2022-2029 Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently released an updated Strategic Plan for 2022-2029 for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).  

This updated plan outlines key seismic mitigation goals for research, implementation and awareness such as actively engaging in the development of building codes and advocating for their adoption and enforcement at all levels of government.

According to the plan, 42 states have some degree of seismic risk, with 18 having high seismic risk. Though major earthquakes are not frequently occurring in the United States, earthquakes of any seismicity are likely to result in the loss of billions of dollars in affected areas from both damage to infrastructure and the temporary shutdown of normal operation.

To address this and mitigate potential losses, the plan proposes prioritizing the enhancement and development of building codes that aim to improve the seismic performance of new and existing buildings.

The focus of this approach is to ensure that essential buildings, like hospitals and police stations, can be rapidly reoccupied, meaning they cannot sustain significant damage. Current approaches to earthquake design prioritize occupant life safety and now researchers are looking into how buildings can be designed for “functional recovery.”

National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

NEHRP was established by Congress in 1977 to mitigate the risks posed by earthquakes and enhance the resilience of communities and infrastructure. Its primary goal is to promote research, education and outreach to better understand, predict and respond to earthquake events in the United States.

In addition to using seismic data to guide code and standards development, the program investigates areas impacted by earthquakes to identify the shortcomings of safety measures reflected in the loss of life or injury, degree of building damage and time needed to re-occupy buildings.

By pinpointing weaknesses, changes can be made to improve earthquake resilience and prevent or lessen future damages from seismic events. The type of research has yielded reports such as Repair of Earthquake Damaged Masonry Chimneys (FEMA P-1024-RA1, 2015) and Earthquake Strengthening of Cripple Walls in Wood Frame Dwellings (FEMA P-1024-RA2, 2019).