North Carolina lawmakers erode building code for years before Helene hit ( WBTV Charlotte )

[jar546]

First, a warning to everyone. This website has a strict no-politics policy that will be enforced. This story is about policy and how it is affected by politicians and groups that lobby for change, something we all deal with on a daily basis. I want to discuss this particular story, how it affects the residents, and what can be done to slow down the erosion of building codes. Do not turn this into a political party vs party discussion. And, if you are going to comment that this story invites political discussion ( ICE ), don't comment. We know that already. Just keep it civil, respectful, and about the subject at hand. Are we someone clear on this?

There is a link to this article and the bottom and a news clip from WPTV's YouTube channel.

By David Hodges
Updated: Oct. 5, 2024 at 6:00 AM EDT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - When Kim Wooten sees the devastating videos of Helene’s destruction, she thinks about her five years serving on the North Carolina Building Code Council.

Trickling streams in the mountains turned to raging rivers after the hurricane dumped record setting rain. The world has watched as flood waters wiped away roads, homes and entire neighborhoods.

Wooten thinks about the various building code updates that have been blocked or excluded. Codes that could have made some of the structures safer.
“It’s the General Assembly and the North Carolina Home Builders Association,” Wooten said. “Both of those entities have effectively blocked the ability of homebuyers to purchase a home that is built to modern standards, that has been inspected to meet modern standards, that is efficient and affordable.”

A WBTV Investigation is shining a light on how North Carolina lawmakers and lobbyists weakened the state’s building code for years before Hurricane Helene hit. The history reveals a pattern of bills sponsored by legislators who own construction companies, supported by a political action committee that has spent more than $4 million over four years on their preferred candidates.

Wooten, an electrical eningeer, has been vocal about the influence the NC Home Builders Association has had over the building code council and general assembly. She says the devestation in mountain communities provides yet another example.............................................


Here is the full article on the WBTV website

North Carolina lawmakers erode building code for years before Helene hit

A WBTV Investigation is shining a light on how North Carolina lawmakers and lobbyists weakened the state’s building code for years before Hurricane Helene hit. The history reveals a pattern of bills sponsored by legislators who own construction companies, supported by a political action...

www.wbtv.com

Here is the WBTV news story on YouTube

 

[bill1952]

While I support updating the codes and setting higher standards if the local factors require it, it's disappointing the article isn't very specific. It mentioned building on slopes once, and implied energy codes were not relevant to the present hazards.

Unfortunately unlikely anyone can remove legislatures from laws, and unlikely anyone can stop the buying of legislators.

 

[BN4537]

I noticed a lot of houses that were floating in the current that were largely intact, which tells me that their racking strength is better than their anchorage. Not that it really matters, if they had been anchored better they would have been smashed to matchsticks.

 

[steveray]

So….it looks like SB 488 basically changed it to a 6 year cycle which honestly….i have no issue with, it would give us more time to catch and fix mistakes in the model code. With a real focus on the energy code which I also kind of agree with being preemptive to the rediculousness that that code was/ is heading towards.

I see nothing concrete in there about steep slope construction and I would say building on fill or slopes exceeding irc should be engineered and the designer needs to be held responsible.

I see nothing “weakening” the code that would have saved any structures in this case….

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

"Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them." Decades ago, in the 1990s if I remember correctly, in the course of investigating widespread devastation in Florida following a particularly bad hurricane, investigators were puzzled when they found that basically one entire residential community had been flattened -- except for one block. Trying to understand why that particular block of homes had stood up when everything else didn't, they eventually figured out that the homes in that one block were build by Habitat for Humanity volunteers, and they had been built to code requirements because the Habitat volunteers didn't know they could cut corners -- or didn't want to cut corners. The tract builders, on the other hand, had cut every corner they could get away with, with (perhaps) predictable results.

I know a retired building official, a former speculative home builder, who constantly rants against all the "stupid" stuff being put in the codes today. I get a very real sense that when he was a building official he overlooked anything in the code he disagreed with -- and that's wrong. I like the guy, but I'm glad he has retired.

The codes are supposed to represent a minimum standard. When jurisdictions adopt the codes, local amendments should be used to strengthen the minimum standards if the adopting jurisdiction thinks there are local conditions that the codes don't adequately address. We should never (IMHO) back off from the consensus model code provisions in response to local (state) lobbying.

 

[rktect 1]

People have been cutting corners since Hammurabi died and they started to water down his code.

At the end of the day, you get what you paid for and if you are in a lax city or state, well...... bad things could happen but at least when your home floats down the river, you can look at your savings still locked up in your bank account in order to rebuild.

I'm in a bit of a funk right now so..........

 

[bill1952]

I get wind, but what could change in the codes to better protect a house when the water level is approaching second floor elevation? Maybe all buildings elevated like in the Gulf Coast in Texas.

 

[tbz]

So a family member has a rental home in the Tampa-Bay area, not sure of the exact area but the only person in his area that he knows personally that didn't have major damage was a gentleman that built his home last year and was forced to raise it up, I believe about 14ft.

The gentlemen complained the entire time the home was being built deeply about having to build his new home basically on stilts around the rest of the pre-existing homes and he had to climb so many steps now vs ground level, family member agreed.

After talking with my family member the other day he said he now gets it, stairs are his new best friend.

Here are some photo's for thought, but I doubt anything they gutted from the NC code, though truly helpful in the long run, would have saved any of the homes from the water slides and washouts they got hit with.

Water goes where water wants!


Not sure if the house across the street had a generator but nothing else is lite up.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

I get wind, but what could change in the codes to better protect a house when the water level is approaching second floor elevation? Maybe all buildings elevated like in the Gulf Coast in Texas.

Concrete to 60 cm beyond expected flood level, no building services below that height, flood vents. It's not rocket surgery: there are parts of the U.S. that have been doing it that way for years.

 

[bill1952]

Concrete to 60 cm beyond expected flood level, no building services below that height, flood vents. It's not rocket surgery: there are parts of the U.S. that have been doing it that way for years.

Thank you. Not sure water level wasn't more than 60 cm above "flood level" but any idea if this was removed or never in NC codes?

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Thank you. Not sure water level wasn't more than 60 cm above "flood level" but any idea if this was removed or never in NC codes?

No idea. Early in my career here, our organization received some funding to write a document on adapting to climate change, and I researched some US codes regarding this. So the "60 cm" number is off the top of my noggin, not necessarily grounded in any particular code. This was the illustration that stemmed from that research, so I suspect the US codes I researched had wood/electric above BFE, but not necessarily 60 cm above BFE.

 

[jar546]

No idea. Early in my career here, our organization received some funding to write a document on adapting to climate change, and I researched some US codes regarding this. So the "60 cm" number is off the top of my noggin, not necessarily grounded in any particular code. This was the illustration that stemmed from that research, so I suspect the US codes I researched had wood/electric above BFE, but not necessarily 60 cm above BFE.

60cm would be about 24" above BFE. We call that "freeboard." The FBC requires 1' of freeboard, some local ordinances require 18" and sometimes 24".

 

[mark handler]

Sad, Very sad.
It's all about the money.
They Know the feds will bail them out.

 

[bill1952]

No idea. Early in my career here, our organization received some funding to write a document on adapting to climate change, and I researched some US codes regarding this. So the "60 cm" number is off the top of my noggin, not necessarily grounded in any particular code. This was the illustration that stemmed from that research, so I suspect the US codes I researched had wood/electric above BFE, but not necessarily 60 cm above BFE.

View attachment 14420

Interesting and thanks. I very obtusely was trying to suggest that the water levels from Helene were above, seems far above, the BFE planned for.

 

[jar546]

Interesting and thanks. I very obtusely was trying to suggest that the water levels from Helene were above, seems far above, the BFE planned for.

They absolutely were above the BFE. I've learned over the years, however, just being close the the special flood hazard area (SFHA) is also a risk, especially lately. FEMA maps need to be updated across the nation. Ours were updated twice in 7 years but some parts of the country haven't been touched in a very long time. This is sort of a thread drift though. I think we are all seeing a weakening of the codes.

 

[bill1952]

I think we are all seeing a weakening of the codes.

There's a number of things in the IRC I think are too weak, and I agree that it seems most of the jurisdictional amendments weaken it. I don't feel either is so for IBC.

I don't see that many of the changes would have made a lot of difference in NC.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

The homebuilders have a very strong lobby at the ICC code change table. For them it's all about how to build cheaper and sell higher.

 

[bill1952]

Same folks who blocked US going metric in the 1960s. Now Liberia, Myanmar, and US are only countries where the imperial system is the official system.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

There's a similar thing going on in Canada, where powerful industry lobby groups have convinced the federal government to "examine" the idea of removing clauses in code mandating two separate exits from apartment buildings.

Totally stupid.

 

[jar546]

Same folks who blocked US going metric in the 1960s. Now Liberia, Myanmar, and US are only countries where the imperial system is the official system.

We would have been so much better off with the metric system on so many levels. Almost all US manufacturing companies are using the metric system anyway, we just don't know it.

 

[tmurray]

Part of this issue is that the state building departments need to engage the home builder community to talk about the changes and why they are important.

We are getting ready for a code change here and have a letter of support from the home builder community.

They didn't like all the changes, but they understand why they are necessary because I talked to them.