapse in Surfside, Florida. She also reminded the Committee of the impact their 

recommendations make as a result of the NCST investigations. These recommendations are 

instrumental in saving the lives of US citizens exposed to varying hazards. Dr. Locascio thanked 

the Committee members for their contributions and encouraged them to continue to provide 

advice.

II. FACA Ethics Briefing

Mr. Jeffrey Harrington provided an ethics briefing detailing the rules, requirements, and 

obligations that apply to the NCST Advisory Committee members in order to remain in good 

standing. 

III. Change in Committee Leadership

Dr. Reggie DesRoches made the announcement that he has stepped down as the Chair of the 

Committee as he has been promoted to serve as the President of Rice University. Dr. Ross Corotis 

has taken his place as Chair. Dr. DesRoches noted that he will finish his term as a member of the 

Committee. Dr. Corotis then reviewed the following meeting goals as the Chair:

• Review NIST’s response to the NCSTAC’s 2021 Report to Congress, 

• Review Disaster and Failure Studies Program Scoring of Events and Readiness of Teams, 

• Review the status of the NCST investigation of Hurricane Maria’s effects on Puerto Rico, 

• Review the status of the NCST investigation of the partial collapse of Champlain Towers 

South in Surfside, Florida, 

• Review progress on the implementation of NCST investigation recommendations for the 

World Trade Center and the Joplin tornado, and 

• Develop the Committee’s annual report to Congress

IV. NIST Response to the NCSTAC’s 2021 Report to Congress

Dr. Tanya Brown-Giammanco provided a presentation that included responses to each of the 

recommendations made to NIST in the NCSTAC’s most recent letter to Congress. The presentation 

can be found here:

NIST Response to the NCSTAC’s 2021 Report to Congress

Discussion:

The Committee asked about the automated scoring of events and why its initial use would be on 

hurricanes instead of other hazards. NIST stated that this decision was made to support the 

National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP), which is also led by NIST and added 

that it made sense to coordinate this effort within NIST. NIST will standardize and continue to 
expand the tool to be used with other hazards. The Committee noted that they were pleased by 

NIST’s plan to propose updates to the 2023 ICC Building Code based on the new ASCE 7-22 load 

provisions which include tornado loads as well as into the 2023 edition of the ICC 500 Storm 

Shelter Standard in response to their recommendation in the 2021 Report to Congress. 

V. Disaster and Failure Studies (DFS) Program Updates

Dr. Brown-Giammanco then presented an overview of the DFS Program and the progress made 

over the last year. The presentation can be found here:

Disaster and Failure Studies Program Updates

Discussion:

The Committee mentioned that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Emergency 

Responder Health Monitor and Surveillance (ERHMS) training could be a good resource for NIST 

field training. The Committee also asked about who decides the funding that will be provided for 

an investigation and if there was anything the Committee could do to help. NIST outlined the 

process for deployment and investigation noting that when the NIST Director approves an 

investigation, funds for the investigation and their source are determined. In some instances, 

special congressional funding can be provided as in the case of the Champlain Towers 

investigation.

The Committee asked for more information about how individuals that work with the National 

Science Foundation (NSF) facilities are determined. NIST responded that it attempts to use the 

faculty and expertise provided by the RAPID and National Hazards Engineering Research Institute 

(NHERI) facilities that are already trained and familiar with needed equipment and analyses. NSF 

also funds rapid response grants, and is establishing a new Interagency Agreement (IAA) that 

would allow NIST to work with these experts for preliminary reconnaissance missions and 

investigations. The Committee also noted that the University of Colorado CONVERGE program 

under NHERI would be a good resource for researchers, and data when considering field 

deployment.

The Committee stated that they look forward to hearing more about the timeline associated with 

the Champlain Towers investigation. The Committee commended NIST for using the Enhanced 

Fujita (EF) Scale when assessing wind damage. 

VI. Summary of Hurricane Maria NCST Investigation Progress

Prior to the presentations, the DFO asked if any members of the Committee had a conflict of 

interest and if so, to recuse themselves. No Committee members recused themselves. Dr. Joseph 

Main reviewed the Hurricane Maria NCST Investigation's goals and progress. His presentation can 

be found here:

Summary of Hurricane Maria NCST Investigation Progress

Dr. Main then introduced Dr. DongHun Yeo to provide the first presentation on the Hazards 

Characterization Project. The presentation can be found below:
Hazards Characterization Project

Dr. Main then gave the next presentation on the Performance of Critical Buildings Project. The 

presentation can be found here:

Performance of Critical Buildings Project

Dr. Main then introduced Dr. Katherine Johnson to give the presentation on the Emergency 

Communications Project. A link to the presentation can be found below:

Emergency Communications Project Update

Finally, Dr. Main introduced Dr. Judith Mitrani-Reiser to give the presentation on the Morbidity 

and Mortality Project. A link to the presentation can be found below:

Morbidity and Mortality Project Update

Discussion:

The Committee asked about how NIST could implement updates to standards since so many 

agencies and organizations are involved. NIST responded that the Hurricane Maria NCST is still in 

the process of developing its findings. Once the findings are established, NIST can determine 

which organization(s) would be best to work with and who would be best to take the lead in 

implementing new standards and practices, as NIST may not always be the lead implementing 

agency. NIST routinely works to update standards or to draft new ones. NIST noted that during the 

investigation the NCST has established many helpful relationships with organizations that would 

be helpful with the implementation of new standards. NIST stated that through the Community 

Resilience Program, which is also under the NIST Engineering Laboratory, NIST has provided 

tools to allow communities to be more proactive in making changes to their codes and practices. 

The Committee asked about translating the messages from Spanish to English and conducting 

analyses in English, and whether NIST had the capacity to analyze the messaging in Spanish and 

translate the analyses into English to make sure nothing is lost in translation. NIST acknowledged 

that this is an important question and that while there may be nuances in meaning, the primary 

focus is to identify the location and other key details which will not be lost in translation. NIST has 

communicated to the relevant contractors the importance of nuances in Puerto Rican Spanish to 

make sure as much connotation and context are captured. 

The Committee also asked whether there has been an assessment of the effectiveness of the verbal 

autopsies, as this could help establish a link between injuries and deaths to building failure. The 

Committee inquired about whether there is a timeline established with the methodology. NIST 

responded that the next steps are to complete the verbal and social environmental surveys by the 

end of the calendar year 2022. The Committee asked why NIST is still conducting hospital 

interviews five years after Hurricane Maria and about how NIST is handling interviews when 

many people present during the event are no longer there. NIST responded that it has been able to 

locate many personnel that were on-site during the event although it has been challenging. The 
Committee stated that most of the population in Puerto Rico was without power when Hurricane 

Maria hit due to Hurricane Irma and that this is an important factor to consider. The Committee 

stated that because of this, there was severely limited communication when Hurricane Maria 

occurred. The damage done and total absence of communication needs to be taken into 

consideration when assessing the status of communications after the event. NIST responded that 

this context has been captured during their interviews with residents of Puerto Rico.

The Committee estimated that 50% of homes built in Puerto Rico are informal construction and do 

not follow codes and standards. Newer houses built with relief funds are much more likely to be 

built to proper codes and standards. The Committee asked whether the household surveys gathered 

for the emergency communications project revealed that the majority of the Puerto Rico population 

relies on radio communications for emergency information, and whether NIST will have access to 

the broadcasts made in the days leading up to Hurricane Maria. NIST responded that the Hurricane 

Maria NCST has collected emergency messages that were transmitted, but not full transcripts. 

Even information about what stations were broadcasting and when they went off the air could be 

helpful. This is something that NIST can look into further, but information may not be readily 

available five years later.

VII. Updates on the NWIRP Project Supporting the Hurricane Maria Program

NIST then transitioned into the NWIRP presentations for the Hurricane Maria Program. Dr. Maria 

Dillard introduced the first presenter, Dr. Ken Harrison, who provided an update on the 

Infrastructure Systems Supporting Critical Buildings and Emergency Communications. The 

presentation can be found through the link below:

Infrastructure Systems Supporting Critical Buildings and Emergency Communications

Dr. Dillard then introduced Dr. Jennifer Helgeson, who presented an update on the Recovery of 

Business Supply Chain Project. The presentation can be found through the link below:

Recovery of Business and Supply Chains Post-Hurricane Maria

Dr. Dillard then presented an update on the recovery of Social Functions Project. The presentation 

can be found through the link below:

Recovery of Social Functions Project

Discussion:

The Committee noted that the presentations were focused on permanent recovery and asked 

whether there was any interest in temporary relief from the loss of power and the loss of 

communication. NIST responded that this is a part of the study’s focus and NIST was looking at 

the cascading effect of how the breakdown of various systems affected each other. The Committee 

then asked how much NIST knew about the design of the communication towers. NIST responded 

that it has received information from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the date 

of construction, but not specific design details. The information NIST has will allow for

determination of the codes and standards that were applicable at the time of the tower’s 
construction. The Committee asked whether NIST has the information about the distribution of 

change in business revenue across large business chains and if NIST can contrast it against the 

change in revenue of small businesses and local chains. NIST responded that the NWIRP team has 

received data from the Small Business Association (SBA) and the Puerto Rico Manufacturing 

Extension Inc. (PRiMEX) to understand the distribution. NIST does not ignore large businesses but

has focused on the recovery of small and medium sized businesses and their dependencies. The 

Committee noted that the transportation data is likely highly irregular because of much less use of 

public transportation due to COVID. NIST acknowledged that this was a factor, but that the focus 

of the survey was on the ability of schools and hospitals to transport people. 

VIII. Progress of Implementation of Recommendations from Previous NCST Investigations

Dr. Long Phan and Dr. Marc Levitan then gave a presentation on the Summary of Progress on 

Prior NCST Investigations. The presentation can be found through the link below:

Summary of Progress on Prior NCST Investigations

Discussion:

The Committee asked whether there had been a consideration for other facilities such as bridges, 

transportation facilities, power facilities, and other structures when making recommendations for 

updates to the (American Society for Civil Engineers) ASCE-7 standard related to tornado hazards. 

NIST responded that several other structures were considered, and additional provisions were 

made for them as well. NIST has also briefed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 

and they are already using data provided by NIST for their analyses. The Committee asked whether

NIST had plans for the adoption by the appropriate authorities. NIST informed the Committee that 

NIST is already reaching out to codes and standards bodies to support the adoption of the proposed 

updates. The Committee asked whether NIST has considered Risk Category II buildings to be 

covered by the tornado loads. NIST responded that Risk Category II buildings have no tornado 

hazard at their current reliability requirements. NIST has taken a different approach. Instead of 

proposing updates to the ASCE-7 to take this into consideration, NIST is conducting an economic 

study to help develop a design guide with the goal of adding new guidance to the International 

Building Codes (IBC), and the International Residential Codes (IRC). The Committee asked 

whether mitigating respiratory infection in shelters was being considered by NIST. NIST 

responded that it is, workshops were planned, but then had to be postponed because of the 

pandemic. NIST presented guidance in the International Codes Counsel’s (ICC) ICC-500 standard 

that stated considerations for public health must be a part of the operations plan for public shelters.

IX. NCSTAC Preparation of Annual Report to Congress

The Committee discussed the information presented on the first day of the meeting and then

assigned sections of the report to Congress to individual members of the Committee. Once the 

Committee assigned roles and asked questions of NIST, the first day of the meeting was adjourned 

at 5 pm.

The next day Mr. Davis convened the meeting with a call to order and roll call. All of the 

Committee members were present. 
X. Champlain Towers Updates

Before the presentation began the DFO asked if any Committee members had a conflict of interest, 

and if so, to recuse themselves. None of the Committee members recused themselves. Dr. Corotis 

made a note that although Committee member Gary Klein did not recuse himself, he does have an 

outside activity working with civil litigants that have court actions pending related to the 

Champlain Towers South collapse. Mr. Klein noted that he is free to disclose that his firm was 

engaged on behalf of the Homeowners Association (HOA) as a potential expert and the litigation 

has not fully settled. Therefore, he does not intend to offer any observations or findings from the 

investigation or make any comments based on his firm's learnings. He did note that he may 

participate and make general comments based on his experience with structural failures. Once the 

litigation is settled, he will be able to speak more freely.

Dr. Mitrani-Reiser and Ms. Jennifer Huergo gave an overview presentation on the Champlain 

Towers South Investigation. The presentation can be found through the link below:

Champlain Towers South NCST Investigation Overview

Dr. Mitrani-Reiser then introduced Mr. Glenn Bell as the Associate Lead Investigator for the 

Champlain Towers South NCST. Mr. Bell began a presentation on investigation updates that was 

continued by Dr. Mitrani-Reiser due to technical issues. The presentation can be found through the 

link below:

Champlain Towers South NCST Investigation Update

Discussion:

The Committee asked whether the recommendations will impact all of the United States or just 

local codes and standards. NIST responded that there are many buildings similar to the one being 

investigated across the US, so a large portion of US building stock could be impacted. The 

Committee noted that specifically, flat slab buildings should be of interest for recommendations 

because of their lack of redundancy. The Committee asked whether there are tools available to 

quantify the collapse and understand it further using the video capturing the collapse. NIST 

responded that they have been working with digital forensic experts from the police, within NIST, 

and the FBI to use the video captured in order to conduct an in-depth analysis of the collapse. The 

Committee commended NIST on their outreach to family members and their efforts to keep them 

informed. The Committee asked whether the "family liaison" position is a new model or practice 

that can be followed by other agencies. NIST responded that each tragedy has its own unique 

community and needs to be addressed in terms of communication. For the Champlain Towers 

event, the required translation of information from English to Spanish may not be needed in every 

situation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been a great resource for 

determining the best way to inform the community. The Committee also commended NIST for its 

detailed timeline of the investigation. 

Dr. Mitrani-Reiser introduced the first set of presenters for the Investigation of the Champlain 

Towers South Collapse investigation, focused on preliminary collection and analysis of evidence. 
Dr. David Goodwin and Dr. Georgette Hlepas presented on the 3D Visualization of Evidence. The 

full presentation can be found through the link below:

3D Visualization of Evidence

Following their presentation, Dr. Emel Ganapati and Dr. Kamel Saidi gave a presentation on the 

Collection of Additional Evidence. The presentation can be found through the link below:

Collection of Additional Evidence

This presentation was followed by the Non-Destructive Testing of Evidence presentation given by 

Dr. Scott Jones and Dr. Sissy Nikolaou. The presentation can be found through the link below:

Non-Destructive Testing of Evidence

Discussion:

The Committee asked about how the destructive testing was done, whether individual pieces or 

several pieces were used, and about how the correlation was being determined. NIST responded 

that the correlation of materials has begun and contracts to support this effort are in the process of 

being awarded. An invasive testing plan has been created to test the compressive strengths of the 

materials used in the construction of Champlain Towers and to build a correlation between the 

materials. The testing done thus far has focused on determining if any of the materials used 

differed in any way, or if they were all consistent. The Committee asked whether it will be possible 

to annotate what information is in alignment with NIST’s hypotheses when NIST releases the 

information they have collected. NIST responded that they are currently developing the scope to 

make sure everything released is factual and can be traced back to the data collected. The 

animations NIST releases will be based upon the most probable cause(s) of the building’s failure. 

The Committee commended NIST for their use of different types of non-destructive testing in this 

investigation. 

The Committee asked about the interviews and focus groups that will be conducted and 

commended the use of social science for this investigation. The Committee inquired about the

status of the interview development process and about how NIST would determine the appropriate 

number of interviews. NIST responded that a social science needs assessment has already been 

conducted and they are now creating sample forms for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval. NIST is also establishing a larger social science team. Thus far, NIST has determined the 

needs of the social science teams and who should be contacted for focus groups and surveys. Once 

initial interviews are conducted, NIST can determine the appropriate saturation level needed. The 

Committee commended NIST’s integration of all of the projects for the investigation. The 

Committee noted that in 1981 NIST conducted a study of a similar collapse in Cocoa Beach, 

Florida, and the way NIST is approaching and using technology for this investigation is very 

impressive in contrast. NIST noted that they agreed with the observation and were also glad to be 

collaborating with other agencies.

The Committee asked about how the material property testing data was progressing, and if 
anything unusual had been discovered. NIST responded that testing is ongoing, and no comment

would be made on the data that has been discovered yet. The Committee commended NIST for its 

use of outside experts and resources in order to achieve the most accurate results possible.

Dr. Brown-Giammanco gave an overview of the progress on the planned schedule, and opened the 

next topic on invasive testing, and structural testing and analysis. Dr. Chris Segura and Dr. Ken 

Hover then gave a presentation on the Invasive Testing of Evidence. The presentation can be found 

through the link below:

Invasive Testing of Evidence

This was followed by a presentation by Dr. Jonathan Weigand and Dr. Jack Moehle on the 

Structural Testing being done to support the Champlain Towers investigation. A link to the 

presentation is below:

Structural Testing

A final presentation on the Computation Modeling Analysis was given by Dr. Jim Harris and Dr. 

Fahim Sadek. A link to the presentation is below:

Computational Modeling and Analysis

Discussion: 

Mr. Bell started the discussion period by thanking the Committee for their previous 

recommendations and highlighting how it has impacted the planning and execution of the 

Champlain Towers investigation. Dr. Mitrani-Reiser then thanked the project leaders for their 

dedication and contributions to the Champlain Towers investigation. She also encouraged input 

from the public through the submission of photos and videos via the NIST Data Portal. The 

Committee commented on how impressive NIST's response to their comments and 

recommendations has been. The Committee asked whether the weight loads could have been 

impacted by the building's initial weight design for carpet that was replaced over time with tiles or 

tiles that were placed on top of tiles and that there is uncertainty about this detail. NIST responded 

that the uncertainty around this topic is high. NIST is in the process of interviewing people from 

search and rescue teams as well as former residents to incorporate a range of uncertainty for the 

weight loads. Real estate transaction records and photographs are also sources of information that 

are being reviewed for information. NIST commented that resources have been dedicated to this 

specific aspect of the investigation. The Committee asked about how uncertainty was being taken 

into account in the collapse model. NIST responded by acknowledging that there is a large amount 

of uncertainty in multiple aspects of the investigation. NIST is working with statisticians from 

other areas within NIST to quantify uncertainty issues. NIST is also conducting sensitivity analyses 

on materials to get a firm understanding of the materials’ and building’s response. The Committee 

noted that this is a very comprehensive approach to the investigation, but all the data will not be 

able to be determined, and some data will be missing. The Committee also noted that sensitivity 

analyses can be a helpful tool to limit uncertainty. The Committee asked about the difficulty in 

replicating the corrosive environment present at the event. NIST responded that an expert in 
corrosion has been brought in to support this effort, and various methods of accelerated corrosion 

will be tested to replicate the conditions present in the pool deck area. This will be done to 

determine at what point corrosion impacts the integrity of the building system. NIST’s expectation 

is that the result of these tests will reveal the structure has little sensitivity to corrosion levels. 

The Committee commended the appointment of Dr. Jim Harris to the codes history aspect of the 

project due to his experience and involvement with codes and standards. The Committee asked if 

NIST has taken into consideration the varying uses of codes and standards that have changed over 

time and location. NIST responded that this has been taken into consideration, and some of the 

engineers that worked on the building have passed away. NIST has made contact with various 

associates and colleagues of the engineers that developed the building in an effort to determine 

what codes and standards were followed during the construction of the building. 

XI. Closing Business

Mr. Jason Averill, the Materials and Structural Systems Division Chief, gave the closing remarks. 

He thanked Dr. DesRoches for his time as Chair and the new Chair and Vice-Chair, Dr. Corotis 

and Mr. Izquierdo-Encarnacion respectively. He also thanked the Committee for their salient and 

timely input. Mr. Averill again asked for any useful or relevant information from the public to be 

provided to NIST via the NIST Data Portal. Mr. Averill stated that once the investigations are 

completed NIST will strive to have the recommendations implemented to ensure the safety of 

buildings within the United States.

Following the closing remarks, Mr. Davis opened the public comment period. Mr. Aaron Davis

from the International Code Council (ICC), spoke. He thanked NIST for their investigation 

described ICC efforts to convene a group of experts to create guidelines to prevent future 

catastrophic collapses. While developed specifically for Florida, the ICC will pursue similar 

national guidelines to be adopted by all of the US. Less than a year after the Champlain Towers 

South collapse, Florida passed SB 4-D which mandates milestone inspections of condominiums 

when buildings reach either twenty-five or thirty years of age, and includes requirements for

inspections every ten years after, along with other new requirements. Mr. Davis stated that the ICC 

looks forward to the results of the investigation and appreciates NIST's efforts. The ICC benefits 

from NIST's expertise and looks forward to working with NIST in the future.

Following the public comment period, the Committee began their preparation for their annual 

report to Congress. 

Following the Committee’s discussion, Mr. Benjamin Davis adjourned the meeting at 4:24 pm ET.