Flood Damage Resistant Materials: Reducing Damages Related to Flood Events

In the past year, major flood events in the U.S. have resulted in more than $46 billion in damages to housing and infrastructure. This trend is expected to remain as extreme weather events are predicted to occur more frequently. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Science Branch is working with ASTM International to develop tools for evaluating flood damage resistant materials. The recently published, Standard Test Method for Water Immersion and Drying for Evaluation of Flood Damage Resistance (ASTM E3075), exposes construction materials to water immersion and drying conditions to simulate the effects of wetting and subsequent drying that occurs with a flood event. The wetting and drying exposure is followed by surface cleaning. The Standard Practice for Determining the Flood Damage Resistance Rating of Materials and Assemblies, which is being developed under ASTM WK35237, includes descriptions of testing parameters for evaluating the material’s ability to be cleaned and restored to serviceability. The primary users of these standards will be product manufacturers, building designers, and building officials seeking criteria for determining what materials are allowed to be used in construction below the base flood elevation (BFE).