Assessing the Vulnerability at Coastal Sites - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Assessing the Vulnerability at Coastal Sites

Course Outline

In coastal areas, proper siting and design require an accurate assessment of the vulnerability of any proposed structure or building site, including the nature and extent of coastal hazards. Failure to properly identify and design against coastal hazards can lead to severe consequences, causing building damage or destruction.

This course discusses the following topics:

Hazard identification and risk assessment for natural hazards that can affect coastal construction
Hazard mapping procedures used by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and by various states and communities

Additional details on hazard identification and risk assessment issues can be found in a number of references. One of the most comprehensive is a recent report, Multi-Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, produced by FEMA (1997b).

This course is based entirely on the Chapter 7, Identifying Hazards of the FEMA Publication Coastal Construction Manual (FEMA-55). This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials. You will be quizzed on the subject document in its entirety.

Learning Objective

At the completion of this course the student will be familiar with the most significant natural hazards that affect the coastlines of the United States and its territories, which can be divided into five general categories:

Coastal flooding and Tsunamis;
High winds;
Erosion;
Earthquakes; and
Tropical Cyclones and Coastal Storms.

The course will also cover the following topics:

Typhoons;
Super Typhoons;
Hurricanes;
Tornadoes;
Noreasters;
Review of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale;
Review of the Modified Mercalli Earthquake Intensity Scale;
Review of the Modified Halsey and Dolan/Davis Classification for Northeasters;
Evaluation of Erosion;
Landslide Incidence;
Decay of wood products and infestation by termites;
El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO); and
Wave periods of tsunamis.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for engineers or architects involved in design or construction of structures located in high-wind areas, coastal areas or other areas subject to flooding.

Benefit for Attendee

This course was intended to provide valuable design guidance for engineers or architects involved in the design of structures which are located specifically in high-wind or coastal areas.

Course Introduction

This course provides an overview of each of these hazards, describes their effects on residential buildings and building sites, and explains where along the U.S. coastline each hazard is likely to occur.

Course Content

This course is based entirely on the Chapter 7, " Identifying Hazards" from the third edition of "Coastal Construction Manual" -Publication (FEMA-55).

The link to the course materials is as follows:

Chapter 7, " Identifying Hazards" from the third edition of "Coastal Construction Manual" (FEMA-55)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

At the completion of this class the design professional should be able to design and size a complete radon reduction system (depressurization system) that can be used in various types of residential or small commercial applications.

Related References

The course text references sections located within other chapters of the complete FEMA document. Although this additional information is not required to complete the quiz, a link is provided below with information on how to contact FEMA to obtain a full copy of the document for reference.

Although additional information is not required to complete the quiz, a link is provided below with information on how to contact FEMA to obtain a full copy of the document for reference.

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/plan/prevent/nhp/nhp_fema55.pdf

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.