Strategic Plan

for the

National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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This Strategic Plan 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

Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Office of Weather and Air Quality National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

Dr. Dawn Tilbury

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 D. Murphy

Chief Operating Officer National Weather Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

Mr. David I. Maurstad

Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance and Mitigation

Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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Contributors to the Strategic Plan

NIST NWIRP Staff

Scott Weaver, Director Marc Levitan Steve Potts

Windstorm Working Group

Jason Averill, NIST Ted Mansell, NOAA Steve Potts, NIST

Dana Bres, HUD Jacqueline Meszaros, OSTP Pataya Scott, FEMA

Harold Bosch, FHWA Shirley Murillo, NOAA Ty Wamsley, USACE

DaNa Carlis, NOAA Marc Levitan, NIST Scott Weaver, NIST

Sharon Jasim-Haniff, DOE Robert O’Connor, NSF Jonathan Westcott, FEMA 

Edward Laatsch, FEMA Joy Pauschke, NSF

Chungu Lu, NSF Long Phan, NIST

NIST Institutional Support

Jason Averill Howard Harary Therese McAllister

David Butry Michelle Harman Judith Mitrani-Reiser

Joannie Chin Jennifer Horning Michael Newman

Benjamin Davis Joshua Kneifel Jennifer Nist

Maria Dillard Erica Kuligowski Long Phan

Tina Faecke Melissa Lieberman

NIST Contractors

Applied Research Associates, 

Inc.

Consultants

Peter Vickery Forrest Masters

Lauren Mudd Kevin Simmons
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Table of Contents

Contributors to the Strategic Plan ..............................................................................................iii

Table of Contents............................................................................................................................i

Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................1

Chapter 1. Introduction............................................................................................................3

The Challenge ............................................................................................................................3

The Cost of Inaction...................................................................................................................6

Meeting the Challenge ...............................................................................................................7

NWIRP Vision, Mission, and Strategic Planning ....................................................................10

NWIRP Participants and Roles................................................................................................14

Assessing Progress...................................................................................................................16

Chapter 2: Goals and Objectives................................................................................................18

Goal A. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards............................19

Goal B. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts onCommunities........................23

Goal C. Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide..............................30

Chapter 3: Strategic Priorities....................................................................................................38

SP-1 Develop Baseline Estimates of Loss of Life and Property due to Windstorms...........39

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

in Severe Storms ..........................................................................................................40

SP-3 Develop Publicly Available Databases of Windstorm Hazards and Impacts ..............41

SP-4 Develop Performance-Based Design for Windstorm Hazards.....................................41

SP-5 Improve Windstorm Resistance of Existing Buildings and Other Structure ...............42

SP-6 Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve Windstorm Preparedness and 

Hazard Mitigation ........................................................................................................43

SP-7 Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering Strategies......................................44

SP-8 Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in Windstorm Hazard Mitigation

Fields............................................................................................................................44

Chapter 4: Summary ...................................................................................................................46

Appendix A: List of Acronyms ...................................................................................................47

Appendix B: Glossary of Key Terms..........................................................................................49

Appendix C: NWIRP Program Agency Statutory Responsibilities........................................52

Appendix D: NWIRP Statutory Program Components...........................................................55
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Executive Summary

This Strategic Plan (Plan) for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP or Program) 

outlines a coordinated program of windstorm research, development, implementation, education, and 

outreach activities performed by the NWIRP-designated program agencies, in cooperation with other 

government agencies and private sector organizations. These program agencies are:

• the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA);

• the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST);

• the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and

• the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The success of NWIRP will require building on the linked roles of the Program agencies and their 

partners, based on a common vision and shared mission.

The NWIRP Vision is:

A nation that is windstorm-resilient in public safety and economic well-being.

The NWIRP Mission is:

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. NWIRP will support research aimed at improving the understanding of windstorms and their 

impacts, and develop technical guidance and foster outreach initiatives encouraging the 

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

Accomplishing the NWIRP mission requires developing and applying knowledge, data, and science-based 

tools founded on research in the atmospheric sciences, engineering, and social sciences; educating leaders 

and the public; and assisting state, local, and private-sector leaders to develop building codes, standards, 

policies, and practices. The program agencies have established three overarching, long-term Strategic 

Goals, with 14 associated objectives, to support this mission:

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
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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 three Strategic Goals align with the program components of NWIRP, as identified in 42 U.S.C. 

15703(c). Key objectives, implementation strategies, and anticipated outcomes for each goal are provided

in Chapter 2. These elements provide the broad and solid foundation for NWIRP. Program agencies are 

currently implementing many components of these objectives.

The Strategic Plan also identifies eight priority focus areas for new and enhanced efforts. These Strategic

Priorities, listed below and detailed in Chapter 3, 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

SP-5: Improve Windstorm Resistance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures

SP-6: Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve Windstorm Preparedness and Hazard

Mitigation

SP-7: Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering Strategies

SP-8: Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in Windstorm Hazard Mitigation Fields

These goals, objectives, and strategic priorities were developed by the program agencies following review 

and assessment of prior national research needs and planning documents, and consideration of stakeholder 

input. This input was obtained in multiple ways, through 1) a stakeholders workshop that provided 

information to help shape the plan; 2) public comments on a published draft of the Strategic Plan; and 3) 

recommendations from NWIRP’s National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction.

The goals, objectives, strategic priorities, and implementation strategies of this Plan will serve as

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

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

on the level of resources that are available to program agencies.

NWIRP’s success will require partnerships within the windstorm impact reduction stakeholder

community, including research and academic institutions, business and industry, professional and

technical and other private sector entities, and government. Working together, we can achieve the shared

vision of a more windstorm-resilient nation.
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Introduction

The Challenge

Windstorms, and associated flooding, are the largest loss-producing natural hazard in the United States. 

The greatest of these losses are associated with tornadoes and hurricanes. During the period from 1980 to 

2017, windstorms caused over $1 trillion in economic losses and caused over 5,000 fatalities.

1

Every state 

in the country is exposed to windstorm hazards from one or more storm types, including tornadoes, 

tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, nor’easters, winter storms, mountain downslope winds, and others. 

Tornadoes occur in all 50 states, but mainly east of the Continental Divide (see Figure 1). Hurricanes 

primarily impact coastal states along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, as well as Hawaii and U.S. 

territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific (See Figure 2).

Figure 1. Tornado tracks from 1950-2014 mapped by intensity. Tornadoes occur in all 50 states.

(Source: FEMA, using NOAA data)

Over the past 10 years, tornadoes have caused an average loss of over $10 billion per year. In 2011, six

different tornado outbreaks affected 16 states and produced a combined damage of $29 billion and 545

fatalities.2 The 2011 Joplin Missouri tornado alone killed 161 people, injured over a thousand, and

resulted in nearly $3 billion in insured losses.3

 

1 NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, 1980-2016 

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events.

2 The complete list of critical infrastructure sectors is given at https://www.dhs.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors.

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

Joplin, Missouri, NIST NCSTAR-3, March 2014. http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/NCSTAR/NIST.NCSTAR.3.pdf.
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Figure 2. Hurricane tracks from 1950-2014 mapped by intensity. Impacts from landfalling tropical 

cyclones may also occur in non-coastal states.

(Source: FEMA, using NOAA data)

2017 was a record breaking year for windstorm losses in the United States with Hurricanes Harvey ($125 

billion estimated damage), Irma ($50 billion estimated damage), and Maria ($90 billion estimated) 

comprising approximately 80 percent of the $306.2 billion total of extreme weather and climate events. 1

Other, recent notable hurricane events include Hurricane Sandy, which caused over a $70 billion loss,1

producing extensive damage in seven states, and Hurricane Katrina, which caused over 1,200 fatalities 

and a loss in excess of $150 billion, resulting in destructive storm surge along the Louisiana, Mississippi, 

and Alabama coasts, as well as high winds and damage as far inland as Ohio.1 Over just a three-week 

period in the late summer of 1992, the U.S. and its territories were affected by three devastating tropical 

cyclones, beginning with Hurricane Andrew in South Florida on August 24 ($46.2 billion estimated 

damage, 25 fatalities2), Typhoon Omar on August 28 in Guam ($457 million estimated damage (1992 

dollars)), and Hurricane Iniki on September 11 in Kauai, Hawaii ($5.3 billion estimated damage, seven 

fatalities2).

The Pacific Northwest experiences strong winds from atmospheric river events and low pressure 

extratropical cyclones that typically cause extensive power outages every few years. Similarly, on the 

Atlantic coast these low pressure extratropical cyclones, called nor’easters, produce wind and storm surge 

damage, significant power outages and coastal erosion, from the Carolinas up to Maine. In the summer of 

2012, a sustained line of strong thunderstorms associated with damaging straight-line winds, known as a 

derecho, affected 11 states and produced $3.0 billion in estimated damage and 28 fatalities.2
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The most intense windstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes, have the potential to impact national security by 

producing devastating damage to critical infrastructure,2including, for example, defense facilities, ports, 

airports, communication and power grids, critical manufacturing, financial services and nuclear facilities. 

The impact of Hurricane Sandy (2012) on the Financial Center in New York represents a near miss in 

terms of significant damage to critical infrastructure. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused the almost total 

destruction of Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. The ports of Houston and New Orleans are the top 

two U.S. ports in terms of tonnage, and both are located in high hurricane hazard areas. Approximately 25 

percent of oil imported into the U.S. is transported by tankers through the Houston Ship Channel for

processing by refineries, including the nation’s largest, all vulnerable to hurricanes.4 Tornadoespose 

threats to critical infrastructure such as power plants, as well as critical manufacturing and nuclear 

facilities.

Figure 3 shows the average annual insured and uninsured losses incurred by different hazards (perils) for 

the 10-year period ending in 2015. Tropical cyclones (including hurricanes and tropical storms) and 

severe weather (including thunderstorms and tornadoes) contribute the most to the annual losses, 

collectively making up to 73 percent and 75 percent of the total and insured losses caused by all hazards, 

respectively.

Figure 3. Average annual total and insured U.S. economic losses by peril for the 10-year period ending 

2015 5

Figure 4 presents the 15 most costly natural disasters in the United States in terms of insured losses 

(adjusted for inflation but not wealth or population). The data shows that 14 of the 15 costliest natural 

disasters were due to windstorms (12 hurricanes and 2 tornado outbreaks), which comprised 88 percent of

the total loss. All but two of these windstorms have occurred since 2004.

 

4 Kramek, Commander Joseph. "The Critical Infrastructure Gap: U.S. Port Facilities and Cyber Vulnerabilities." Federal 

Executive Series Policy Papers, Brookings Institution (2013).

5 Data source: 2015 Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report, Impact Forecasting, Aon-Benfield, 2016 

http://thoughtleadership.aonbenfield.com/Documents/20160113-ab-if-annual-climate-catastrophe-report.pdf.
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Figure 4. Top 15 most costly U.S. natural disasters (insured losses, 2014 dollars adjusted for inflation 

but not population or wealth) 6

The Cost of Inaction

The costs associated with hurricanes are forecast to increase more rapidly than the growth of the 

economy. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO)7 projects that average annual losses due to hurricanes 

will increase from 0.16 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 0.22 percent of GDP by 2075. CBO 

projections include the effects of sea level rise, increased storm activity, population growth, increased 

coastal development, and increased per capita income in hurricane prone areas. These values do not take 

into account potential improvements in construction practices, land use practices, and building stock 

turnover. 

Similarly, population growth in tornado alley will likely result in increased loss of life and damage, unless 

cost effective measures are taken to reduce the impact of tornadoes on buildings and infrastructure. Figure 

5 shows overall losses due to convective storms for the period 1980 through 2014. The losses are adjusted 

for inflation but not wealth or population growth. Convective storm losses have increased significantly

over the past 35 years, and the rate of increase has accelerated over the last decade.

 

6 Data source: U.S. Natural Catastrophe Review Webinar, First Half of 2015, Munich Re https://www.munichre.com/site/mrammobile/get/documents_E336591247/mram/assetpool.mr_america/PDFs/4_Events/MunichRe_III_NatCatWebinar_071415_pdf.

pdf.

7 Potential Increases in Hurricane Damage in the United States: Implications for the Federal Budget, CBO, June 2016 

https://www.cbo.gov/publication/51518.
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Figure 5. U.S. convective storm losses from 1980–2014 show an increasing trend with time 8

The causes underlying these massive and rapidly increasing windstorm losses are many, varied, and 

complex. Some are related to long-term societal changes, such as the movement of population towards 

coastal areas in hurricane-prone regions of the U.S.9 Others relate to climate system variability and 

change10, lack of understanding of storm characteristics and their associated hazards (e.g., extreme winds, 

wind-borne debris, atmospheric pressure change, storm surge, and surge-borne debris), interactions of 

these hazards on the built environment, how to effectively mitigate them, and how to effectively 

communicate with and educate the public and other stakeholders. Beyond the present limitations of 

physical science, social science and engineering knowledge, other contributing factors include 

deficiencies in current engineering design and construction practices, limited code adoption and 

enforcement in many areas, costs of hazard mitigation, and lack of knowledge and/or prioritization of 

windstorm hazard mitigation by the public, businesses, and governments.

Advances in recent decades in atmospheric science have led to great improvements in forecasting and 

warning systems for hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms; however, large knowledge gaps remain 

in aspects of windstorm climatology and hazards near the surface. This knowledge is critical for risk 

assessments and engineering design of the built environment to mitigate the impact of these hazards. 

Similarly, while great progress has been made in understanding earthquake effects on buildings and 

engineering design to resist those effects, comparatively less progress has been made in engineering for 

extreme winds, and less still for coastal inundation hazards of wind-driven storm surge and waves. 

Without additional actions to mitigate windstorm hazards and thereby reduce windstorm risks, losses due 

to windstorms will only continue to increase.

Meeting the Challenge

In recognition of the necessary role for the Federal Government and other organizations in supporting

windstorm impact reduction, Congress created the NWIRP in 2004 to measurably reduce the loss of life

and property from windstorms (National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004, Public Law 108-360,

Title II). On September 30, 2015, the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 

 

8 Data source: NAT CATS 2014: What’s going on with the weather?, Munich Re, January 7, 2015. 

http://www.iii.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/munichre-010715.pdf.

9 http://www.census.gov/topics/preparedness/about/coastal-areas.html.

10 The Climate Science Supplemental of the National Climate 

Assessment: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/appendices/climate-science-supplement
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(Public Law 114-52) was enacted, which reauthorized the program, made changes to leadership,

oversight, and reporting requirements, modified the roles of the four program agencies, and updated other

program aspects.

With Public Law 114-52, the lead agency function for NWIRP was moved to NIST from OSTP. In 

addition to overall leadership and coordination, NIST responsibilities include:

• Ensuring the program includes components necessary to promote the implementation of

windstorm risk reduction measures;

• Requesting assistance of federal agencies other than the program agencies, as necessary;

• Coordinating all federal post-windstorm investigations to the extent practicable;

• Supporting the development of performance-based engineering tools and working with

appropriate groups to promote the commercial application of such tools; and,

• When warranted by research or investigative findings, issuing recommendations to assist in

informing the development of model codes, and providing information to Congress on the use of 

such recommendations.

There are four designated program agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additionally, the Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA) has participated in NWIRP since its inception. These agencies work together to

implement the program’s three statutory components:

• Improved understanding of windstorms,

• Windstorm impact assessment, and

• Windstorm impact reduction.

Activities identified in the NWIRP authorization span the full spectrum from research through

implementation, including basic physical science, social science, and engineering research; problem

focused research and codes and standards development; information dissemination, public education and

outreach; and promotion of the adoption of windstorm preparedness and mitigation measures. NWIRP is

instructed to work with other levels of government and private sector entities to develop and promote

windstorm preparedness and wind mitigation programs through community outreach and education.

NWIRP is tasked to work extensively to improve the performance of the built environment in windstorms. 

Basic and applied research in science and engineering supports development of methods, tools, and 

technologies for hazard and risk assessments and for improved design of buildings and infrastructure, 

which in turn supports changes to national model codes, standards, and practices. Improved construction 

then follows adoption and enforcement of model codes and standards by the authority having jurisdiction.

An Interagency Coordinating Committee oversees the program’s planning and coordination. The

Interagency Coordinating Committee consists of the heads or designees of FEMA, NOAA, NSF, the

Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and 

is chaired by the Director of NIST or the Director’s designee. A new Windstorm Working Group (WWG) 

was created in 2016 to provide closer program coordination at the working level. In addition to NIST, 

FEMA, NOAA, NSF, and FHWA, other federal agencies are invited to participate in NWIRP activities; 

among those already involved are the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the 

Department of Energy (DoE), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
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Previous NWIRP activities and accomplishments have been documented in a series of biennial reports to 

Congress.11,12,13 There are a number of areas where NWIRP research, development, and actions have

reduced the impact of windstorms to lives and property. A few notable successes include:

• Advances in NOAA’s 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.

• 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.

• The introduction of Doppler radar and better understanding of radar indicators for tornado threat, 

as well as forecasting and prediction have enabled NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) to 

double the average warning time for tornadoes over the past two decades to 13 minutes.

• Improvements in tornado intensity estimation (developed jointly by NIST, NOAA, and Texas 

Tech University) allowed the Enhanced Fujita (EF) tornado scale to be adopted and used for more 

accurate rating of tornado intensity by the NWS in 2007.

• New knowledge from NSF awards has 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.

• New wind speed maps for the design of buildings and structures developed by NIST have been 

approved for incorporation in the 2016 edition of the ASCE 7 Standard for Minimum Design 

Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. The new wind speed maps provide more accurate 

design wind speeds and incorporate regional differences in extreme wind climate across the

country.

• 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. 

• FEMA safe room guidance formed much of the basis for development of the International Code 

Council’s consensus ICC 500 Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters, first 

published in 2008. Using results from post-storm investigations and research, FEMA and NIST 

worked together on many proposals to improve the 2nd edition of the ICC 500 standard, published 

in 2014. 

• Successful building code change proposals by FEMA for the 2015 International Building Code 

(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 International Existing Buildings Code (IEBC) to extend the requirements for 

new schools to also include new buildings and additions to buildings on existing school

campuses.

 

11 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-Reportto-Congress-2.pdf.

12 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-Reportto-Congress.pdf. (Note – activities for Fiscal years 2007-2010 are included in appendices).

13 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.
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• Results of wind engineering research by FHWA have 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.

NWIRP Vision, Mission, and Strategic Planning

This section of the report identifies the framework for the NWIRP Strategic Plan, including vision and 

mission statements, goals and objectives, and a description of the strategic planning process.

The NWIRP Vision is:

A nation that is windstorm-resilient in public safety and economic well-being.

The NWIRP Mission is:

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. NWIRP will support research aimed at improving the understanding of windstorms and their 

impacts, and develop technical guidance and support outreach initiatives encouraging the 

implementation of cost-effective mitigation measuresto reduce those impacts.

Three overarching, long-term Strategic Goals have been established to accomplish this mission, consistent 

with identified needs and the statutory requirements of the program.

Goal A: Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards;

Goal B: Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts on Communities;

Goal C: Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide.

The activities of the program agencies, in collaboration with other federal agencies, State and local

governments, academia and the private sector, are intended to further the ultimate objective, which is to

reduce the loss of life and property from windstorms. The extent to which the program agencies are able

to support these outcomes is a function of the resources available. Figure 6 shows the relationships

between the goals and how the information, tools, and programs developed by NWIRP will result in

products and services that increase community resilience to windstorms.
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Figure 6. NWIRP Goals and outcomes that reduce loss of life and property

Each Strategic Goal includes several objectives, as listed below. Together, these linked goals and

objectives provide a solid foundation for windstorm impact reduction, spanning the range of necessary

actions from basic research through implementation. Details on each of the goals and objectives and

linkages between them, including implementation strategies and anticipated outcomes, are presented in

Chapter 2. Appendix C provides a mapping of each program agency’s statutory responsibilities (42 U.S.C. 

§ 15703(b)) to the Strategic Plan’s goals and objectives, and Appendix D maps the required program 

components (42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)) to the goals and objectives. Progress is being made towards a number 

of elements of these objectives, under NWIRP and other program agency authorities. These activities are 

detailed in the most recent NWIRP biennial report to Congress.14

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

 

14 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-Reportto-Congress-2.pdf.
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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

In addition to these goals and objectives, NWIRP has identified eight priority focus areas for new and 

enhanced efforts through its strategic planning process. These strategic priorities represent a combination 

of: 1) long-term research efforts to provide foundational windstorm hazard and loss data and models; 2) 

opportunities for more rapid windstorm impact reduction, building on existing programs; and 3) 

crosscutting themes to enhance development of the Nation’s human resource base in windstorm hazard 

mitigation fields. These Priorities, listed below and described in Chapter 3, build on and support elements 

of all 14 objectives.

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

SP-5: Improve Windstorm Resistance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures

SP-6: Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve Windstorm Preparedness and Hazard

Mitigation

SP-7: Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering Strategies

SP-8: Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in Windstorm Hazard Mitigation Fields

The strategic planning process to develop these goals, objectives, and strategic priorities incorporated 

review of relevant documents, stakeholder input obtained through the NWIRP Strategic Planning 

Stakeholder’s Workshop, and input from NWIRP and other federal agencies through the WWG and 

Interagency Coordinating Committee. Grand challenge reports, research needs documents, research and 
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

13

development (R&D) roadmaps, and other relevant information from the technical literature was 

considered, including from these key documents:

• Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction, National Science and Technology Council, 

Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction, 2008. http://www.sdr.gov/grandchallenges.html.

• Hurricane Warning: The Critical Need for a National Hurricane Research Initiative, National 

Science Board of the National Science Foundation, 2007. 

http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2007/hurricane/initiative.pdf.

• Final Report: Workshop on Weather Ready Nation: Science Imperatives for Severe Thunderstorm 

Research, 24-26 April, 2012, Birmingham AL, Sponsored by the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration and National Science Foundation, Eds. M. Lindell and H. Brooks,

2012. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/files/WRN_FinalReport120917.pdf.

• Measurement Science R&D Roadmap for Windstorm and Coastal Inundation Impact Reduction, 

NIST GCR 14-973-13, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2014. 

http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=915541.

• Windstorm Impact Reduction Implementation Plan, National Science and Technology Council,

2006. 

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

FINAL.pdf

Another key resource document was the Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction

Program (October 2008, http://nehrp.gov/pdf/strategic_plan_2008.pdf). This program, also known as

NEHRP, is structured very similarly to NWIRP and has similar goals for earthquake impact reduction.

Many elements of the NWIRP Strategic Plan were adapted from the NEHRP Strategic Plan.

An NWIRP Strategic Planning Stakeholder’s Workshop was held at the National Science Foundation on

June 17, 2016, to gather stakeholder input supporting development of the Strategic Plan. The Workshop,

including 11 breakout sessions, was attended by over 80 participants, from government, academia, and the 

private sector, including insurance and reinsurance companies, consultants, building product

manufactures and trade associations, professional societies, and standards development organizations.

Fourteen federal agencies participated in the workshop, including all of the agencies in the WWG, as well 

as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(NRC), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the

Veterans Administration (VA), and the General Services Administration (GSA).

Additional stakeholder input was obtained from public comments on the draft Plan and from

recommendations of NWIRP’s National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction

(NACWIR). The public comment draft of the NWIRP Strategic Plan was published in March 2017, for a

60-day comment period.15 The Strategic Plan was finalized following consideration of public comments16

and NACWIR recommendations17 by NWIRP’s WWG and Interagency Coordinating Committee.

 

15 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_progr

am_-_draft_f.pdf. The publication of this draft and request for public comments was announced in the Federal Register on 

March 14, 2017. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/03/14/2017-04933/request-for-public-comments-on-strategicplan-for-the-national-windstorm-impact-reduction-program.

16 Public comments on the draft NWIRP Strategic Plan received by NIST are available at 

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/06/22/public_comments_on_strategic_plan_for_the_national_windstor

m_impact_redu.pdf.

17 Assessments of and Recommendations for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program and its Implementation, A 

Report from the National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, September 2017. 

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/10/12/nacwir_assessments_and_recommendations_for_nwirp.pdf
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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NWIRP Participants and Roles

The success of NWIRP depends on a coordinated federal effort, in cooperation with other levels of 

government, academia, and the private sector. The roles of all the participating stakeholders are described 

in this section, beginning with those of the program agencies.

NSF supports a broad range of basic research in atmospheric sciences and engineering to improve 

understanding of the behavior of windstorms and their impact on buildings, structures, and lifelines. 

Recent atmospheric science research includes studies of the physical processes that determine 

hurricane intensity, tornado genesis, and tornadic vortex structure. Supported engineering research 

projects include simulation of hurricane and tornado wind fields and the understanding of tornado, 

hurricane, and wind-driven rain effects on buildings. NSF has supported research to improve coastal 

modeling capabilities for storm surge simulation. The NSF-supported Natural Hazards Engineering 

Research Infrastructure (NHERI) program provides a major national resource for conducting basic 

engineering research for earthquakes, windstorms, and coastal inundation events. NSF-supported 

NHERI currently includes two experimental facilities for wind hazards and one for coastal hazards, as 

well as a network coordination facility, a computational modeling simulation center, and an 

experimental facility for post-disaster, rapid-response research. NSF also supports research in

economic and social factors influencing windstorm risk reduction measures, as well as education and 

development of new scientists and engineers.

NOAA supports atmospheric sciences research to improve understanding of the behavior of 

windstorms and their impact on the built environment, including study of the physical processes that 

determine hurricane intensity, tornado genesis, tornadic vortex structure, and other weather 

phenomena including waves, storm surge, and related impacts. It supports research to improve 

observations of physical phenomena; development of novel data assimilation and forecasting 

techniques; and applications of observations, models, and forecasts. NOAA additionally plays a 

critical role in other component areas of NWIRP not specifically identified in statute (42 U.S.C. § 

15703). Such activities include collection and archival of windstorm and post-windstorm data, 

information dissemination, and education and outreach activities that support windstorm impact 

reduction, such as through the Weather Ready Nation program. 

NIST conducts research and development to improve model building codes, voluntary standards, and 

best practices for design, construction, and retrofit of buildings, structures, and lifelines. Recent

activities include development of procedures for accurate characterization of wind and coastal flood 

hazards, aerodynamic loading, and structural response to these effects. It has updated design wind 

speed maps for use in building codes and standards. NIST is currently working to develop new riskconsistent tornado hazard maps to support the development of a performance-based design standard 

for tornado-resistant design of buildings and infrastructure. NIST is also developing computational 

wind engineering methods and tools for simulation of wind loads on buildings, supported by 

aerodynamics testing in the NIST wind tunnel.

FEMA is tasked to support development of risk assessment tools and effective mitigation techniques, 

such as the Hazus®-MH Hurricane Module. FEMA works closely with national standards and model 

building code organizations, in conjunction with NIST, to promote implementation of research results 

and better building practices. FEMA supports windstorm related data collection and analysis. Their 

post-storm Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) reports and other post-disaster investigations 

translate lessons learned from windstorms into guidance documents and training support for states and 

multistate regions. FEMA also supports public outreach and information dissemination, and 

promotion of the adoption of windstorm preparedness and mitigation measures, including for 

households, businesses, and communities, consistent with the agency’s all-hazards approach.
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In addition to the four statutory program agencies, FHWA supports research and development to improve 

windstorm resilience of transportation facilities and infrastructure.

The roles of the program agencies and other stakeholder organizations in the windstorm impact reduction

process are shown schematically in Figure 7. This figure also identifies the connections among the major

components and activities of NWIRP. Basic and applied research in science and engineering supports

development of methods, tools, and technologies for hazard and risk assessments and for improved design 

of the built environment, which in turn supports changes to national model codes, standards, and

practices. State and local governments participate by adoption and enforcement of model codes and

standards.

Figure 7. Roles of program agencies and other stakeholders in the windstorm impact reduction process

Direct windstorm impact reduction takes place in the three fields identified with circles in Figure 7, where 

1) risk assessments, planning, training, outreach, and information dissemination trigger risk reduction 

actions for the full range of end users, and 2) more windstorm-resistant buildings and other facilities are 

designed, constructed and retrofitted. The latter occurs through two paths, mandatory improvements as 

regulated through adopted and enforced building codes, and voluntary mitigation through code-plus 

programs, windstorm retrofits, etc. Examples of risk reduction actions by end users include a homeowner 

installing hurricane shutters to protect the windows, planning for the actions a family can take in case of a 

tornado warning, or a homebuyer purchasing a code-plus house instead of one that only meets the 
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

16

minimum requirements. Another type of risk reduction action would be a business or facility owner in a 

tornado-prone area conducting a windstorm risk assessment, then deciding to either install a storm shelter 

or at least identify the best available tornado refuge area in the existing facility, followed by developing 

and practicing operational plans to move building occupants to the shelter or refuge area during a storm. 

These direct windstorm impact reduction actions are supported by extensive R&D and codes and 

standards activities.

Post-windstorm data collection and observations are critical to the continuous process of evaluating the 

effectiveness of implementation actions and identifying areas in need of further research and 

development. Additional stakeholders beyond those shown in Figure 7 are involved in the windstorm 

impact reduction process including other government agencies and academic institutions.

Assessing Progress

The ultimate success for NWIRP will be the achievement of major reductions in loss of life and property

from windstorms. However, achieving this goal will require a sustained effort over a significant period of

time. A measure of intermediate success will be slowing the rapid rate of growth in property losses

described earlier in this chapter. Developing the data and metrics to better understand and document

current losses and improve tracking of future losses is the focus of strategic priority 1, including nuances

such as consideration of growth in population and wealth (see Chapter 3 for more information on SP-1).

It can be a long process from basic research to implementation actions that will result in observed impact

reductions. In the near term, progress must also be assessed through additional means. For example,

research advances in atmospheric science that lead to technologies for more accurate storm forecasts take

additional years of development and testing before they can be sustained in operation. Similarly, much of

the impact reduction through NWIRP is tied to improvements in building design and construction, which

also takes time. Update cycles for building codes and standards commonly range from three to six years,

not considering the time to conduct the R&D on the front end, and code adoption and enforcement on the

back end. Other pathways to improved construction can be shorter. In certain cases, standards are adopted

directly by state and local governments. Standards also find some level of usage even before adoption in

regulation. Voluntary application of design guidance documents, which often predate standards, provides

another means for more rapid delivery of research results into practice. Improvements to the resilience of

building stock and infrastructure then provide the potential for reduced impacts that will be realized only

when subjected to windstorms. Reductions in incremental costs associated with these improvements to the 

windstorm resilience of the built environment are important to increased adoption of better design and

construction techniques. NWIRP contributions to potential impact reduction from across the spectrum of

research through implementation will be documented and assessed as described in this section.

The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 (Reauthorization) directs the

NWIRP to describe the methods by which progress towards the goals of the program will be assessed.

NWIRP will assess and report progress through its biennial reports to Congress. The progress reports will

include descriptions of program agencies’ activities supporting NWIRP, and information on how these

actions have and will continue to contribute to the reduction in loss of life and property. Figure 8 depicts

the relationship between the Reauthorization and the strategic goals and objectives, supported by program

agency projects and NWIRP progress assessments.
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Figure 8. Conceptual diagram of relationship of Reauthorization to implementation
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Chapter 2: Goals and Objectives

This Strategic Plan is built upon three long-term Strategic Goals that serve as the foundation for the

program vision. The goals are not independent; they are linked in a logical manner that will ultimately

lead to reductions in loss of life and property from windstorms. Each overarching goal includes several

objectives, strategies for implementation and anticipated outcomes that provide insight into its importance

to the Nation. These goals address windstorm hazards, risks, and actions to reduce risk:

Goal A: Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards;

Goal B: Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts on Communities;

Goal C: Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide.

A hazard is defined as a potential threat or incident, natural or human caused, that warrants action to

protect life, property, the environment, and public health or safety, and to minimize disruptions of

government, social, or economic activities. Windstorm hazards include high winds, wind-borne debris,

extreme rainfall and inland flooding, hail, snow, ice, lightning, atmospheric pressure change, storm surge

and coastal flooding, waves, and floodborne debris. Goal A focuses on developing a better understanding

of the wind and coastal flood hazards caused by windstorms and their probabilities.

Risk is defined as the potential for loss or injury due to an adverse circumstance or hazard, often

represented as the product of Hazard x Vulnerability x Consequence. Estimates of risk require knowledge

of the hazard and its probability of occurrence, the vulnerability of a structure, system, or community

given a hazard intensity, such as wind speed, flood water depth or wave height, and resulting

consequences. Goal B identifies the research needed to better understand and reduce vulnerability and

adverse consequences, and hence risk, and development of methods and tools to better quantify physical

and social vulnerabilities and risk.

The results from research and development activities of Goals A and B provide a sound technical basis for 

development and implementation of windstorm impact reduction measures. Goal C addresses actions

directly enabling impact reduction, including through improved building codes and standards, public

policies to improve windstorm resilience, improved windstorm forecasts, and improved public response.

Each objective includes anticipated outcomes, which are identified as either short-term, medium-term, or

long-term efforts. The time frame for a short-term effort is approximately seven years or less, which is a 

typical amount of time required for conducting research and translating the results into a code or standard. 

A medium term of 8 to 15 years allows new research findings to be incorporated in codes and standards 

over a two to three code cycle period. Long-term efforts include objectives that take more than 15 years 

for anticipated outcomes. Broadly, each of the objectives possess a long-term aspect, as the availability of

additional knowledge and data over time will enable the maintenance and updating of the research, 

standards, design codes, products, materials, programs, and initiatives developed with currently available

data.

As windstorm losses continue to trend upward, there is a greater need than ever for increased R&D,

technology transfer, and implementation of windstorm impact reduction measures. NWIRP will support

fundamental research aligned with Goals A and B in the atmospheric sciences, hazards engineering, and

social sciences associated with extreme wind event phenomena, windstorm impacts, and effective

measures to reduce the loss of life and property during hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and other

severe windstorms. The program agencies recognize that this research is foundational to improving the

understanding of the damaging effects caused by severe windstorms, and producing effective policies and

programs that prevent or mitigate loss of life and property. To achieve Goal C, NWIRP will support

development of cost-effective windstorm-resistant materials and systems for use in new construction and

retrofit of existing construction and development of more windstorm-resilient building codes and
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standards. NWIRP will also work to increase public awareness of windstorm risks and promote hazard

mitigation policies and programs as well as improved windstorm emergency preparedness,

communication, and response.

These Strategic Goals and objectives provide a framework for program agencies, in collaboration with

other federal agencies, State and local governments, academia and the private sector, to work toward the

ultimate objective, which is reduction of loss of life and property from windstorms. Progress by program

agencies on implementation of these goals and objectives, conducted under NWIRP and other program

agency authorities, will depend on the level of resources that are available to program agencies.

Goal A. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards

Our current understanding of the detailed characteristics of strong winds near the ground and coastal 

flooding as it moves inland, which is critical to understanding and mitigating windstorm risk, is very 

limited. Goal A focuses on filling these gaps in our knowledge. NWIRP research directions will include 

improved measurement and modeling of hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and other windstorms, 

enabling a better understanding of the effects of extreme winds and wind-driven storm surge and waves 

on civil infrastructure and lifelines in the larger context of community resilience through Goal B.Tools 

for windstorm hazard assessment will be developed, including consideration of long term trends in 

windstorm frequency, intensity, and location, and how changes in these storm characteristics affect risk.

Objective 1: Advance understanding of windstorms and associated hazards

Investment in new research is critical to unlocking new pathways to mitigate or eliminate damage 

resulting from the effects of extreme wind events. Further investigation is required to advance the 

scientific understanding of tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, tornadoes, downbursts, nor’easters, and other 

storms, particularly as it relates to the interaction of surface winds, stormsurge, and waves with buildings, 

bridges, and lifeline utilities (e.g., electrical power transmission lines).

Experimental field research will elucidate the surface wind field where damage to infrastructure occurs 

and improve our ability to refine computer models and laboratory simulations for many different 

windstorm types, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. Advancing new applications of

field remote sensing technology (e.g., inexpensive sensors to capture flood elevation and current for surge 

measurements) will be critical to achieving this goal. Establishing standardized post-processing methods 

will complement these efforts, with the end goal of assimilating data collected from a wide range of 

terrain conditions, elevations, and sampling strategies into a common framework that allows forecasters, 

storm surge modelers, and others to apply them in the appropriate context for their field.

Tropical Cyclones: Accurate modeling of the track and intensity of tropical cyclones, including 

subtropical storms and post-tropical events (Hurricane Sandy at landfall), is critical to evacuation and 

response planning. While track forecasting has steadily improved over the last two decades because of 

advancements in computer modeling and data collection / assimilation, estimates of the surface wind field 

has not achieved the accuracy or the spatial resolution necessary for engineers to determine cause of 

damage. Additional research is required to accelerate progress in this area, particularly to better 

understand the physical processes at all stages of a tropical cyclone’s lifecycle (including when the storm 

moves far inland). A major challenge will be combining surface-, aircraft- and satellite-based weather 
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

20

observations in the regions impacted by hurricanes such as the front right quadrant of a hurricane 

transitioning from ocean to land. For example, the combination of NOAA dropsonde data, aircraft wind 

data and surface wind speed will improve models that describe the behavior of wind changes near the 

surface as the wind transitions from deep offshore to shallow water near shore to land.

Extratropical Storm Systems: Extratropical weather systems such as nor’easters, which are cold-core 

cyclones that can generate hurricane force winds, intense rain, and heavy snowfall, are even less 

understood. The wind fields are often highly variable, therefore engineers mainly rely on nearby 

measurements, not computer modeling, to reconstruct environmental conditions. New research is required 

to improve computer modeling of surface-level winds, enabling explicit simulation of extratropical 

storms.

Thunderstorms: Thunderstorms pose a widespread risk to most of the United States. Fundamental 

questions exist about the representative characteristics of the surface winds, i.e. the velocity profile and 

turbulence characteristics and their dependence on the local terrain roughness and topography. More 

research in the field and laboratory will help explain the characteristics of the downburst winds at heights 

relevant to design of buildings and structures (e.g. rooftop heights and below), where there is a current 

paucity of data. There is also a need for a climatology of downbursts to be developed.

Tornadoes: Tornadoes present a very significant risk to life and property across a large portion of the 

United States, particularly east of the Rocky Mountains. As in the case of thunderstorms, fundamental 

questions exist about the representative characteristics of tornado winds at heights relevant to the design 

of buildings and structures, i.e. the vertical variation of tangential, radial, vertical velocities and 

turbulence characteristics, and their dependence on the terrain and size of the tornado. More analytical, 

computational, laboratory, and field research is needed to better understand the wind fields and 

atmospheric pressure change throughout the tornado vortex. Additional research is also required to better 

understand tornado climatology. The existing climatology is biased due to limitations of observation 

technologies and damage-based intensity reporting methods that miss many tornadoes or underestimate 

their intensity, particularly in sparsely populated areas. Improved methods of tornado detection, track and 

path width determination, and intensity classification are needed.

Special Winds: Other special wind events such as downslope winds (e.g., Chinook and Santa Ana winds) 

are not well described in the peer-reviewed literature. Engineering guidance for the design of structures

prone to downslope winds is scarce. New research is needed to standardize the methods for these ‘special 

wind regions,’ which today can only be defined by regional climate data.

Key focus areas common to these windstorm events include (a) improving measurement science and 

technology to characterize the structure and intensity of windstorm events at high resolution in both time 

and space and (b) improving computational modeling to accurately and reliably recreate, or eventually 

predict, weather conditions at parcel (lot) level resolution.

Cross-cutting Data and Research: Enhancing collaborations between engineers and meteorologists is 

widely recognized by both communities as a critical synergistic opportunity. However, approaches for 

prediction of surface level wind speeds still varies between disciplines. Atmospheric scientists primarily 

rely on global and regional weather prediction models. A growing body of research suggests that these 

tools are suitable to estimate long-term (monthly or annual) statistics; however, recreating high resolution 

surface velocities is impractical today. Accordingly, engineers and catastrophe modelers typically apply 

[a] models calibrated to storm parameters such as the central pressure deficit and the distance to the 

maximum winds from the center of the storm, [b] data-driven simulations that ingest wind field 

observations with adjustments for variations in height, terrain, averaging duration or [c] on smaller spatial 

domains, computer simulations that characterize the flow through and around infrastructure (e.g. large 

eddy simulations). Research to bridge or unify these efforts could be fundamentally transformative for 

finding solutions to better predict, prepare for, and respond to extreme wind events.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Outcome: Integrated datasets of wind, storm surge and wave observations that are accessible in the 

public domain; technological advancements in in situ and remote sensing that improve the spatiotemporal 

resolution of collected data; and improved prediction and characterization of extreme windstorm events, 

including enhancing numerical weather prediction models to reconstruct or predict surface winds at 

sufficient resolution to model structural damage and produce better severe weather warnings to the 

general public. This is a long-term effort that will be on-going for the foreseeable future.

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

Observations of windstorm phenomena are crucial to increasing our understanding of windstorms and our

ability to predict them. Existing observation systems face challenges with readily accessible archives and

metadata allowing the appropriate use of the data. With coming advances in measurement technologies

and the increasing number and type of sensors and data, it will be even more critical to develop improved

systems for data archival and analysis, including documentation of observing system metadata. This data

should be archived in publicly available databases. This objective promotes improving the quantity and

quality of windstorm hazard data through the hardening of existing public observing systems;

documentation and archival of observing system metadata such as precise anemometer location, height,

and type, and development of data-driven tools to perform wind field analyses in real-time and post-event.

Hardening Observing Systems: The existing infrastructure of in situ instrumentation for observing

windstorm phenomena often fail during intense storms. For example, the maximum winds in hurricanes

are often not recorded because of loss of power, and tide gauges often fail before they record the

maximum water level produced during a hurricane or extratropical storm event. An effort to improve the

reliability and durability of these measurement systems is needed. Wind speed and other meteorological

measurements at airport and other official observation stations should be supplied with back-up power so

that they continue to record data throughout a storm. The high wind and storm surge data generated by the

observing systems are critical for evaluating hazard models and assessing the true magnitude of the winds, 

and storm surges in landfalling hurricanes. Portable anemometers and portable Doppler radar systems 

operated by academic and private research organizations are sometimes available to supplement the data 

collected by the fixed observing systems in windstorms, but more measurements are needed, using well 

characterized, permanent observing systems.

Observing System Metadata: The usefulness of existing windstorm data can be significantly improved

through more detailed documentation of instrument types, locations, and surroundings. Many available

windspeed measurements are of limited to no value because they were recorded using instruments with

undocumented heights, anemometer types, and other key installation details. These data may have been

able to be used if detailed metadata, including precise latitude and longitudes, instrument types, and

photographs of the installations and surroundings were provided. Availability of such metadata will

significantly increase the usefulness of many state and local weather observing systems and private

mesonets, as well as publicly available databases (e.g., National Centers for Environmental Information

products). Guidance for documenting and archiving this crucial metadata are needed, along with guidance

to improve siting of new observing systems to minimize interference with immediate surroundings (e.g.,

avoid placement on building roofs).

Data Analysis Tools: Better publicly available tools are needed to synthesize the data that is currently

available, such as NOAA dropsondes wind speeds and remotely sensed surface over water wind speeds in

hurricanes, with all land-based measurements that are used to generate post event hazard footprints. The 

number of sensors worldwide is anticipated to grow into the trillions by the 2020s; machine learning is 

rapidly advancing how meaningful information is extracted from large datasets; and autonomous systems 

will become commonplace soon. These advances likely will fundamentally change how natural hazard 

data are collected, especially for compact or short-lived severe weather events that are difficult to target 

for data collection (e.g., downbursts). As more and more data become available, better tools will be 

needed to synthesize the new data and create 4-D reconstructions of windstorm events, including tornado 
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

22

outbreaks, hurricane winds and surge, thunderstorms and extratropical storms. Similarly, better methods 

to construct real-time 4-D analyses of current conditions are needed to help drive improvements to 

forecasts and warnings of windstorm events.

Outcome: The development of techniques to harden existing systems that measure wind speeds and water

levels will increase the amount of data from severe storms, where data is needed the most (long-term

effort). The development of a framework and guidance for collecting and archiving the needed metadata

will go a long way to improve the usability of the data that are currently being collected, and data that will

be collected in the future. Developing metadata guidance is a short-term effort, while promoting adoption

and implementation of such guidance is a long-term effort.

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

Variations over time in the patterns of extreme wind events raise important questions about possible

changes in expected magnitude and frequency of windstorm hazards experienced by civil infrastructure

and lifelines over their service life, which can extend many decades and even centuries. Therefore, it is

paramount that atmospheric scientists work toward quantifying and reducing the uncertainties associated 

with projecting changes in hazard scenarios. Insufficient data from the pre-satellite era is a limiting factor

for assessing long-term climatology, particularly for hurricanes. Research is needed to improve

confidence in the underlying predictive modeling and the interpretation of the results in the context of

designing against windstorms. An important first step will be identifying the relevant scientific questions

related to the adaptation of design and construction practices to meet the demands of current and future

risks. Key questions include but are not limited to:

• How will sea-level rise affect the prediction of storm surge and coastal flood elevation and inland

extent of inundation in hurricanes and extratropical storms?

• Is there a poleward migration of lifetime-maximum intensity of Atlantic tropical cyclones

affecting hurricane wind speeds used in engineering design and risk estimation? This type of

information will inform the development of hazard maps as discussed in Objective 4.

• Will future conditions foster an increase in the frequency and intensity of major hurricanes?

Consensus on this subject has yet to be reached, and findings in the literature often conflict.

Progress toward reconciling scientific opinions on this matter is essential to producing risk

consistent climatological analyses for hurricane-prone areas, which is deeply sensitive to the

frequency of major storms.

• Will warmer and moister conditions increase the number of thunderstorms and tornadoes, which

are driven by convective instability? While scientific opinion generally agrees that future

conditions will produce warmer and wetter extreme events, less is known about its effects on

tornado genesis and downburst winds.

The answers to these and other questions about future windstorms characteristics will inform development 

of hazard and risk assessments used in planning, design and construction practices (Objective 4), as well 

as improve modeling tools to quantify the impact on the built environment and community functioning 

(Objective 9).

Outcome: An improved understanding of long term trends in extreme wind climatology and sea level

rise, with applications to hazard mapping for risk assessment and engineering design as well as adaptation

to variable climate extremes. This objective is a long-term effort.

Objective 4: Develop tools to improve windstorm hazard assessment

There is a clear need to improve the data and computer models that are used to address deficiencies in

wind and coastal flood hazard maps, and to account for effects not treated in current maps, including

event duration. These hazard maps, usually developed for a range of annual exceedance probabilities, or
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

23

return periods, need to be periodically updated to include results of new research, additional years of data,

and, where possible, account for long term trends in storm frequency, intensity, and location.

Windstorm Types and Characteristics: To meet these needs, existing wind and coastal flood hazard

assessment tools, including maps intended for use in national model building codes and standards, need to

be updated to explicitly address thunderstorm downbursts, nor’easters, and special (e.g., mountain

downslope) wind events. The standards do not address wind directionality effects that have regional

variations or wind and flood storm duration, which also vary regionally. Improved understanding of these

storm types and characteristics is key to the development of risk consistent approaches to assess the full

range of wind hazards on structures located in areas subject to multiple windstorm types. This effort

includes development of tornado hazard maps to support development of design standards and methods

for tornadoes. Combined hazard intensity-duration statistics can be used to inform models addressing

fatigue and erosion, both of which require storm duration information.

Combined Wind-Flood Characteristics: Assessment of storm surge and wave hazards from coastal storms 

such as hurricanes and nor’easters presents a highly challenging problem, as the floodwater depth, 

velocity, and wave characteristics are highly dependent on local geographic, bathymetric, and topographic 

conditions in addition to storm track, size, intensity, and history. Existing methods rely on hindcasting 

(historical reconstruction to model the waves and water elevations that were not measured), Combined 

wind-flood statistics of wind and coastal inundation hazards derived from computer simulations can be 

used to develop regionally varying load combination factors to address the combined effects of extreme 

wind and flood on the coastal built environment. 

Outcome: Support the development of new hazard maps for engineering design that explicitly 

incorporate windstorm types not currently considered. New hazard maps should address current and 

future conditions. Recommendations for joint wind-flood load factors and intensity-duration statistics to 

inform load standards resulting in more resilient design (supporting Objective 11, as well as Objective 9 

on risk assessment). The development of new wind hazard maps and load recommendations is initially a 

short-term effort, followed by periodic review and update. The development of new flood hazard maps 

and load recommendations would be a long-term effort. The maintenance and updating of improved 

standards and building codes requires an ongoing effort.

Goal B. Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts on Communities

NWIRP will support basic and applied research to advance the scientific and engineering knowledge of 

wind and windstorm-induced impacts. The efforts under Goal B, informed by the results of Goal A, will 

feed into Goal C to help support the development of innovative and cost-effective approaches and 

products to improve the performance of buildings, lifelines, and other structures. Research directions 

include building a deeper understanding of physical effects of windstorm hazards on buildings and 

infrastructure as well as the social, cultural, behavioral, and economic factors influencing windstorm 

impacts and the adoption of windstorm impact mitigation, supported by enhanced post-storm data 

collection. New computational tools will be developed for modeling interaction between wind and storm 

surge hazards and the built environment and for risk assessment and loss estimation.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

24

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

Basic and applied research to advance engineering knowledge of windstorm effects on the built

environment is needed. Such research should seek to improve understanding of civil infrastructure

vulnerabilities in extreme windstorm events, refine computational tools to predict performance of civil

infrastructure including water and wastewater, communications, energy, and transportation systems, and

advance knowledge to improve relevant codes and standards. This includes studying the effects of

extreme winds, wind-borne debris, and wind-driven rain, as well as understanding the overland flow

hazard, and the subsequent loads and structural responses for storm surge. For most of the United States

outside of the hurricane-prone region, tornadoes and thunderstorms cause the greatest wind damage to

buildings and power and communication infrastructure.

Thunderstorms: The effects on buildings and structures of the short duration and vertical variations of

wind speed and turbulence intensity in thunderstorm downbursts are largely unknown. Although

thunderstorms are the largest contributor to the wind speed hazards in locations outside hurricane-prone

regions, the wind loading provisions given in codes are based on research for stationary boundary layer

winds and their effects on buildings. It is therefore important to develop a better understanding of the

relationship between transient thunderstorm downburst winds, their resulting loads, and response of

structures to these loads. An improved understanding of theses loads could be achieved through

experimental and computational modeling (downburst simulators) and full-scale experiments

Tornadoes: Our understanding of the mechanisms by which tornadoes impart loads on buildings and

other structures is still in its infancy. For example, little is known about the role of atmospheric pressure

change (APC) in tornado-induced loads, or the characteristics of the tornado turbulent winds near the

ground and their effect on loads. The atmospheric pressure change load on buildings has largely been

disregarded in the past by assuming buildings in tornadoes have been damaged to the extent that the

internal and external pressures due to APC balance and therefore APC can be ignored when calculating

loads. This assumption has never been validated and may well be wrong. Our understanding oftornadic

wind loads can be improved using field and full-scale experiments, laboratory experiments, and numerical

modeling.

Wind-borne Debris and Wind-driven Rain: Advancements needed in the understanding of wind-borne

debris include the effect of the type of windstorm, the duration of the storm, and the density and sources

of debris. Improved debris impact assessments and modeling will lead to improved probabilistic models to 

quantify wind-borne debris impact frequencies, velocities, momenta, and energy for developing riskconsistent design/test criteria. Similarly, improved testing methods are needed to evaluate wind-driven

rain at the component and assembly levels. A better understanding of how water penetrates the building

envelope and what damage it causes once inside is needed.

Storm Surge Flooding: In areas subject to storm surge flooding, water levels and velocities along with

debris in the water column are all significant contributors to damage. These aspects of storm surge

flooding and its interactions with buildings and infrastructure are poorly understood, including current and 

wave characteristics in flooded areas and the corresponding loads and responses of structures, and

floodborne debris characteristics with associated loads and responses. Probabilistic methods are needed

for estimation of floodborne debris generation and characterization based on flood variables (depth,

velocity, waves), along with validated models for estimation of debris impact loads and flood loads due to

current and waves. Coastal erosion and breaching of dunes and levees can significantly alter the

anticipated hazards at nearby locations, and must be better understood in order to accurately conduct

probabilistic flood hazard analyses.

NSF-supported NHERI Research Facilities: The NSF-supporterd Natural Hazards Engineering Research 

Infrastructure (NHERI) provides a major national resource for conducting basic engineering research for 

earthquakes, windstorms, and coastal inundation events. Of relevance to NWIRP, the NSF-supported 
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

25

NHERI currently includes two experimental facilities for wind hazards and one for coastal hazards, as 

well as a network-coordination facility, a computational modeling and simulation center, and an 

experimental facility for post-disaster, rapid-response research. These facilities should be leveraged when 

possible by the natural hazards engineering community when conducting research on the response and 

performance of buildings and infrastructure subject to windstorms.

Wind-tunnel Test Database: Engineers often use publicly available databases containing wind tunnel test

data for their research.18 These data have been used for developing new load criteria for wind loading

standards and in loss modeling tools. It is desirable that these databases be expanded to assess the effects

of extreme windstorms on more building types and geometries. These data can improve requirements for

codes and standards.

Outcome: Improved understanding of the interaction between windstorm hazards (extreme winds,

atmospheric pressure change, wind-borne debris, wind-driven rain, storm surge, and wind-driven waves)

and buildings and other structures, lifelines, and infrastructure. Research conducted to improve the

understanding of windstorm effects on the built environment is a long-term effort.

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

infrastructure

Improved tools for estimating wind and flood induced loads and resistances are needed to enable the

prediction of wind and flood performance of structures without having to resort to physical models, either

full-scale or model-scale. Computational tools are needed to automatically incorporate structure specific

location data that can affect the hazard data given in maps.

Computational Windstorm Loads: Wind and flood load criteria given in design standards have been

developed using results from limited model and full scale tests. Computational methods for evaluating

wind and coastal flood loads on buildings and infrastructure hold great promise to improve load estimates, 

expanding on the limited experimental data to provide better load standards compared to current 

engineering practice. These computational tools cannot yet provide reliable estimates of aerodynamic or 

hydrodynamic loads suitable for design calculations, and continued research is needed so that reliable load 

estimates can be made. The long term goal is to advance these computational tools to the point where they 

can replace physical tests and even be used in a design office, replacing the approaches used today where 

loads are estimated using simplified graphs and equations given in load standards. Improved 

computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for modeling overland water currents and waves, and their

interaction with the built environment, will improve the estimation of coastal flood loads on structures,

thereby improving load standards. A key to the verification of CFD tools is comparisons to model and full

scale data, with the full scale data in real-time during windstorm events.

Automated Data Extraction: Computer tools that poll data bases, including aerial and satellite imagery, to

automatically determine the surface roughness and terrain exposure in which a structure is located would

improve the accuracy of the terrain category required in the wind design process. Computer tools that use

digital elevation data to automatically evaluate topographic effects on wind speeds would eliminate the

need for designers to estimate speed-ups with a difficult to use and very approximate method in current

standards. Terrain and speed up effects are particularly important for the design of communication and

transmission towers that are often intentionally located on top of hills.

Outcome: Tools to incorporate local data to further automate the design process, increasing efficiency

and accuracy, and reducing errors. Advances in computational wind engineering to the point where it can

replace model tests and wind load standards. The development of tools to incorporate local data into the

 

18 Examples include the NIST Aerodynamic Database (http://fris2.nist.gov/winddata/) and the NatHaz Aerodynamic Loads 

Database (http://aerodata.ce.nd.edu/).
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

26

design process is a short-term effort. The use of computational tools in lieu of model tests or load

standards is a long-term effort requiring significant research, development, and validation.

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

reduction measures

Research is needed to identify and address social, behavioral, and economic factors that contribute to and 

protect from loss of life and property damages from windstorms.

Social Factors: Beyond the increased risk associated with poorly constructed structures or poverty, there 

are vulnerabilities related to social and cultural factors that can increase casualties from windstorms. 

These include issues regarding social capital, mobility, language, and access to safe emergency facilities. 

Research is needed to understand how different social groups respond to warnings and what impediments 

exist that reduce the likelihood of taking adequate precautions and preparations. Outreach programs are 

needed to ensure that residents of different socio-cultural and economic groups understand threats and 

how to best respond.

Behavioral Factors: Many home owners ignore windstorm mitigation features when making purchasing 

decisions. Research is needed to understand what information would raise the level of understanding of 

the value of windstorm resilient construction features for homes located in communities at high risk of 

windstorms. Social science research can help to formulate appropriate messaging as well as the most 

effective channels to reach different home buying and owning publics.

Another lesson from previous deadly windstorms is the need to communicate urgency to promote rapid 

and effective public response. The NWS has begun using the phrase “Tornado Emergency” to signal an 

urgent need to respond when the probability for casualties and damage is high. Research is needed to 

determine the effectiveness of this new communication strategy as well as other approaches designed to 

improve public understanding of personal risks and response options, with consideration of socioeconomic and socio-cultural factors.

Economic Factors: Building homes using windstorm resilient construction techniques increases initial

costs which may dissuade some buyers from considering the purchase. It may also discourage

municipalities from adopting stricter building codes. Research is needed in several areas to address the

economic constraints that limit adoption of windstorm hazard mitigation. First, research is needed to

understand the balance between safety and affordability. Are lower cost construction methods and

materials available that can be implemented without sacrificing safety? Second, what are the best tools to

overcome the economic constraints that discourage adoption of safer buildings designed for lower income

households?

The mortgage origination and insurance industries may provide levers for reducing windstorm risks.

Research has shown that better construction increases home values.19,

20

,

21 As a result, increased home

prices should translate to the mortgage market by way of appraisals affecting loan valuation. Additional

research into the relationship between construction quality and loss experience from windstorms will

quantify the long term value of mitigation. Reduced losses should be reflected through the underwriting

process resulting in lower insurance premiums. Further research is needed, including new knowledge of

 

19 Simmons, Kevin M., and Sutter, Daniel (2007), “Tornado Shelters and the Housing Market”, Construction Management and 

Economics, Vol. 25, No. 11, November 2007.

20 Simmons, Kevin M., Kruse, Jamie, and Smith Douglas, (2002). “Valuing Mitigation: Real Estate Market Response to 

Hurricane Loss Reduction Measures”, Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 67, No. 3, January 2002.

21 Awondo, S., Hollans, H. Powell, L., and Wade, C. “Estimating the Effect of FORTIFIED HomeTM Construction on Home 

Resale Value,” Alabama Center for Information & Insurance Research (ACIIR), Culverhouse College of Commerce, University 

of Alabama. Accessed Dec. 2016. http://aciir.culverhouse.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FORTIFIEDReport_V2-1.pdf.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

27

what sorts of educational programs should be targeted at real estate professionals, the insurance industry,

zoning boards, and individual home owners.

In addition to enhanced construction, greater use of tornado saferooms would decrease the lethality of

windstorms. Research has shown that saferooms increase the value of single family homes, and increases

lot rent for mobile home parks that have community shelters.22,

23 Additional study is needed to identify the 

value renters place on safety from windstorms for multi-family structures. Also, education is needed to 

acquaint renters with tools to identify safe housing and property managers on the benefits of providing

properties built to enhanced standards as well as adequate sheltering options for their tenants.

Development of robust benefit/cost assessment tools are needed to support decisions on voluntary and

mandatory adoption of windstorm mitigation. Such tools will be important resources for establishing

priorities, rationalizing expenditures, and justifying changes to building codes and standards. Despite the

clear recognition by the engineering and scientific community of the importance of building codes and

other hazard mitigation actions for addressing windstorm risk, many jurisdictions have yet to adopt or

enforce building codes or other policies to promote mitigation, such as land use and development

regulations, shoreline regulations, natural resource protection, information dissemination and awareness

programs, financial tools, and incentive based programs. Research is needed to better understand

processes shaping jurisdictional decisions to enact and implement such policies, including social,

economic, and political constraints impacting the adoption and enforcement of building codes and

windstorm risk reduction programs. There is also a need for research on compliance issues related to

building codes, and how best to foster a culture of compliance and safety.

Outcome: Increased understanding of the social, behavioral, and economic factors that play important

roles in hazard preparedness and response will reduce windstorm casualties. It will assist both

organizations and individuals to make wiser decisions necessary to survive an on-going event as well as

better decisions to prepare for the next one. Increased understanding of socioeconomic factors influencing

windstorm risk reduction is a short-term effort and a long-term one. The short-term effort is to apply new

knowledge to develop benefit/cost assessment tools and promote effective response decisions in the face

of current realities. The long-term effort is to apply new knowledge to create incentives and

understandings that will increase the resilience of communities to windstorm hazards.

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

Improved collection, archival and analysis methods and procedures for data and information on damage, 

impacts and societal responses both during and after windstorms are needed. Such information is 

invaluable in understanding the causes of windstorm fatalities and injuries, damage, identifying failure 

modes, informing improvements to codes and standards, validating damage and loss models, 

understanding the socio-economic costs of windstorms, informing policy and decision making, and 

identifying needs for future research. Having data archived, and properly documented, in publicly 

accessible databases provides an effective means of dissemination data for research.

Post-storm Damage Surveys: Guidelines for collecting post storm damage data are needed. For example, a 

statistically based survey where information on the performance of all structures, not just those that were 

damaged, is key to better understanding storm impacts. Too many post-storm investigations performed in 

the past have focused on the damaged structures only. Identification of failures and successes, along with 

related code provisions and construction practices, will provide valuable data to inform improvements in 

codes and their enforcement. A new focus on the effects of windstorms on communities as a whole is 

needed, including data collection on characteristics of the emergency response and also recovery times for 

 

22 Simmons, Kevin M., and Sutter, Daniel (2007), “Tornado Shelters and the Housing Market”, Construction Management and 

Economics, Vol. 25, No. 11, November 2007.

23 Simmons, Kevin M., and Sutter, Daniel, (2007), “Tornado Shelters and the Manufactured Home Parks Market”, Natural 

Hazards, Vol. 43, No. 3, December, 2007.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

28

return to functionality for critical facilities and key infrastructure, such as hospitals, power, transportation 

networks etc.

Guidelines for collecting more detailed data on windstorm fatalities and injuries are also needed. This 

includes more robust information on locations and specific causes of windstorm casualties, and 

conversely, rates of survivability, and factors increasing survivability. As a disproportionately large 

percentage of windstorm fatalities occur in manufactured homes24,

25 (i.e., homes built to the Manufactured 

Home Construction and Safety Standards or HUD Code), the guidelines for collection of post-storm 

impact data should include specific guidance for documenting the performance of this type of 

construction.

Windstorm and Built Environment: In addition to the traditional boots-on-the-ground collection of data on 

building and infrastructure performance, aircraft- and satellite-based remote sensing allows for the rapid 

collection of damage data encompassing a large area. Advances are needed in automated detection of 

damage to make full use of current data acquisition capabilities. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) as 

a disaster mapping tool has great potential, as truck-mounted systems can quantitatively assess damage to 

vertical surfaces of buildings and aerial-mounted systems can measure damage to roofs and othersurfaces 

with horizontal projections. Small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, 

hold enormous potential to provide on-demand, high resolution, and targeted data collection at the 

individual neighborhood and building scale. Their use for disaster data collection has begun expanding 

rapidly with advances in the past few years in flight and payload capabilities, flight control systems, and 

easing of regulatory requirements. Instrumentation of buildings and infrastructure during windstorms is a 

reliable but infrequently used method of evaluating wind effects on the built environment, and can 

provide response and performance data both during and post-storm at the building or component level.

Socio-Economic Data: To improve the understanding of the socio-economic impacts of windstorms, data 

should be collected on the pre- and post-storm demographics, migration, industrial production, the supply 

chain, and economic recovery. Such data would enable researchers to assess the effectiveness of 

mitigation, preparedness and response activities and their impacts on recovery and community resilience, 

to identify methods and tools for increasing adoption of best practices for windstorm hazard mitigation by 

people, businesses, and policy and decision makers.

Outcome: Tools and procedures for collecting, archiving and analyzing post-windstorm data. The 

development of guidelines to enhance post-storm data collection and UAS tools to provide new data 

collection capabilities are short-term efforts, and development of tools for automated damage detection is 

a medium-term effort. As in Objective 2, the tools and procedures should be adaptable in nature to support 

the long-term effort of post-windstorm data collection into the future, as advancements in technology, 

such as remote sensing, will likely enable the collection of new and additional data types not currently

available.

Objective 9: Develop advanced risk assessment and loss estimation tools

There is a clear need for the development of an engineering-based windstorm loss estimation tool that can

be used to develop estimates of annualized economic losses arising from windstorms. The estimates of the

annualized losses, including building and infrastructure loss, and both direct and indirect economic losses,

are needed to form a basis from which we can measure reductions in normalized economic losses and

fatalities. Loss estimation tools can be used to support changes to load standards and building codes

 

24 Ashley, W. S., 2007: Spatial and temporal analysis of tornado fatalities in the United States: 1880-2005.American 

Meteorological Society - Journals Online: Weather and Forecasting, 22, 1214-1228. 

http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/2007WAF2007004.1

25 utter, D., and K. M. Simmons, 2010: Tornado fatalities and mobile homes in the United States. Natural Hazards, 53, 125-137. 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-009-9416-x
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

29

through cost-benefit analyses. Loss estimation tools need to be able to address effects of current and

future risks from wind and coastal flooding hazards.

Built Environment Inventory: One challenge to improve loss estimation is developing detailed

information on the wind- and flood-resistant characteristics of the stock of buildings and infrastructure in

the United States. These characteristics vary significantly with region and date of construction.

Information on wind-resistant characteristics of Florida’s residential building stock has been gleaned from

data collected during the My Safe Florida Home program, which provided free wind mitigation

inspections to over 400 000 homeowners. Data included roof-wall connections, window protection (such

as shutters), roof cover type, and roof shape. Other opportunities to collect such information need to be

used, including data collected when buildings are being demolished, upgraded, or re-roofed. In the case of

coastal flooding, a database of buildings’ first floor elevations and foundation types will significantly

improve the accuracy of damage and loss models.

Water Intrusion: It is well known, but poorly documented in the peer-reviewed literature, that significant

damage during high wind events is due to water intrusion, which damages building contents, interior

finishes and systems (e.g., HVAC, electrical). Water intrusion results from both breaches of the building

envelope and leakage through undamaged components. Research into the performance of the building

envelope in high wind-rain events (i.e., design level windstorms) is needed. Damage and loss models

should address the time dependent degradation of the facility’s roofing, connections, windows and

window seals, etc., which act to resist the wind loads and prevent water penetration.

Storm Surge Flooding: Advanced risk assessment and loss estimation tools for wind-driven flooding are

still in a fairly primitive state of development. Much research is needed to advance this area, which is

somewhat different than the tools used for wind effects on buildings and other structures. Most

probabilistic wind hazards are relatively smoothly varying over large areas; whereas, risk related to water

hazards can vary very substantially over short distances. Also, terrain characteristics including elevation

and natural barriers such as dunes can change significantly over time due to long-term effects such as

subsidence and storm-related erosion. Thus, the long-term risks often depend as much or more on where

you build than on how you build for these hazards. Risk assessments in coastal areas need to account for

these long-term effects as well as the highly localized variations in flood hazard. 

Physical Damage and Financial Losses: Obtaining reliable estimates of the financial loss, given physical 

damage to buildings and infrastructure (roads, bridges, communication and power), is a critical step in 

estimating the total economic impact of windstorms. FEMA’s Hazus Hurricane tool addresses some of the 

direct building losses, but Hazus does not address wind damage to the infrastructure. Similarly, the 

Florida Public Hurricane Loss model is in the public domain but it is only applicable to residential and

commercial- residential occupancies in Florida. There are proprietary tools used by the insurance and reinsurance industries that create models using proprietary insurance loss data. Models for estimating

physical damage and financial losses from windstorm-induced flooding will be more reliable as more and

better data are available for the estimates.

Indirect Losses: If indirect economic losses are to be properly modeled, loss models should address

communities as a whole. This would include costs associated with damage to business and industry and

the downstream (supply chain) impact of local business interruption, including the effect of loss of

functionality due to lack of power and communications, disruption of other lifeline utilities, or workforce

disruptions, in addition to loss of functionality due to direct damage. It is important to capture information

on restoration times of buildings and infrastructure, which is critical to the understanding of indirect

economic losses and the ability of a community to recover from windstorms.

Loss modeling tools incorporate models, data, and methods discussed in other NWIRP Strategic Plan

Objectives. Research will be conducted to determine the causes of loss of life in windstorms, with flood

and wind fatalities examined separately. This information should be incorporated in the loss models to
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

30

enable the loss modeling tool to estimate fatalities, as well as the reduction in fatalities due to improved

construction and/or mitigation strategies.

Outcome: Development and application of state-of-the-art, cost-effective windstorm loss and risk

modeling tools, which supports Goal C objectives on mitigation and improvements to the codes and 

standards used in the design of buildings and infrastructure. The short time frame is the development of an 

initial public domain, open source, loss modeling tool that would be updated with new research and data 

in the medium to long term.

Goal C. Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide

The results from R&D activities of Goals A and B provide a solid foundation for the application and

implementation of the windstorm impact reduction objectives of Goal C. NWIRP will support

development of cost-effective windstorm-resistant materials and systems for use in new construction and

retrofit of existing construction and development of more windstorm-resilient building codes and

standards, including codes and standards for manufactured housing. NWIRP will support adoption and

implementation of building codes and standards, as well as voluntary guidelines and programs that

improve windstorm performance of buildings. NWIRP will support development and implementation of

improved windstorm forecasting methods to increase accuracy and warning time. There is a strong need

to integrate results of research on societal response, hazard vulnerability and mitigation, disaster

preparedness, emergency response, and disaster recovery into the implementation activities that support

hazard mitigation, as described in the Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction

Program.26 NWIRP will support integration of social science research findings into the implementation

activities of Goal C, and work to increase public awareness of windstorm risks and to promote hazard

mitigation policies and programs as well as improved windstorm readiness, emergency communications

and response.

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

windstorms

New building products, materials, and methods are needed to reduce damage to buildings and 

infrastructure. Post-storm investigations continually point to poor performance of the building envelope, 

particularly the performance of roof covers, and the inability of windows and doors to keep water out, as 

being drivers of damage, economic loss, and the inability to use a building after the event, suggesting new 

products are needed. Inadequate fasteners, both the size and number of fasteners, are usually the cause of 

the failure of roof decks and even entire roofs.

Sensors are needed that are deployed in structures to inform owners of potential leaks in the building 

envelope, loose connections, etc. Inexpensive hand held or autonomous sensing systems to inspect 

buildings to obtain information on important hidden wind resistive features such as reinforcing bar size 

and spacing, bolt and nail sizes, etc., are needed to perform cost effective evaluations of building 

conditions for risk assessments.

 

26 Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, October 2008, 

http://nehrp.gov/pdf/strategic_plan_2008.pdf.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

31

Building Envelope: To meet this need, new materials, systems, and techniques for improving resilience of 

buildings and other structures against windstorms are necessary. One key area needing improvement is in 

maintaining the integrity of the building envelope, including developing systems that are better able to 

resist wind-borne debris impacts and water-infiltration. This is critical to buildings maintaining their 

functionality. Wind-borne debris impact criteria developed in Objective 5 can be used to develop new 

products to better resist wind-borne debris, to prevent significant internal pressurization of buildings that 

could result in additional damage, and to prevent water entering buildings through a damaged window, 

door, or vent. Research to improve our understanding of how to manage water as it enters a building 

through windows, doors and vents, so that it can be channeled away from water-sensitive areas, will result 

in new methods to minimize water damage. The rapid expansion in recent years of photovoltaic solar 

systems installed on building roofs points to another area needing study, in terms of both the wind 

performance of the solar systems themselves as well as the impacts of solar installation on the integrity of 

the roof system.

Infrastructure: Engineers will work with power and communications industries to align their performance 

goals with those of communities. The current wind loading design standards for distribution of electricity 

do not consider high winds. Research with industry is needed to develop cost-effective ways to increase 

the resilience of the power system to the action of windstorms, ensuring the overall reliability is consistent 

with community performance objectives.

Post-storm damage surveys mapping failures of transmission and distribution systems following severe 

wind events need to properly document the cause and location of the damaged structures, or power lines, 

to provide quantitative assessments of current performance. Studies examining the rate of restoration of 

both transmission and distribution will inform risk-based decision modeling for establishing appropriate 

load factors and performance goals.

Sensing: Smart sensors provide an opportunity to minimize windstorm damage by alerting building 

owners of leaks, damaged roofing, etc., allowing for repairs to be made prior to the occurrence of major 

damage. Sensors used to automatically close vents when wind-driven water is sensed will reduce damage, 

as will window protection that automatically activates when high winds are sensed. New inexpensive 

sensors are needed to perform routine building and other structure evaluations in order to determine their 

capacity to resist windstorms.

Outcome: Improved wind-borne debris protection products and cost-effective products, materials, and 

methods that minimize water infiltration into buildings during high wind events. Development of new 

inexpensive sensors to detect on-going damage, and to develop inexpensive sensors for use in building 

assessment studies. This objective comprises medium and long-term efforts which are largely driven by 

the long lead times needed to develop new products, and if needed, to get their use approved by codes or 

standards.

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

There is need for continued improvements to building codes and standards which are key to reducing both 

loss of life and property in windstorms. Development of new materials and product testing standards that 

properly replicate the effects of wind load, flood and rain that occur in windstorms is also required, as 

many current test methods do not meet this need.

Improved Design Standards: Results from the development of new hazard maps and improved 

understanding of current and future windstorm risks will be used to inform standards and code change 

proposals for improved wind and coastal flood hazard maps, reflecting current and potential future storm 

climatology and sea level rise. Information developed in Goal B will advance the understanding of 

interactions between hazards and the built environment to develop recommendations for code changes to 
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

32

improve provisions dealing with aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loads and the response of buildings and 

infrastructure to these loads.

Engineering-based reference standards that address roof and wall components, cladding attachments, and 

securement of ancillary features are also needed. Currently, these types of standards have typically been 

developed by individual manufactures for new installations based on design of their specific products. 

These standards should then be referenced in the model building codes for both new and existing 

construction. Specific language relating to requisite thresholds of renovations which would trigger 

implementation of wind mitigation measures for existing buildings should be developed.

Improved Materials and Product Testing Standards: Working closely with industry, new improved test 

standards should be developed to provide realistic wind loads for certifying products, since some ofthe 

current test methods are inadequate. For example, current wind fan test methods for roof shingles are 

unable to produce the type of wind loads that are caused by flow separation and the corner vortices 

resulting in unrealistic wind loads, leading to wind speed ratings that have questionable value. Unreliable 

ratings lead to roof coverings that do not perform as expected, enabling water to get into buildings. A 

consistent, repeatable observation after every hurricane is the poor performance of roofing, which could 

be solved if realistic test methods were developed. Product labeling should specify the product’s 

performance requirement (e.g., design pressures, impact resistance, etc.). The labeling requirements need 

to ensure readability after the product is installed and in use. Proper labeling enables the performance of 

products to be objectively evaluated during post-storm damage investigations.

Test standards developed to evaluate rainwater infiltration need to be consistent with the physics driving 

the rain water into the building. New tests and design criteria are needed to prevent water from entering 

buildings through vented soffits and overhangs. Post-storm damage surveys have identified water entering 

buildings through soffits and can cause significant damage to the interior of a building.

Outcome: Improve design and test standards, product labeling, and methods to help demonstrate the costeffectiveness of building code improvements. The development of wind-storm resilient standards is a 

medium-term effort, followed by long-term efforts for continual improvement.

Objective 12: Promote the implementation of windstorm-resilient measures

Public policies that increase windstorm resilience are needed, including regulatory approaches such as

community adoption of windstorm-resilient building codes and floodplain management ordinances, as

well as policies that promote voluntary mitigation.

Incentivized Mitigation: Fundamental to the increased use of mitigation is incentivizing individuals,

suppliers, and communities to adopt it. Public initiatives that increase mitigation by individuals are

encouraged. Voluntary mitigation requires that individuals feel strongly enough about the threat from

windstorm hazards to take action. Mitigation is costly, so the decision to mitigate must weigh expected

benefits against cost. Complicating the decision is the fact that benefits may take years to realize while the

cost must be borne immediately. The Multihazard Mitigation Council has identified various pathways for

use by state and local governments and the private sector to incentivize mitigation.27

Voluntary mitigation holds the promise of reducing casualties and sets an example for others to follow.

This trend can be magnified with better education and proper incentives. Research results from Objective

7 will help formulate incentive programs for mitigation that target those who would benefit the most and

are least likely to mitigate without them. There are several incentive options, direct grants, subsidized

loans, discounts on property insurance and tax incentives. After the 1999 Bridge Creek/Moore F-5

 

27 Developing Pre-Disaster Resilience Based on Public and Private Incentivization, Multihazard Mitigation Council & Council 

on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate, National Institute of Building Sciences, October 2015. 

https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nibs.org/resource/resmgr/MMC/MMC_ResilienceIncentivesWP.pdf
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

33

tornado, a grant program was established in Oklahoma that blended FEMA and state funds providing up

to $2,000 to residents who installed a FEMA-approved safe room/shelter.28 Another incentive isto

provide subsidized loans. The high upfront cost for a benefit that may take years to materialize is a

deterrent to many. Low income families without opportunities to finance may be unable to install such

mitigation features. A third possible incentive is for adopters of windstorm mitigation to be offered a

discount on their property insurance. In Florida and other coastal areas of states that separate windstorm

risk from the standard homeowner’s policy,29 using state-mandated discounts has encouraged mitigation.30

Tax incentives for homeowners who upfit for windstorm resistance or homebuilders who use wind 

engineering techniques would be another option. Identification of which incentives are most appropriate, 

the optimal magnitude of the incentive and strategies to educate the public on mitigation are needed. The 

goal would be to raise the effective standard for windstorm-resistant construction through voluntary

adoption.

Community Led Mitigation: NWIRP encourages communities to adopt modern building codes and 

standards as a basis for design and construction, without eliminating or reducing windstorm resistant

provisions. Enforcement of building codes and standards through inspection and permitting should be 

performed to ensure the benefits are realized. Policies that assure building and inspections departments 

are adequately funded, staffed and trained are encouraged.

Communities can adopt provisions that exceed those required in model building codes, similar to

floodplain ordinances in some communities that require construction elevations above National Flood

Insurance Program minimum requirements, which lessen the risk of flood damage and also decrease flood

insurance premiums for everyone in the community. Motivation to adopt higher standards often comes

from tragic experience. This happened in Moore, OK, after the third violent tornado in less than 15 years

caused 24 fatalities and an estimated $2 billion in damage in Moore and surrounding communities. 31 A

wind-resistant building code was adopted for single family residential construction, increasing the design 

wind speed from an effective peak gust wind speed of 115 mph to 135 mph.32 Even without suchdramatic 

events, the more mundane process of adopting higher standards to influence the underwriting process that 

determines insurance rates can motivate, too. One such program is the Building Code Effectiveness 

Grading Schedule (BCEGS®).33 The concept is simple: municipalities with well-enforced, up-to-date 

codes should demonstrate better loss experience, and insurance rates reflect that. The prospect of 

lessening catastrophe-related damage and ultimately lowering insurance costs provides an incentive for 

communities to enforce their building codes rigorously, especially as they relate to windstorm damage. 

The anticipated result is safer buildings, less damage, and lower insured losses from catastrophes. Most 

communities do not increase their standards, however, for fear of driving residential development to other 

towns. Programs that educate communities on the benefits of higher standards are needed to combat the 

fear of losing development and emphasize instead, the positive aspects of living in a community that 

makes safety a priority. These programs should include options for more wind-resistant design as well as 

land use planning and zoning to discourage development in areas subject to storm surge and other types of

flooding.

Market Value of Mitigation: An indirect benefit of mitigation that affects both individuals and 

communities is the increased value mitigation adds to a home. In vulnerable areas, safety and better 

 

28 http://newsok.com/article/2878726.

29 Kousky, Carolyn (2011), “Managing Natural Catastrophe Risk: State Insurance Programs in the United States”, Review of 

Environmental Economics and Policy, volume 5, issue 1, winter 2011, pp. 153–171.

30 Ripberger, Joseph, Czajkowski, Jeffrey, Simmons, Kevin M., (2016) “Homeowner Willingness to Pay for Private and Public 

Oriented Tornado Risk Mitigation and the Role of Economic Incentives”, White Paper.

31 FEMA P-1020. Formal Observation Report Tornado: Moore, Oklahoma, May 20, 2013. Safe Room Performance, 

Observations, and Conclusions. August 2014.

32 Wind-induced pressures on buildings increase with the square of the wind speed, so this change in the local building code 

translates into a 38 percent increase in wind loads the buildings must be designed to withstand.

33 Administered by ISO, a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics, Inc.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

34

construction increases demand for homes that provide better protection. Homes in central Oklahoma with 

tornado shelters command a premium at resale.34 Hurricane mitigation in a South Texas barrier island 

community was found to increase sales price.3435 Homes in Florida built to the stronger 1994 South

Florida Building Code commanded a premium price, particularly after the 2004 and 2005 hurricane

years.36 Finally, homes built to the IBHS FORTIFIEDTM program standard in Alabama sold at a 6.8 

percent premium.

37 While these results show markets value mitigation, the mortgage industry has been 

slow to recognize them in evaluation of loan applications for homeowners. The real estate community 

needs to be apprised of these results to fully appraise and value the positive market effect of wind hazard

mitigation.

Outcome: Supporting programs for mitigation adoption and supporting efforts from educational 

institutions, communities, and private entities that encourage mitigation will increase the public’s overall 

awareness of windstorm hazards and increase adoption. Increasing mitigation by individuals and 

communities has direct and indirect benefits, including increased safety of those who adopt windstorm 

mitigation. Setting an example for others has the indirect benefit of signaling that mitigation is achievable 

and desirable. Effective education and strategic use of incentives will accelerate adoption of windstorm 

mitigation. Promoting the adoption of wind-resilient measures is inherently on-going in nature.

Objective 13: Improve windstorm forecast accuracy and warning time

Improved forecasts for hurricanes, tornadoes and other severe windstorms are needed to increase the

available time for evacuation, sheltering, and other life safety, property protection, and lifelines protection

actions, and to reduce false alarms to improve warning credibility. More accurate predictions will also

allow for a decrease in the warning area, reducing the disruption and possible complacency in the public’s

response caused by over warnings or false alarms in locations where the hazard probability is sufficiently

low. Progress is also needed on improving detection of hazards and optimizing storm warnings for best

possible outcomes.

Tropical Cyclones: Advances in knowledge of atmospheric dynamics, numerical weather prediction,

supercomputing capabilities, and satellite-based observations have led to a significant reduction in

hurricane forecast track errors in recent years. The average hurricane forecast track errors have decreased

by approximately half in the past 15 years.38 Despite these advances, the average errors in Atlantic

forecast tracks at 120, 96, and 72 hours, the timeframes where evacuation decisions must be made, are

still 222, 160, and 110 nautical miles, respectively.39 Further advances in hurricane track forecasting will

require the development of models that can accurately depict large-scale atmospheric flows, which are

primarily responsible for steering hurricanes. Additional high-impact observations are needed to evaluate

and improve model physics as well as for data assimilation to initiate model forecast runs.Improvements

to hurricane intensity forecasts have come at a much slower pace. High-resolution atmospheric modeling

systems based on dynamical and ensemble approaches offer the best hope for significantly improving

intensity forecasts.

Improvements to forecasts of storm surge-induced flooding are an even more challenging problem. Not

only are such flood predictions highly dependent on the hurricane track, size and intensity, the bathymetry

 

34 Simmons, Kevin M., and Sutter, Daniel (2007). “Tornado Shelters and the Housing Market,” Construction Management and 

Economics, Vol. 25, No. 11, November 2007.

35 Simmons, Kevin M., Kruse, Jamie, and Smith Douglas, (2002). “Valuing Mitigation: Real Estate Market Response to 

Hurricane Loss Reduction Measures,” Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 67, No. 3, January 2002.

36 Dumm, Randy E., Sirmans, G. Stacy, Smersh, Greg (2011), “The Capitalization of Building Codes in House Prices,” Journal 

of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 42, 30-50.

37 http://aciir.culverhouse.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FORTIFIEDReport_V2-1.pdf.

38 NOAA National Hurricane Center Forecast Verification, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/verification/verify5.shtml.

39 Official NHC 5-Year Average Forecast Errors (2011-2015), http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/verification/pdfs/OFCL_5-

yr_averages.pdf.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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and topography of the coastal areas are also critical factors, as well as tides, waves, and rivers. Advances

are needed in the coupling of hurricane wind, storm surge, tide, wave, and river models, as well as

modeling of overland flows. Understanding the wind speed dependence of the sea surface drag coefficient

in coastal waters is critical to accurate modeling of wind-induced surges and waves.

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes: Advances in the understanding of tornado genesis and improvements in

windstorm prediction have enabled NWS to double the average time for tornado warnings to 13 minutes

over the past twenty years.

40 Integration of next generation radar, satellite, lightning datasets and

incorporation of these data into storm scale numerical models provides a potential means to significantly

increase storm scale environment characterization and ultimately warning time. NOAA’s Warn-onForecast research project aims to create computer-model projections that accurately predict storm-scale

phenomena such as tornadoes, large hail, and extreme localized rainfall. If Warn-on-Forecast is

successful, forecasters will be provided with reliable guidance for issuing tornado, severe thunderstorm,

and flash flood warnings up to an hour before they strike.41 Additionally, NOAA’s National Severe

Storms Lab (NSSL) is conducting research to develop a new grid-based all-hazard watch/warning

communication paradigm called Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs).42 If

successful, FACETs will provide local emergency managers and responders with a fully-integrated

continuum of weather threat information, lead to reduction in size of “warned” areas and false alarms, and

provide affected communities with more useful, actionable, and recipient-specific information for

responding to the threats.

Outcome: More accurate forecasts for hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe storms that increase

warning times and decrease warned areas and false alarms. Development and implementation of improved 

forecasting technologies is a long-term effort.

Objective 14: Improve storm readiness, emergency communications and response

Advances in forecasting and communications technology provide opportunities to increase the timeliness

and geographic specificity of emergency alerts and warnings, enabling the public and first responders to

react more effectively to minimize the impact of violent windstorms. Improved response by the public

also depends on understanding the threat information and readiness.

Communications: The effectiveness of emergency communications to the public will be improved by

integration of the social science research findings (Objective 7) into development of public-facing alerts

and warnings. A particular challenge will be to improve alerts and warning messaging to and preparation

of vulnerable populations, since receiving the alert/warning and/or understanding the urgency of the

situation varies across populations. “Push” alerting and warning technologies (e.g., GPS-based mobile

alerts, outdoor siren systems with or without voice communication, reverse 9-1-1, NOAA weather radios,

and social media) provide enhanced alert and warning delivery to those in the path of a storm. Such

technologies maximize each individual’s opportunity to receive emergency information and respond in a

safe, effective, and timely manner. Development and utilization of these systems should be encouraged.

Over the last twenty years, hurricane forecasts have improved significantly and now provide responders

with time to anticipate where their assets are best deployed in advance of landfall. Tornadoes, however,

provide a greater challenge, leaving responders little opportunity to be proactive. A new NOAA initiative

may change that equation, however. Evolving radar, satellite, and lightning technologies are providing

 

40 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-Reportto-Congress-2.pdf

41 NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory Warn-on-Forecast, May 2015. 

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/news/factsheets/WoF_2015.pdf

42 NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats. 

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/facets/
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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more information that pushes back the timing on forecasts and may offer responders greater insight into a

storm’s potential earlier in its life cycle. For example, lightning data from the new Geostationary

Lightning Mapper on GOES-16 can be used to identify when a thunderstorm transitions from non-severe

to severe using the lightning jump algorithm.43 A lightning jump is a physical manifestation of a

strengthening updraft in a thunderstorm and complements the radar data with a diagnostic for updraft

intensification that current NWS radars do not directly measure. The addition of lightning information

data allows forecasters to make more confident warning decisions, leading to a few extra minutes of lead

time and a reduction in false alarms. Furthermore, the lightning data has been shown to improve

operational algorithms used for severe weather monitoring like the ProbSevere algorithm currently used

by NWS forecasters. Another addition to the improved remote sensing capabilities is a project that

attempts to provide emergency managers with potential level of casualties and damage from approaching

storms. This effort combines casualty and damage model estimates with Monte Carlo simulation that

would give responders a probability distribution of a storm’s potential impact. Various thresholds from

this probability distribution could assist in the pre-positioning of assets, improving response time. This

effort is linked to the NOAA FACETS program, which will provide probabilistic warnings in lieu ofthe

binary warnings used today.

Storm Readiness: While schools and many other facilities typically have well defined and practiced

procedures for how to respond in the event of a fire, similar preparations and drills are also needed for

high wind events. In the case of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, there may be only minutes to

respond. For schools and other facilities that do not have storm shelters or safe rooms specifically

designed and constructed to withstand tornadoes, the best available refuge areas should be identified

through an engineering assessment.44 The Storm Ready Program45 of the NWS, which provides guidance

and training in severe weather readiness, should be expanded to include more school districts,

municipalities, counties and other sites.

As storm forecasts and predictions continue to improve, subsequent increases in warning time are

expected. For example, current average warning times for tornadoes are 13 minutes, double the average

from two decades ago.46 This provides an opportunity and a need to explore alternative scenarios for

planning of evacuation and sheltering operations. Another doubling would bring the average tornado

warning time to nearly half of an hour. It is an open question whether that would create new options for

tornado protection, such as through networks of community tornado shelters, or if additional warning time 

would lead to more people taking to the road, with greater exposure to risk than the sheltering-in-place 

most common today. Research and planning are needed to investigate alternative and optimal community 

strategies for life safety protection through evacuation and sheltering.

Response: Emergency responders can save lives through timely rescue operations. New technologies can

enhance and improve responder effectiveness. For example, recent advances in robotics technology

provide the potential for advanced tools to support first responders and search and rescue teams. Small

unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can provide increased situational awareness following windstorms,

such as rapid damage assessment and if roads ahead are blocked by debris, and response robots can help

locate victims in collapsed buildings. Additional research and development is needed to bring these

technologies into widespread use, in areas including improved communications, human-system

interaction, power, payload, and sensing. Small UAS also face complexities adapting to a challenging

regulatory environment, where technical capabilities are evolving faster than federal and state rules

 

43 http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/WAF-D-15-0175.1

44 A resource to support such assessments is FEMA P-431, Tornado Protection: Selecting Refuge Areas in Buildings, Second

Edition (2009). https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/2246

45 NWS Storm Ready Program. http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/

46 State of the National Weather Service – 2012, Appendix B, page 16. https://www.ametsoc.org/cwwce/index.cfm/reports-andstudies/general-reports-and-studies/state-of-the-national-weather-service-in-2012/
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

37

governing UAS operations. Technology transfer strategies should include considerations of the ability of

local jurisdictions and search and rescue teams to access and use new these tools.

Outcome: Evolving communication technology combined with improved forecasting provides the public

and emergency managers with better emergency alerts and warnings. Improved storm readiness is

achieved through expanding education and training programs for severe storms. Enhanced capabilities for

situational awareness of first responders and search and rescue teams are enabled through research and

development of small UAS and response robots. This objective is an ongoing effort that should build

upon and add to community outreach and training procedures already in place.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

38

Chapter 3: Strategic Priorities

The three Strategic Goals and 14 associated objectives described in Chapter 2 span the range of research, 

development, and implementation actions to bring about windstorm impact reduction. Many elements of 

the various objectives are currently supported by the program agencies, as documented in the latest 

NWIRP biennial report to Congress.

47 Through its strategic planning process, NWIRP has identified 

several priority focus areas for new and enhanced efforts. These strategic priorities represent a 

combination of: 1) long-term research efforts to provide foundational windstorm hazard and loss data and 

models; 2) opportunities for more rapid windstorm impact reduction, building on existing programs; and 

3) crosscutting themes to enhance development of the Nation’s human resource base in windstorm hazard 

mitigation fields.

Eight strategic priorities are presented in Chapter 3, which build upon and support elements of multiple 

objectives (see Table 1). Strategic priorities 1-3 are foundational to supporting future research advances. 

Strategic priority 1 (SP-1), Develop Baseline Estimates of Loss of Life and Property Due toWindstorms, 

is needed to inform future directions and prioritizations for both NWIRP research and implementation 

actions, and provide data and metrics for long term tracking of program success. Critical data needs are 

addressed in strategic priorities 2 and 3, which encompass long term efforts to significantly increase the 

types and spatiotemporal resolutions of measurements of windstorm hazards (SP-2) and hazard impacts 

(SP-3), and provide this crucial information to the broad spectrum of users who need it through publicly 

available databases (SP-3). Such measurements are crucial to many of the objectives, by enabling a better 

understanding the physical processes involved and development and validation of analytical, 

experimental, and computational models. Strategic priorities 4-7 are actions that will lead to more 

immediate impact reduction. Development of performance-based design procedures and standards for 

windstorms (SP-4) will provide the opportunity for explicit consideration of hazard probabilities and 

desired performance levels for buildings, lifelines, and other structures during the initial planning phases 

of a project. Strategic priority 5 recognizes the value of adding windstorm mitigation measures to existing 

buildings and structures. Strategic priority 6 will promote programs to improve adoption of windstorm

preparedness and mitigation. To improve life safety during tornadoes and hurricanes, strategic priority 7 

will provide additional technical resources for community and project planning and design, construction, 

and operation for storm shelters and safe rooms, along with associated education and outreach to promote

increased construction and retrofit of such facilities. Ensuring the Nation’s human resources have the

necessary knowledge and skills in windstorm science, engineering, and hazard mitigation fields to 

achieve the NWIRP vision of a more windstorm resilient nation is addressed in strategic priority 8.

These strategic priorities are not ranked in order of significance or criticality. Most will require 

coordinated multiagency, multidisciplinary activities. Each strategic priority includes a description and 

implementation strategy, connections to objectives 1-14, and estimated time frame to complete. As 

described in the introduction to Chapter 2, short, medium, and long-time frames are considered as 

approximately seven years or less, 8 to 15 years, and more than 15 years, respectively. program agency 

responsibilities for the strategic priorities are identified in Appendix C. The rate of progress on 

implementation of these strategic priorities as well as the broader goals and objectives in Chapter 2 will 

depend on the level of resources that are available to program agencies.

 

47 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-Reportto-Congress-2.pdf.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Table 1. Strategic Priorities and Connection to Program Objectives

SP# Strategic Priority (SP)

Objectives that 

Support the SP 

(Inputs)

Objectives

Supported by SP

SP-1

Develop Baseline Estimates of Loss of Life and 

Property due to Windstorms 4, 9 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14

SP-2

Obtain Measurements of Surface Winds and Storm 

Surge Current and Waves in Severe Storms 1 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8,13

SP-3

Develop Publicly Available Databases of 

Windstorm Hazards and Impacts 2, 5, 7, 8 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13

SP-4

Develop Performance-Based Design for 

Windstorm Hazards 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 10, 11, 12

SP-5

Improve Windstorm Resistance of Existing 

Buildings and Other Structures

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10, 11, 12

SP-6

Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve 

Windstorm Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation 4, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14 12, 14

SP-7

Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering 

Strategies 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13 10, 11, 12, 14

SP-8

Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in 

Windstorm Hazard Mitigation Fields All All

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

Windstorms

To achieve major measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms as intended by 

this program, baseline values are needed; however, the data currently available on windstorm casualties 

and property damage is too coarse to be effectively used for these purposes. This strategic priority will 

develop detailed baseline data on windstorm fatalities, property damage, and disruptions of lifeline 

utilities, along with identification of causes for these losses, current trends in losses, and factors 

underlying the trends. This information will provide support for:

• Further identification and prioritization of NWIRP research and development, technology 

transfer, and outreach activities

• Baseline methods and data for tracking future losses of life and property

• Baseline methods and data for tracking additional socioeconomic impacts

These baselines can be developed through a combination of historical data and modeling. Modeling is

required as it is very difficult to confidently adjust the historical data to account for changes in wealth,

local inflation, population, and construction practices. Furthermore, modeling is required to enable

estimates of potential reduction in life and property losses that cannot be made using historical data. The

modeling component requires the development and validation of vulnerability functions that compute

physical and financial damage to buildings and infrastructure due to the action of wind and coastal

flooding. Models will need to include the costs associated with loss of use of facilities due to both direct

(building) and indirect (infrastructure) damage.

The windstorm hazard models developed in Objective 4 support SP-1. Vulnerability, fragility and built

environment inventory models developed in Objective 9 also support SP-2. These two objectives combine

to produce an estimate of risk.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Damage and loss estimates developed in SP-1 identify components, at both the individual structure

resolution and for a community as a whole, whose failure result in large economic loss. SP-1supports

Objectives 10 and 11 by focusing on product development efforts that yield large returns in terms of loss

reduction, weaknesses or gaps in building codes, and mitigation strategies that produce the largest

reduction in windstorm impact. SP-1 provides the tools to perform benefit-cost analyses, directly

supporting Objective 12.

SP-1 is initially a short term strategic priority that would be continued to be updated through the

incorporation of continued improvements to windstorm hazard assessment and loss estimation.

SP-2 Obtain Measurements of Surface Winds and Storm Surge Current and 

Waves in Severe Storms

Key to the collection of more and higher spatiotemporal resolution data from windstorms is the 

development of new sensors and new methods to measure wind speeds, pressures, and overland waves

and currents. New sensors will need to be cost effective, and perhaps re-useable or disposable, enabling

thousands of sensors to be deployed in advance of landfall hurricanes, severe thunderstorms and

tornadoes. In the case of winds, these sensors need to be able to provide insights into the variation of wind

speeds with height in addition to just near ground observations. Similarly, sensors that measure the

variation in currents with depth will provide key data for models.

Knowledge of the characteristics of near surface extreme winds has been established though models and

measurements. The measurements are used to validate numerical and empirical models, but most of these

data have been obtained from storms having wind speeds much less than those used in the design of most

structures. The structure of the wind in downbursts and tornadoes is largely unknown. This gap in

knowledge can only be filled with more measurements. The effects of these winds on buildings are

unknown, and codes and standards currently treat the effects of these winds as if they were due to

standard atmospheric boundary layer loads. The impact of this assumption is unknown but could result in

a significant underestimation of wind loads.

Similarly, there have been very few measurements of important characteristics of storm surge and waves,

particularly coastal flooding over land, where most of the impacted buildings and infrastructure are

located. The main data sources are stream gauges, which provide information on how the flooding is

affecting stream and river flows, and post-storm high water marks. There is almost no data on flooding

characteristics critical for understanding the hydrodynamics of overland flow and validating

computational models. These critical flood characteristics include the velocity (current) of the storm

surge, the variation of velocity over the depth of the water (velocity profile), wave heights and periods,

floodwater depth, and how all of these characteristics vary over the duration of the inundation. These

wind speed, storm surge and wave height data, and current are critically needed to improve understanding

of wind and storm surge flooding hazards, and validate analytical and computational wind engineering

models, storm surge, and inland wave models.

Objective 1 is also supported by SP-2 through data collection which improves our understanding of

windstorms. SP-2 supports Objectives 1, 2 and 4 through the provision of basic data needed to improve

our understanding of the structure of the wind, waves and currents that affect communities in windstorms,

and through the development of models used to produce hazard maps. Objective 5 is supported by SP-2

through the provision of data needed to inform the models and experiments used to estimate loads in

windstorms. Data collected in SP-2 will be used to support Objective 6 through the validation of

computational fluid dynamics models for winds, waves, and currents. SP-2 supports Objective 8 by

providing event hazard data that corresponds to event damage and loss data, informing vulnerability

models.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

41

SP-2 is an on-going long-term effort, which will continue to support other objectives through the

provision of data.

SP-3 Develop Publicly Available Databases of Windstorm Hazards and 

Impacts

Prior to deploying field efforts focused on collecting real time windstorm data, coordination between

private and public partners is necessary for these field efforts to maximize their efficacy. These efforts

will ensure the spatiotemporal coverage of measurements is sufficient for reconstructing the storms wind

and flood hazard information. Coordination of damage and hazard measurements is key to being able to

properly address and validate the hazard-consequence modeling.

A consistent message arising from many of the breakout sessions from the NWIRP Strategic Planning

Stakeholder’s Workshop was the need for a means to collect post-storm damage data using a common

taxonomy and then, cataloging, preserving, and disseminating actual post-windstorm damage and effects

observations. Field investigation data are virtually priceless in terms of “lessons learned” value as they

provide full-scale performance data for real buildings and infrastructure systems. NWIRP will work with

the wind and coastal engineering professional community, the insurance industry, and academia to

improve post-windstorm reconnaissance and data collection methods; encourage the development of a

national post-windstorm information management system; and stimulate the use of this information by

researchers, practicing engineers, and government and business leaders. Having all these data (hazard

measurements, structure performance, community response and recovery) available in one database, or

linked databases, provides a unique resource for carrying out cross cutting research. Stewarding the

development and adoption of these new metadata, data by establishing guidelines and standards for data

curation, quality control and quality assurance will be critical to ensuring that engineers and

meteorologists and other data users fully take advantage of new developments in archival of windstorm

hazard and impact data.

SP-3 supports Objectives 5 and 7 by providing the data needed to advance our understanding of

windstorm effects on the built environment and how communities respond to windstorms. Data provided

by SP-3 supports Objectives 10 and 11 by providing information on problems and failures (e.g., through

the development of new products or testing) that need to be addressed in building codes and standards.

SP-3 is a long-term priority requiring significant coordination between federal agencies and private sector

partners

SP-4 Develop Performance-Based Design for Windstorm Hazards

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

NWIRP to “support the development of performance-based engineering tools, and work with appropriate

groups to promote commercial application of such tools, including wind-related model building codes,

voluntary standards, and construction best practices.” This strategic priority will engage the program

agencies in performing basic and applied research that supports PBD development and in the knowledgetransfer activities needed to support implementation.

Existing national model building codes emphasize prescriptive wind and coastal design procedures that

implicitly seek to minimize loss of life but do not adequately address minimizing direct or indirect

economic losses. Performance-based design (PBD) focuses on explicit expectations of building

performance with respect to loss of life, damage, and operability, providing a wider range of design

options than prescriptive code-based procedures. PBD promises to bring greatly improved economy and

functionality for designs to resist windstorms. NWIRP will support development of PBD to resist

windstorm hazards, including for tornadoes.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

42

From a structural point of view, PBD has been facilitated by the advent of sophisticated computational

capabilities in the practicing engineering community. However, PBD requires more detailed knowledge of 

how structures and nonstructural elements perform, including the infiltration of water, as well as a clear

understanding of what level of performance is needed to achieve desired resilience. Because the step-bystep building-code-based procedure is not used, PBD also alters decision-making and liability processes to 

include more complete and complex analyses, additional consideration of risk levels, and more extensive 

consideration of cost-risk tradeoffs. This will require more extensive knowledge about social behavior, 

structural performance needed to support response and recovery, and investment decision making as 

described in the following strategic priority.

This effort will also leverage advances in PBD for seismic design. Earthquake engineering is far ahead of

wind and coastal engineering in terms of developing performance-based criteria for seismic design. The

wind and coastal PBD requirements will leverage the methods from the earthquake models for

performance objectives applied to the wind and flood resistant structural systems. Different performance

objectives are needed for the building envelope.

SP-4 supports Objectives 10, 11, and 12 by guiding the creation of tools to improve the performance of

the built environment subject to extreme wind events, supporting the development of windstorm-resilient

standards and building codes, and enabling implementation of such methods in professional practice.

Initial development of PBD for tornadoes is a short-term effort, PBD for the broader range of wind

hazards is a medium-term effort, and PBD for storm surge-flooding is a long-term effort.

SP-5 Improve Windstorm Resistance of Existing Buildings and Other 

Structure

Buildings designed and constructed to modern wind codes and standards represent a small fraction of the

total U.S. building stock. Most of the existing buildings subject to high-wind risks have been designed

and built to codes and standards lacking advances in engineering and experience-based provisions that

enhance windstorm performance. Furthermore, many older buildings have not been adequately

maintained, and components and systems critical for windstorm resistance have degraded due to age and

exposure. Few tools are currently available to assess the vulnerability of existing buildings to extreme

winds and associated hazards, such as wind-borne debris and wind-driven rain. Guidance is needed on

windstorm evaluation of existing buildings and other structures, similar to that available for earthquake

hazards through the ASCE 41 Standard, Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings.

NWIRP will support development of new methodologies and tools for evaluating the windstorm

vulnerability of existing buildings, including assessing the structural resistance and the resistance of the

building envelope to damage and water intrusion. Creative and cost-effective solutions are needed to

reduce these vulnerabilities, windstorm damage, and resulting loss of use. A potential example from the

field of earthquake is described in FEMA publications 395-400. The incremental seismic rehabilitation

approach encompasses an effective, affordable, and non-disruptive strategy for responsible mitigation

action, which can be integrated efficiently into ongoing facility maintenance and capital improvement

operations to minimize cost and disruption. NWIRP will also support development of tools for evaluating

the benefit/cost ratios for windstorm mitigation retrofit options. These tools will be important resources

for establishing priorities, rationalizing expenditures, and justifying building code changes addressing

existing buildings.

This strategic priority supports elements of Objectives 10 and 11 by informing needs for new materials,

sensors, and test methods based on a better understanding of the windstorm vulnerabilities and retrofit

needs of existing buildings. SP-8 also supports Objective 12 by providing a solid technical basis for

decisions on voluntary and mandatory adoption of windstorm mitigation retrofits.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

43

Development of tools for evaluation of windstorm vulnerabilities of existing buildings and for evaluation

of benefit/cost ratios for mitigation retrofit options to reduce these vulnerabilities are medium-term

efforts.

SP-6 Enhance Outreach and Partnerships to Improve Windstorm 

Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation

NWIRP will support new and existing outreach programs and partnerships which seek to increase public

awareness of windstorm hazards and measures that can be undertaken to reduce or eliminate the effects of

such hazards. A variety of methods can be employed to inform the largest audience possible, including

community-wide programs, education initiatives, cooperative efforts with public and private entities, and

on-going public information campaigns that disseminate information using various channels such as fact

sheets, public forums and conferences, and traditional and social media outlets.

The first step toward adopting hazard mitigation is to be aware of the hazard and how it may affect the

community. Educating children about natural hazards is doubly effective. First, it reaches students who,

using a solid curriculum, study a topic at an age where their future behavior is still being formed. Second,

information children learn in school influences their parents’ decisions about how the family will prepare

for and react to a disaster. NWIRP will support the creation of curriculums that could be made available

to schools or civic groups in an effort to increase the perception that wind hazards are a real and present

danger. When a disaster occurs it also presents a “teachable moment” to educate people who otherwise

would not be inclined to consider their role in mitigating damage from a windstorm disaster. But the

heightened interest in the hazard is short lived. Therefore, NWIRP will support the development of

community-wide public outreach programs well in advance of an event, to take advantage of the increased 

awareness. Anniversaries of tragic events are another opportunity that should be used to educate the 

public about windstorm hazards.

NWIRP will work to support program agencies’ outreach activities such as Weather-Ready Nation and

Weather Ready Nation Ambassadors,48 and America’s PrepareAthon!

SM.

49 NOAA’s Weather-Ready

Nation is an initiative which aims to increase the Nation’s resilience to extreme weather events by

working with government agencies, the weather industry, emergency planners, the media, nonprofits and

businesses to motivate individuals and communities to prepare for extreme weather events. Weather

Ready Nation Ambassadors serve as leaders in this community collaboration, inspiring others to be better

informed and prepared. FEMA’s America’s PrepareAthon! implements drills, communication, and

outreach at a community level to provide individuals, businesses, and communities with an increased

understanding of their risk to relevant hazards as well as simple and effective actions that can be taken to

increase safety and mitigate damages. Working with private sector organizations, NWIRP will promote 

building beyond the code minimum to create more resilient communities through the development, 

implementation, and sponsoring of reliable disaster safety education programs. These components have

been executed in several private sector programs which enable businesses, home owners, and developers 

to strengthen buildings beyond code requirements in preparation for natural hazards and to more quickly 

resume normal operations following such an event.

The outreach and education programs and partnerships in SP-6 support Objectives 12 and 14 by

increasing public awareness of the benefits and windstorm hazard mitigation, and increasing the storm

readiness of individuals, businesses, and communities.

SP-6 is a long-term effort, as it will be an on-going activity.

 

48 Weather-Ready Nation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

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

49 America’s PrepareAthon! Be Smart, Take Part, Prepare. https://community.fema.gov/.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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SP-7 Enhance and Promote Effective Storm Sheltering Strategies

Storm shelters and safe rooms50 have been proven effective at providing life safety protection in

tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme wind events. There has not been a single reported failure of a

safe room constructed to FEMA criteria.

51 NWIRP will support efforts to continue to improve the

standards and guidelines for design and construction of storm shelters, including for new construction and

retrofit in existing buildings, benefitting both residential and community storm shelters. Guidance for

communities is needed to enable creation of safe and effective public sheltering strategies. In cooperation

with private sector organizations, NWIRP will conduct outreach to promote wider adoption of storm

shelters by homeowners, developers and homebuilders, businesses, and state and local governments.

To help protect the population in tornado-prone areas that does not currently have access to storm shelters

or safe rooms, NWIRP can develop guidelines for evaluation of the best available refuge areas within

existing buildings, and provide outreach, education and training to support implementation. Similarly,

there is a need for improved guidance on selection of best available existing facilities in hurricane-prone

regions, particularly in high density coastal areas where evacuation of much of the population is not

feasible.

The development of effective storm sheltering strategies will be leveraged to influence wind-storm

resilient standards developed in Objective 11. For example, knowledge gained in this strategic priority

could be used to improve storm shelter standards such as those contained in ICC 500.

52 SP-7supports

Objective 12 by increasing options for voluntary mitigation through standards and guidance for

retrofitting existing buildings with storm shelters, and Objective 14 by providing improved guidance for

selection of best available refuge areas within existing buildings.

Short-term efforts include expansion of the existing storm shelter standard to address retrofit shelter

installations, and developing guidelines for assessing and designating best available refuge areas.

Medium-term efforts involve a) developing improved design criteria reflecting advances in understanding

of surface wind characteristics in tornadoes, atmospheric pressure changes on buildings, and the windborne-debris hazard, and b) guidance for communities to create safe and effective public sheltering

strategies

SP-8 Develop the Nation’s Human Resource Base in Windstorm Hazard 

Mitigation Fields

NWIRP recognizes the need for a world-class workforce to make the United States more windstorm

resilient. NWIRP will support relevant science and engineering education at all levels, including K-12,

university, and informal education for the public, as well as continuing education of windstorm

professionals and technology transfer of windstorm related research and design capabilities.

The study of wind hazards is multi-disciplinary, combining the fields of meteorology, engineering, and

the social sciences. NWIRP will support research and education partnerships across those disciplines,

preparing students to become productive members of the disaster reduction workforce. In addition, to

spark interest about the subject in younger students, outreach programs will be promoted to K-12 from

universities, government agencies concerned with wind hazards, and practitioners such as local

emergency management officials or local weather broadcasters.

 

50 Storm shelters are defined as facilities constructed in accordance with the governing national standard (ICC 500: ICC/NSSA 

Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters).

51 Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms, FEMA P-361, Third 

Edition, March 2015 (page i). https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/3140.

52 ICC 500: ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

45

The efforts of professional and academic organizations to work together in pursuit of enhancing safety

from windstorms are encouraged. Creation and maintenance of a wind hazard community will build and

support the efforts of individuals and institutions committed to wind hazard mitigation and can become a

platform to recruit future professionals for the field. NWIRP will support continuing education and

professional development of individuals involved in the wind hazard community in order to advance

current knowledge and methods related to windstorm hazards, preparedness, mitigation, and assessment.

Similarly, to advance understanding of windstorms and associated hazards, NWIRP will support

technology transfer of research and expertise through channels such as publications, conferences, publicly

available databases, and improved codes and standards. These initiatives will ultimately increase the

windstorm resilience of communities and the built environment.

This strategic priority is recursive in that it will both support and be supported by each of the Objectives

and strategic priorities in order to combine multi-disciplinary research across the fields of meteorology,

engineering, and the social sciences.

Research collaboration across industry, academia, and the government is a short-term effort crucial to

achieving Objectives 1-14. The creation and maintenance of a wind hazard community is an on-going

medium-term effort which includes continuing education and professional development ofindividuals

within the community. Initiatives at the K-12 level to increase interest and awareness about windstorm

risk reduction is a long-term effort. Technology transfer is an on-going and long-term effort to further the

understanding of windstorm phenomena, hazards, preparedness, and mitigation.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

46

Chapter 4: Summary

This Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) was developed by

the program agencies with input from the stakeholder community. The Plan provides a rational and

executable approach for reducing losses of life and property from windstorms in the United States.

The program agencies have established three linked, overarching Strategic Goals: Improve the

Understanding of Windstorm Processes and Hazards; Improve the Understanding of Windstorm Impacts

on Communities; and Improve the Windstorm Resilience of Communities Nationwide. Fourteen

objectives and implementation strategies necessary to accomplish these goals are provided in this Plan,

spanning basic research, problem-focused research and development, and implementation, education, and

outreach. Many elements of the various objectives are currently supported by the program agencies, other 

governmental agencies, academia, and the private sector.

Eight priority focus areas are identified for new and enhanced efforts. These strategic priorities will

provide: a) foundational data and models key to supporting future research advances; b) opportunities for

more rapid impact reduction; and c) development of the Nation’s human resource base in windstorm

impact reduction fields. These priorities build upon and support elements of all 14 objectives.

The goals, objectives, strategic priorities, and implementation strategies of this Plan will serve as

guidelines for NWIRP efforts, but NWIRP will also adapt to contingencies and opportunities as they

arise. Progress on implementation of this Plan and the rate of program accomplishment will depend on the 

level of resources that are available to program agencies. Progress reports will follow the structure

outlined in this Plan, reporting on activities supporting the strategic priorities and objectives, as well as

progress toward anticipated outcomes. This will provide a direct basis for the Interagency Coordinating

Committee, the National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, and the windstorm

stakeholder community to measure program success. The Interagency Coordinating Committee will

review the Strategic Plan periodically, and make updates as needed to improve its efficiency and

effectiveness.

Key to success of NWIRP’s mission to achieve major measurable reductions in the losses of life and

property from windstorms is active engagement and participation of windstorm stakeholders in

implementing the Strategic Plan. This broad stakeholder community includes other federal agencies, state 

and local government, academia, and large swaths of the private sector, including construction-related 

industries and businesses, engineering, architecture, insurance, real estate, media, non-profit

organizations, and many more. Only working together can we overcome the current rapid rate of growth

of windstorm losses and realize the vision of a windstorm resilient nation.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

47

Appendix A: List of Acronyms

• APC. Atmospheric Pressure Change

• ASCE. American Society of Civil Engineers

• ASTM. American Society for Testing and Materials

• CBO. Congressional Budget Office

• CEQ. Council on Environmental Quality

• CFD. Computational Fluid Dynamics

• 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

• GDP. Gross Domestic Product

• GPS. Global Positioning System.

• GSA. General Services Administration

• Hazus. Hazards U.S. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based natural hazard analysis tool 

developed and distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

• Hazus®-MH. Hazus Multi-Hazard.

• HUD. Department of Housing and Urban Development

• HVAC. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

• 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

• 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

• NRC. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• NSF. National Science Foundation

• NWIRP. National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

• NWS. National Weather Service

• OSTP. Office of Science and Technology Policy

• PBD. Performance-Based Design

• PIMS. Performance Information Management Service

• R&D. Research and Development

• UAS. Unmanned Aircraft Systems

• USACE. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

• USD. United States Dollars

• USGS. United States Geological Survey

• VA. Veterans Administration
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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• WWG. Windstorm Working Group
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

49

Appendix B: Glossary of Key Terms

Built Environment: The built environment consists of buildings and infrastructure systems, including 

transportation, energy, water, wastewater, and communication and information systems.53

Boundary Layer: The boundary layer is a region of reduced wind velocity near the ground or the surface 

of a body.54 The boundary layer could be as low as tens of meters above the ground in downbursts and 

greater than two kilometers in hurricanes and extratropical storms.

Convection: NOAA defines convection as the vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere, 

especially by updrafts and downdrafts in an unstable atmosphere.55 The terms “convective storm” and 

“thunderstorm” are often used interchangeably.

Critical Facility: Buildings that are intended to remain operational during hazard events and support 

functions and services needed during the short-term phase of recovery. These facilities are sometimes 

referred to as essential buildings.56

Critical Infrastructure: Systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that 

the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, 

national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.57

Derecho: A derecho is a widespread and usually fast-moving windstorm associated with convection. 

Derechos include any family of downburst clusters produced by an extratropical mesoscale convective 

system, and can produce damaging straight-line winds over areas hundreds of miles long and more than 

one hundred miles across.58

Disaster Resilience: The ability59 of social units (e.g., organizations, communities) to mitigate risk, 

contain the effects of disasters, and carry out recovery activities in ways that minimize social disruption, 

while also minimizing the effects of future disasters. Disaster resilience may be characterized by reduced 

likelihood of damage to and failure of critical infrastructure, systems, and components; reduced injuries,

lives lost, damage, and negative economic and social impacts; and reduced time required to restore a

specific system or set of systems to normal or pre-disaster levels of functionality.

60 Presidential Policy

Directive 21 (PPD 21) defines resilience as the ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and

withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions. Resilience includes the ability to withstand and recover

from deliberate attacks, accidents, or naturally occurring threats or incidents.61

Downburst: A downburst is a strong small-scale column of air that rapidly sinks toward the ground,62

producing strong ground-level winds that originate with downward directed vertical winds and emanate in

all horizontal directions. Downbursts occur in thunderstorms and can produce strong damaging winds.

 

53 Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems – Volume I, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, April 2015, https://www.nist.gov/el/resilience/community-resilience-planning-guides.

54 Holmes, John D. Wind loading of structures, Taylor & Francis, Sec. Ed., 2010.

55 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Convection: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.

56 Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems – Volume I, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, April 2015, https://www.nist.gov/el/resilience/community-resilience-planning-guides.

57 Presidential Policy Directive 21 [PPD-21], The White House, February 12, 2013, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive-critical-infrastructure-security-and-resil.

58 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Derecho: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.

59 http://mceer.buffalo.edu/research/resilience/Resilience_10-24-06.pdf.

60 Ibid.

61 Presidential Policy Directive 21 [PPD-21], The White House, February 12, 2013, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive-critical-infrastructure-security-and-resil.

62 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Downburst: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.
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50

Extratropical cyclone: A cyclone in the middle and high latitudes (i.e., north of 35°N) often being 2000

kilometers in diameter and usually containing a cold front that extends toward the equator for hundreds of

kilometers.63

Hazard: A potential threat or incident, natural or human caused, that warrants action to protect life,

property, the environment, and public health or safety, and to minimize disruptions of government, social,

or economic activities.64 Windstorm hazards are potential threats to life and property caused by the effects

of extreme winds on communities and the built environment.

Hurricane: A hurricane is a tropical cyclone occurring in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or 

eastern Pacific, with maximum one-minute sustained surface wind speeds equal to 74 mph or higher. 65

Infrastructure: Physical networks, systems and structures that make up transportation, energy,

communications, water and wastewater, and other systems that support the functionality of community

social institutions.

66

Lifelines: Lifelines are major elements of the Nation’s infrastructure that are essential to community wellbeing and serve communities across all jurisdictions and locales.

67 The term lifelines means public works

and utilities, including transportation facilities and infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, electrical power

and communication facilities and infrastructure, and water supply and sewage treatment facilities.68

Mitigation: Activities and actions taken to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of

hazard events.69

Nor’easter: A nor’easter is a cyclonic storm impacting the eastern coast of North America, named for the 

direction from which the coastal winds blow. nor’easters typically develop in the lower-middle latitudes 

(30°N to 40°N) from September to April within 100 miles of the coastline and can cause heavy rain or 

snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding.70

Post-tropical cyclone: A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses

sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a tropical cyclone. Post-tropical cyclones can continue

carrying heavy rains and high winds.71

Risk: Risk is the potential for loss or injury due to an adverse circumstance or hazard. In the windstorm

context, estimates of national risk are based on two primary factors: the inventory of structures, and the

potential damage and consequences extrapolated from past experience to current conditions. 72

Storm Surge: Storm surge is an abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a hurricane, extratropical storm, 

nor’easter, or other intense storm, due to strong winds pushing water inland. The storm surge height is the 

difference between the observed level of the sea surface and the level that would have occurred in the 

absence of the storm.73

 

63 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Extratropical Cyclone: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.

64 Presidential Policy Directive 21 [PPD-21], The White House, February 12, 2013, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive-critical-infrastructure-security-and-resil.

65 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hurricane: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.

66 Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems – Volume I, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, April 2015, https://www.nist.gov/el/resilience/community-resilience-planning-guides.

67 www.americanlifelinesalliance.org.

68 National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015. Pub. L. 114-52. 129 STAT. 496. 30 Sept. 2015.

69 Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems – Volume I, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, April 2015, https://www.nist.gov/el/resilience/community-resilience-planning-guides.

70 American Meteorological Society, Nor’easter: Glossary of Meteorology, cited 2016.

71 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Post-tropical Cyclone: National Hurricane Center Glossary, cited 2016.

72 National Research Council, Improved Seismic Monitoring, Improved Decision Making—Assessing the Value of Reduced 

Uncertainty, 2006.

73 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Storm Surge: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.
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51

Tropical Cyclone: A tropical cyclone is a warm core, nonfrontal synoptic-scale cyclone originating over

tropical or subtropical waters with organized deep convection and a closed surface wind circulation about

a well-defined center. 74 Tropical cyclones can produce high damaging winds, large waves, and extensive

inland flooding. Tropical cyclones with one-minute average sustained wind speeds between 39 and 74

mph are called tropical storms, and those with one-minute average sustained wind speeds exceeding 74

mph are called hurricanes.

Wind Professional: Any professional who is involved with windstorm risk and hazard mitigation, or with

response to windstorms. Includes planners, designers (architects and engineers), builders, researchers,

building code officials, and government employees (including legislators).

 

74 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Tropical Cyclone: National Weather Service Glossary, cited 2016.
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Appendix C: NWIRP Program Agency Statutory Responsibilities

Table C.1 through Table C.4 provide a mapping from the statutory responsibilities (42 U.S.C. § 15703) of

the four program agencies 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 C.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 C.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 9

1, 7

C 10

Support windstorm-related data collection and analysis. 

42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(A)(ii).

A 2, 4

B 7, 8, 9 2, 3

C 12

Support public outreach and information dissemination. 

42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(5)(A)(iii). C 12, 14 6, 7, 8

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 6, 7

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, 7
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Table C.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, 5

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 2

3

B 8

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, 7

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 1, 2, 4

B 5, 6, 8, 9 All

C 10, 11

Table C.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 1, 2, 3, 4

1, 2, 3, 8

B 5, 6, 8
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Table C.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 1, 2, 3, 4

1, 2, 3, 4,

B 7, 8 5, 6, 8, 9,

10

Support research in economic and social factors influencing 

windstorm risk reduction measures. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(b)(3)(B).

B 7, 8

1, 3, 8

C 10, 11, 12
Strategic Plan for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

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Appendix D: NWIRP Statutory Program Components

Table D.1 provides a mapping of the statutory program components (42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)) to the 

Strategic Plan goals and objectives.

Table D.1: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Program Components Strategic 

Plan Goal

Strategic 

Plan 

Objective

Understanding of Windstorms

Research to improve knowledge of and data collection on the impact of severe 

wind on buildings, structures, and infrastructure. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)(2).

A 1, 2, 3, 4

B 5, 6, 8, 9

Windstorm Impact Assessment

Development of mechanisms for collecting and inventorying information on the 

performance of buildings, structures, and infrastructure in windstorms and 

improved collection of pertinent information from sources, including the design 

and construction industry, insurance companies, and building officials. 42 U.S.C. 

§ 15703(c)(3)(A).

A 2

B 8

Research, development and technology transfer to improve loss estimation and 

risk assessment systems. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)(3)(B).

A 4

B 9

Research, development and technology transfer to improve simulation and 

computational modeling of windstorm impacts. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)(3)(C).

A 2

B 5, 6, 8, 9

Windstorm Impact Reduction

Development of improved outreach and implementation mechanisms to

translate existing information and research findings into cost-effective and 

affordable practices for design and construction professionals, and State and 

local officials. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)(4)(A).

C

7, 10, 11, 

12

Development of cost-effective and affordable windstorm-resistant systems, 

structures, and materials for use in new construction and retrofit of existing 

construction. 42 U.S.C. § 15703(c)(4)(B).

C 10