Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage Through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa by andrew.miller

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage Through Design Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

Abstract Iowa’s unique climatic conditions in and of themselves create a unique set of design constraints that ought to be considered in the design process. However, it is the rare extreme weather events which truly test a building’s resiliency. Particularly, the state is extremely vulnerable to floods and tornadoes, which have wreaked havoc on Iowa communities. This paper aims to examine the state’s practices in regards to dealing with these issues, as well as explore how design decisions could benefit Iowans in these desperate times. It is concluded that Iowa has a carefully crafted plan for after a design happens, which has been executed on many occasions. However, gaps lie in the state’s efforts to prevent mass damage before disaster strikes. In order to properly combat extreme weather events, a synthesis must exist at a variety of scales. Individuals, communities, and agencies must coexist, or mass devastation will only continue to happen.

Introduction Research for this project began with an exploration of the barriers and opportunities for resilient architectural approaches in the State of Iowa. To me, resilience is the ability to withstand adversity and prosper in times of difficulty. I think of 1 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

the quote by the boxer Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” In terms of architecture, resiliency can be measured by a buildings performance at its worst hours, when it is being hypothetically ‘punched in the mouth’. I chose this topic because of its relevancy to my life. Having been a lifetime resident of the state of Iowa, I have seen first-hand the devastation that extreme weather events have caused to communities. Most recently, in the summer of 2018 the town of Marshalltown, IA was devastated by an EF3 tornado. This tornado touched down less than a mile from the house of my grandparents. While their property saw no major damage, this news struck particularly close to home for me. As an architect, I could not help but to wonder if the devastation which took place in the town could have been reduced, or eliminated, by a more resilient architectural approach. Furthermore, I wondered what the implications and costs of these approaches were. In this paper, I will start by setting a clear definition as to the metrics of resilience in terms of extreme weather events. Using these metrics, I will evaluate the state of Iowa and its efforts to be resilient by using case studies, such as the town of Marshalltown. In doing so, my research question will be revised specifically to focus on mitigating and preventing mass damage done by extreme weather events. From this research, I will explain what architectural approaches are currently being done, and how Iowa could adopt them in the future. I conclude that in order to properly combat extreme weather events, a synthesis must exist at a variety of scales. Individuals, communities, and agencies must coexist, or mass devastation will only continue to happen.

Resilience Defined According to Arjen Boin, Louise K. Comfort, and Chris C. Demchak in “The Rise of Resilience”, there are four stages of resilience against a natural disaster. Most other scholars agree on these 4 stages, however I found the terminology and reasoning in this particular piece to be especially invigorating and well-thought-out.

2 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

The first metric of a resilient community is its ability to mitigate and prevent natural disasters. While similar, these two action offer two different methodologies as to not only how extreme weather events are dealt with, but also who is to deal with them. Much of the responsibility of mitigating extreme weather is placed on individuals within a community. It is their duty to not only recognize the dangers that extreme weather may pose to their area, but also use this knowledge to make educated decisions with this knowledge in mind. The responsibility when it comes to preventing disaster from extreme weather is placed on agencies, specifically governmental. It is their responsibility to provide the proper infrastructure for known weather related risks, insuring the collective safety of affected individuals.1 Infrastructure such as flood walls and storm shelters, or tornado safe rooms in an individual’s home would fall under the umbrella of mitigation and prevention. While mitigation and prevention focus on material aspects of resilience, the second stage of resiliency, preparation, focuses more so on actions taken when disaster strikes. There must be a carefully crafted plan to insure that proper responders are ready when needed, and individuals know where to be and what to do if the situation ever happens.2 Similarly, Response and Consequence Management is insuring that proper resources are ready and available. This involves making critical decisions in an incredibly difficult time as to the necessary actions needed to insure the survival of those affected. This could involve efforts to remove citizens from danger, offering food and water to those who lost theirs, or collecting funds to help affected citizens get back on their feet.3 Lastly, Recovery and Aftermath Politics includes all the events which happen after the chaos which ensued has settled down. It is a community’s response to a natural disaster to learn from mistakes of the past and to ensure that a similar situation

3 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

never happens again. In most cases, multiple stakeholders present multiples strategies and policies as to their ideal solution, as there is no ‘correct’ way for a community to return to normalcy. However, handling this step efficiently is key to a communities return, or lack thereof, to normality.4 These are referred to as stages of resiliency because one is only needed if the action listed before it cannot withstand the event on its own. Using the disaster of Hurricane Katrina as an example, how these stages are enacted can be visualized in the real world. The city had infrastructure in the form of levees that was a governmental agency’s attempt to prevent and mitigate mass flooding within the city. However, when flood levels reached higher than the levees, the city began to flood and the walls began to fail. The city warned citizens to evacuate in preparation, for the eventual floods due to the inability of existing infrastructure to prevent it. Unfortunately, not all citizens were able to evacuate, and some were stranded in unsafe conditions. Response and Consequence Management came in a variety of forms. Helicopter and boat rescue efforts came from governmental agencies such as the national guard, and private agencies such as the Red Cross assisted, with the help of individual citizen’s charitable donations. Lastly, recovery and aftermath politics, ensued in the city’s efforts to return to normality. This disaster was so pertinent that it affected beyond the city of New Orleans. Legislation and planning was affected nationwide, and attempts were made to learn from this event and prevent disaster of the same scale from ever happening again. While the severity of the disaster makes the scale of this example perhaps disproportional to other extreme weather events, they all still closely follow the same

Boin. Pg. 4

4 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

stages of resilience, regardless of scale. In some cases, mitigation and prevention is enough to minimize the effects of extreme weather on its own. Other cases continue on to the ultimate stage of recovery and aftermath politics. While each case is different, they are similar in their stages of resiliency. In simple terms, mitigation and prevention is being prepared when a natural disaster happens with proper infrastructure. Figure 1: Stages of Resilience

Preparation is having a plan of where to

go and what to do if a natural disaster happens. Response and consequence management is the ability to carry out a plan successfully. Recovery and aftermath politics is learning from a situation and insuring that it is handled properly if a similar situation ever happens again.

Issues in the State of Iowa Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s climatic conditions pose a particularly unique set of constraints when designing, aside from the cases of extreme weather events, they also must account for an extremely diverse climate. Buildings in the state face extreme temperatures on both sides of the spectrum. It is not rare for mid-August temperatures to reach above 100Â°F, and it is equally common for January temperatures to sink below 0Â°F. The average year often accounts for over 30 inches of precipitation. And it is not uncommon for wind gusts to exceed fifteen miles per hour. Designers must account for all of these definite situations in a given year, which can be a daunting task on its own. Even more daunting

5 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

is that on top of these is a number of indefinite extreme weather events which are more than plausible throughout the year.5 One indefinite extreme weather event that Iowa is vulnerable to is tornadoes. The state sees upwards of 50 tornadoes each year, and it seems as if at least one of these tornadoes annually devastates an Iowa town. A recent case study regarding this topic could be the EF3 tornado which ravaged through Marshalltown, IA, on July 19, 2018. While no fatalities were reported, the tornadoes undoubtedly altered thousands of lives. The tornado destroyed or significantly damaged numerous buildings in the downtown area. Notoriously, a video clip of the clock tower being torn off the courthouse went viral.6 Even despite the horror, many in Marshalltown considered themselves lucky that the damage was not worse, as recent history had taught them it could have been. In 2008, an EF5 tornado ravaged the town of Parkersburg, IA. In total, nine lives were lost, and an additional fifty injuries were reported. Millions of dollars of damages were reported in one of the most extreme natural disasters in the state’s history.7

Figure 2: Parkersburg, Iowa 2008

“Observed Precipitation.” National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/dvn/obsmapprecip (accessed December 10, 2018) 6 Bolten, Kathy. “'Sudden' tornadoes slam central Iowa, ripping through Vermeer plant and tearing chunks off buildings in Marshalltown and Bondurant.” Des Moines Register, July 19, 2018 7 “Service Assessment.” National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/media/dmx/SigEvents/2008-05-25_Parkersburg ServiceAssessment.pdf (accessed December 10, 2018)

6 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

An additional extreme event that the state is particularly prone to is flooding. The state averages nearly three feet of precipitation each year, and several highly populated areas reside in proximity to major rivers. While some of these cities have infrastructural solutions in the event of a flood, it is often not enough for the most extreme cases of flooding. For example, the floods in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 29 displaced 300 Figure 3: Des Moines, Iowa 1993

citizens. Des Moines is one city

which has infrastructural solutions meant to directly deal with this issue, however it was not enough in this extreme situation.8 In terms of the stages of resilience, Iowa is conscious of each stage, and definitive measures have been taken in each aspect to ensure the safety of each situation. However, the question arises as to the prioritization of the stages, and whether the allocation of resources is proportional to the urgency of each stage. Additionally, there is skepticism as to the efficiency with how it uses and disperses resources amongst the involved parties (individuals, communities, private agencies, governmental agencies). As previously mentioned, communities have invested in hard infrastructure in attempts to prevent and mitigate mass damage from floods. The city of Des Moines has completed construction of a flood barrier along the Des Moines River, and the City of Cedar Rapids has recently been approved for federal funding for a flood wall along the Cedar River. In the case of flooding, hard infrastructure seems to be most cities’ first defense mechanism. However, other soft infrastructural solutions could also be of 8

Eller, Donnelle. “Iowa Has Little Idea of the Cost to Fully Protect it from Flooding.” Des Moines Register. October 15, 2016.

7 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

assistance during times of flooding. Efforts such as retention ponds adapt to the changing morphology of the flood landscape and instead of redirecting it, attempts to absorb it.9 Likewise, there are hard and soft approaches to mitigating and preventing tornadoes, though this event is much harder to avoid. Soft approaches can be as small as trimming trees in your yard to rid them of dead branches. This alone eliminates a portion of flying debris, which is the primary culprit of injuries and deaths. Hard infrastructural solutions can also help eliminate the risk posed by debris. For instance, placing a car in a garage instead of in the driveway immediately reduces the risk of damaged property. Some tornadoes can even lift cars, which turns deadly. 10 Additionally, a tornado safe room protects human lives from the dangers of flying debris. Individual homes should all have an area of refuge from tornadoes, but if not, there must be a communal shelter capable of offering safety to masses of people. In some Iowa towns, school gymnasiums are being built as FEMA safe shelters, capable of protecting hundreds at a time from the dangers of tornadoes. Protection from debris is just one aspect of mitigation and prevention. Perhaps of equal importance is reducing and eliminating debris. A new wave of design has included more resiliency-conscious decisions, however the majority of older buildings in a community are simply not prepared for the event of a tornado. Retrofitting these buildings could significantly reduce the risks that these buildings pose. This can occur during other construction, such as remodeling efforts or when replacing other building components, or it can be done as its own task. Efforts such as bracing and strapping the roof, adding ties and reinforcements to important connections, and making entry and overhead doors more wind resistant can help hold a building together during a tornado, reducing the need for the latter stages of resiliency.11

Eller “Steps to Reduce the Risk of Tornado Damage in Commercial Structures.” IBHS. https://disastersafety.org/tornado/steps-to-reduce-the-risk-of-tornado-damage-incommercial-structures/ (accessed December 10, 2018) 11 “Steps to Reduce the Risk of Tornado Damage in Commercial Structures” 10

8 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

Efforts have also been made in terms of being prepared for extreme weather in the state. Infrastructural solutions do little to nothing if they are not used correctly. In Iowa, legislation has been passed in the form of OSHA ensuring the public is prepared in times of extreme weather events. This includes ensuring that warning systems are running properly, as well as informing building occupants of the measures to take in the case of emergency. Privately, less can be done to insure that individuals are aptly prepared when the time comes. Efforts such as tornado drills can ensure that everyone knows what to do in case of an actual tornado.12 Likewise, the state has made efforts to ensure that response and consequence management is ready and available. At a given moment, nearly 3,000 soldiers and airmen in the Iowa National Guard are ready to be activated. They have helped with disaster relief projects, such as cleaning debris after tornadoes. Additionally, they have helped with disaster prevention, such as placing sandbags to stop floods. Correspondingly, multiple private agencies and additional federal programs have been of great assistance when Iowans are in need.13 Lastly, the state has made considerable efforts to be resilient in the form of recovery and aftermath politics. Iowa is the first state in the U.S. to establish a flood mitigation board. This board disperses nearly $49 million annually to assist Iowa communities in their flood mitigation efforts. Despite this positive fact, Iowa cities are still asking for $144 million in help stemming from flooding and extreme weather, which the state is simply unable to fund at this time.14

“Tornado Preparedness and Response.” United State Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/dts/weather/tornado/preparedness.html (accessed December 10, 2018) 13 Iowa National Guard. “Update: Iowa National Guard Continues Flood Relief.” U.S. Army. June 23, 2008 14 “What We Don’t Know About State Spending on Natural Disasters Could Cost Us.” The PEW Charitable Trusts. June 2018

9 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

Opportunities for Improvement When it comes to realizing the dangers at hand regarding Iowa, there is no doubt that involved parties are well educated and aptly prepared. The skepticism in regards to resiliency is predominantly due to gaps in efforts when trying to mitigate and prevent extreme weather events. For this reason, I focused my research question to focus on mitigation and prevention. My question moving forward was “How can Iowa mitigate and prevent mass damage from extreme weather through design”. Many of the involved parties have their own plans and efforts when the time comes, however these plans are weakened by alternate parties when they could, and should, be strengthened with numbers. This happens at a multitude of scales. The smallest scale is individual citizens interacting amongst each other. A disconnect happens when individuals are so worried about their own safety that they leave those around them in a dangerous situation. For instance, it is a great idea to have a place of refuge in case of emergencies, however, if one is not equally worried about reducing amount of potential debris produced from their property, they are just as much the problem as they are the solution. It is an individual’s responsibility to minimize the dangerous items that their neighbors could be exposed to, including tree branches, automobiles, and other loose items. The middle scale involves individuals acting with agencies. The gap involves a general misunderstanding of the position of the opposite party. All too often, individuals expect public or private agencies to completely reimburse them, or even blame them for their hardships. On the contrary, these agencies can be guilty of failing to relate to the difficult situation that these individuals have been put in. While it is a difficult task during the most tense of times, patience and empathy for one another can be the most crucial characteristics to maintain. Lastly, the largest scale consists of communities acting amongst each other. In the case of recent Des Moines floods, the flood walls on their own have not always been enough. The city’s immediate solution is to move towards response and consequence management. However, a soft infrastructural solution may reduce the need for this 10 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

immediate step. If Des Moines could work with upstream communities to invest in soft infrastructural solutions, the need for latter stages of resiliency would be permanently reduced.15 A similar situation often arises in Sioux City, IA. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flood prevention plan accounts for rainfall in its immediate surroundings. However, upstream the City of Sioux Falls has a similar plan. When Sioux Falls faces heavy rainfalls, it releases its dam, sending large amounts of water downstream. If water levels in Sioux City are already high, it cannot handle this influx of water, which has flooded the city in the past. Perhaps in this case, the two communities could meet in the middle to create a soft infrastructural solution which benefits both communities. With this knowledge, the question arises as to what role designers play in mitigating and preventing mass damage due to extreme weather events. At the surface, it seems as if designers only control what they are hired to control. However, I challenge this simplistic thinking and say that it is the designersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibility to be ambassadors and educators. Ambassadors have the seemingly impossible task of making the extremely hard look extremely easy. In this case, it is the job of architects to make true resiliency not only desirable, but the standard. This can be done through legislation, funding, or innovation which makes the resilient choice easier than the opposite for those making the decision. Secondly, it is the job of an educator to teach those around to think from multiple angles. Educators make sure that those making decision are rigorously informed from all possible viewpoints. In the case of resiliency, it is the job of the architect to make sure a decision maker is fully aware of the consequences of an action, both short term and long term, so that the decision maker makes the most informed decision possible.

Conclusion When it comes to mitigating and preventing natural disasters, extreme weather events are at their most potent when individual parties are acting in their own interest, rather

Eller

11 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

than a collective interest. A synthesis must exist amongst a variety of parties at a variety of scales. If not, the continuous cycle of the stages of resiliency will continue to be the standard approach to dealing with extreme weather. It is the designersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; job to promote resiliency by being educators and ambassadors to permanent sustainable practices which help to mitigate and prevent extreme weather events and reduce the need for temporary recovery efforts only after these events have taken place.

12 of 13

Andrew Miller | Research Paper | ARCH 558: Sustainability and Green Architecture| Professor Andrea Wheeler Mitigating and Preventing Mass Damage through Design: Extreme Weather Events in Iowa

Works Cited

Boin, Arjen. “The Rise of Resilience.” In Designing Resilience: Preparing for Extreme Events, edited by Arjen Boin, Louise K. Comfort, and Chris C. Demchak. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010. Bolten, Kathy. “'Sudden' tornadoes slam central Iowa, ripping through Vermeer plant and tearing chunks off buildings in Marshalltown and Bondurant.” Des Moines Register, July 19, 2018 Eller, Donnelle. “Iowa Has Little Idea of the Cost to Fully Protect it from Flooding.” Des Moines Register. October 15, 2016. Iowa National Guard. “Update: Iowa National Guard Continues Flood Relief.” U.S. Army. June 23, 2008 “Observed Precipitation.” National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/dvn/obsmapprecip (accessed December 10, 2018) “Service Assessment.” National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/media/dmx/SigEvents/2008-05-25_Parkersburg ServiceAssessment.pdf (accessed December 10, 2018) “Steps to Reduce the Risk of Tornado Damage in Commercial Structures.” IBHS. https://disastersafety.org/tornado/steps-to-reduce-the-risk-of-tornado-damagein-commercial-structures/ (accessed December 10, 2018) “Tornado Preparedness and Response.” United State Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/dts/weather/tornado/preparedness.html (accessed December 10, 2018) “What We Don’t Know About State Spending on Natural Disasters Could Cost Us.” The PEW Charitable Trusts. June 2018

13 of 13