Post Hurricane Irma and Maria Mitigation Assessment Team Report

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

Today, FEMA published its Mitigation Assessment Team Report on the 
Hurricanes Irma and Maria impact on buildings, critical faciltiies, solar 
panels and other construction issues.

Recommendation USVI-1a: USVI should adopt the latest hazard-resistant 
building codes and standards on a regular update cycle.

Recommendation USVI-8: DPNR should consider hiring additional code
enforcement staff.

Recommendation USVI-14b: Homeowners should consider protecting the glazed
window and door systems on their existing homes.

Recommendation USVI-19: Develop and support a wind retrofit programs
across USVI.

Recommendation USVI-34a: Add specific design criteria for ground-mounted
PV solar arrays and connections to ASCE 7-22 and reference them in other 
select
codes.



FEMA P-2021 | Mitigation Assessment Team Report: Hurricanes Irma and Maria 
in the U.S. Virgin Islands
https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/170486

Building Performance Observations, Recommendations, and Technical 
Guidance.

In response to a request for technical support from the Federal Emergency 
Management (FEMA) Joint Field Office in St. Croix, FEMA’s Federal 
Insurance and Mitigation Administration’s (FIMA) Building Science Branch 
deployed a Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) composed of national and 
regional experts to affected areas in St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, 
in October and November, 2017.

The MAT was charged with evaluating damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, 
especially for buildings constructed or reconstructed after Hurricane 
Marilyn (1995), to identify both successful and unsuccessful mitigation 
techniques. This work involved: assessing the performance of residential, 
nonresidential, and critical facilities affected by the storms; evaluating 
the performance of photovoltaic (PV) facilities; investigating the effects 
of wind speed-up due to the islands’ topography on building performance; 
and meeting with residents and local officials to better understand what 
transpired during and after the storms.