Our prayers go out to those who have been affected by our recent hurricane Sandy disaster.  As people look toward rebuilding efforts, many folks have called us here at Capsys.  Modular construction is obviously stronger and inherently more “floor resistant” to use a FEMA phrase simply due to the suite of materials we use and to the strength we build into our modules due to our transport requirements.  However, more than just the materials to be used in the new structure need to be considered.  The supporting foundation system should also be modified when building in flood-prone areas.

We decided to post two documents here about both design considerations and about substructure considerations.  The first is a FEMA document published in 2008  entitled “FEMA Flood Resistant Materials” which discussed various options you might consider including in your reconstruction efforts.  The second is a reprint from “Structure Magazine” called FEMA 550 and is an article that attempts to interpret a very technical FEMA structural engineering document so we non-engineers can understand it.

 Please continue to call us with any questions you have and we will continue to try to assist our neighbors who received damage from Sandy.

FEMA 550

FEMA Flood Resistant Materials 2008 doc