North Carolina is an interesting case study for what's going on with building codes right now too. There's a conservative, pro-deregulation takeover that few outside the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry know about. Formerly, the NC Building Code Council was comprised of highly qualified engineers and architects, and a few contractors, each specializing in the different sections of the code. Each member of the council was appointed by the governor based on an extensive recommendation process to serve a limited term, which could be renewed. Last year, the NC state legislature dissolved this code council and passed a new law that legislature creates the code council and would have the exclusive power to assign all members, with no requirements on number of architects vs engineers vs contractors. This was lobbied for heavily by contractors in the state. It's anticipated the council will now heavily favor contractors despite the fact that contractor licensing does not qualify them to design, much less write the design standards for, many components ruled by the building code.
As a building systems engineer myself, I can tell you that across all political persuasions (and engineering has the full spectrum), no engineer has supported the idea that contractors can decide life safety code in NC now rather than a licensed architect that studies life safety design and takes rigorous licensing exams for that knowledge. This all was happening right around the time that Hurricane Helene impacted Western NC and so the protestations were really limited to only those in the AEC industry, and even then, attentions were split. Despite outcry from architects and engineers, the experts on these codes, the state passed it. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed it but the NC legislature had a one vote republican super majority that overruled the veto.
Does anyone understand why increasing climate catastrophe isn't changing these legislators' minds on doing things like that? I feel like Helene should've made it clear that even as capitalists, they face real risks from deregulation. Are they just so caught up in ideology that they can't see the obvious connections? Or is the pull of disaster capitalism just so strong they're willing to roll the dice? I remember a few years ago a lot of writers seemed to have hope that actual lived experience of large-scale climate disaster would have favorable impacts on policy, but if anything, it's been the opposite.
I think the thing is they (Legislators) don't see themselves as endangered by this pattern. In part, because (according to capitalist logic) all things are purchasable by money and therefore are replaceable as long as the hoard enough wealth. So their response is to charge a higher cost for bribes (sorry "contributions") in order to relocate somewhere slightly more protected and then pay private security to keep out the people whose lives their policies have destroyed. Thus they do what will make them more money in the short-term as they imagine crafting golden parachutes instead of y'know smothering the fire in the airplane we're all on.
Legislators are encouraged to prioritize their own relative comfort and power over their connections to people or geographical location.
Because my viewpoint is influenced by what I'm familiar with, I suspect is has to do with the big AEC firms that lobby politicians. They make a lot of money from on-call emergency service contracts with states and municipalities, and also make a lot of money on FEMA contracts. The owners and share holders of those companies get to scrape a cool 13% (on average) profit margin off the top of those tax dollar-paid project fees. Disasters are good for business if you own an AEC company or trade stocks in them.
We in the industry know that building codes are the most cost-effective way to improve building safety and energy efficiency. Improving infrastructure by incrementally improving the building code is a slow but meaningful process. Florida, uniquely, is a good example of this. Florida has maybe the best building codes in the US because Hurricane Andrew so thoroughly devastated south Florida in 1992 that the building code became a non-partisan issue. Miami-Dade county sets a global standard even! Their wind ratings for roof-mounted equipment are so strong, that if I'm ordering a roof-mounted fan from any manufacturer, to be installed anywhere in the world, there's a checkbox for Miami-Dade county wind ratings that impacts how that fan will be installed, to ensure it won't rip off in a Cat 5 hurricane winds and become a deadly projectile. Florida requires about 30 inspections in the process of residential construction, depending on the scope of the construction. Compare that to North Carolina's 8 required inspections for residential construction.
I think we must not make mitigation efforts the enemy of environmental activism. We can and should prepare communities while fighting against climatological end ecological destruction. See the flawed but fascinating Kim Stanley Robinson novel "The Ministry For The Future."
I have focused a lot in my recent writing on mitigating our political threats. In response to fascism I said, "My advice, get organized. Find a community of like-minded anti-fascists and form a network that can be relied on. Join unions and progressive organizations. Practice mutual aid, protest, organize and participate in strikes, particularly the general one planned for 2028. Prepare and practice community self-defense. Learn all the skills needed to protect yourself and those around you. Do not comply with the regime, and do not give in to fear. Realize who you are facing, what they mean to do, and act accordingly."
Some of this does apply to natural disasters. Having a community and practicing mutual aid can definitely help in any disaster scenario. If I can get a little Syndicalist on everyone unions can help organize and provide that. I'm a proud wobblie, consider joining.
Here, in LA, we are really worried about earthquakes and the increasing, climate driven danger of more intense and frequent fires. You mention a lot of this but have an escape route. Have your important docs in a bag you can get quickly. Have some non-perishable food and water in your car and home. Have a rally point with loved ones. Take some first aid or an EMT class. Learn relevant skills like survival.
Perhaps we need to follow Kropotkin's advice and form mutual aid rescue groups like the lifeboat society he so admired. It is possible to take SAR classes or become a volunteer firefighter. This may be a way we could help with mitigation.
Anyway, sorry to plug in the comments, but please y'all like, restack, and subscribe. It's really hard to make a living as a writer right now. We have real trouble getting our work out there, especially if we are leftists. Any help is appreciated.
Don't rely on regulators or officials. Get together and work out what needs doing, then go ahead and get it done. If it can't be done, publish the news far and wide, warn everyone what will happen. Plan how to leave the area, where to go, what to take with you. Work out how soon it all might happen, whether groups can plan and go together, seeing to children and older people's needs. Don't believe easy answers in newspapers or on the TV, or from the politicians, unless they turn up and start doing the real work! Words are easy, work is hard. If it costs money, they won't want to pay for it, they will expect you to pay! Above all, DO NOT WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.
When buying a house, I did take this into consideration...though in the end it won't do me that much good. I am 80 meters above sea level, but the majority of my city is not. The downtown is actually down. A stream runs through to a river that is still tidal, so a bit of the stream is tidal too. Doubtless all infrastructure will be obliterated should things rise up like they did in Texas. And if North Carolina is the example to have, with Helene, even mountains get floods severely. At least I had enough sense to not get anything too close to the coast! Hard to figure out the new rules before they change again.
North Carolina is an interesting case study for what's going on with building codes right now too. There's a conservative, pro-deregulation takeover that few outside the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry know about. Formerly, the NC Building Code Council was comprised of highly qualified engineers and architects, and a few contractors, each specializing in the different sections of the code. Each member of the council was appointed by the governor based on an extensive recommendation process to serve a limited term, which could be renewed. Last year, the NC state legislature dissolved this code council and passed a new law that legislature creates the code council and would have the exclusive power to assign all members, with no requirements on number of architects vs engineers vs contractors. This was lobbied for heavily by contractors in the state. It's anticipated the council will now heavily favor contractors despite the fact that contractor licensing does not qualify them to design, much less write the design standards for, many components ruled by the building code.
As a building systems engineer myself, I can tell you that across all political persuasions (and engineering has the full spectrum), no engineer has supported the idea that contractors can decide life safety code in NC now rather than a licensed architect that studies life safety design and takes rigorous licensing exams for that knowledge. This all was happening right around the time that Hurricane Helene impacted Western NC and so the protestations were really limited to only those in the AEC industry, and even then, attentions were split. Despite outcry from architects and engineers, the experts on these codes, the state passed it. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed it but the NC legislature had a one vote republican super majority that overruled the veto.
Does anyone understand why increasing climate catastrophe isn't changing these legislators' minds on doing things like that? I feel like Helene should've made it clear that even as capitalists, they face real risks from deregulation. Are they just so caught up in ideology that they can't see the obvious connections? Or is the pull of disaster capitalism just so strong they're willing to roll the dice? I remember a few years ago a lot of writers seemed to have hope that actual lived experience of large-scale climate disaster would have favorable impacts on policy, but if anything, it's been the opposite.
I think the thing is they (Legislators) don't see themselves as endangered by this pattern. In part, because (according to capitalist logic) all things are purchasable by money and therefore are replaceable as long as the hoard enough wealth. So their response is to charge a higher cost for bribes (sorry "contributions") in order to relocate somewhere slightly more protected and then pay private security to keep out the people whose lives their policies have destroyed. Thus they do what will make them more money in the short-term as they imagine crafting golden parachutes instead of y'know smothering the fire in the airplane we're all on.
Legislators are encouraged to prioritize their own relative comfort and power over their connections to people or geographical location.
Because my viewpoint is influenced by what I'm familiar with, I suspect is has to do with the big AEC firms that lobby politicians. They make a lot of money from on-call emergency service contracts with states and municipalities, and also make a lot of money on FEMA contracts. The owners and share holders of those companies get to scrape a cool 13% (on average) profit margin off the top of those tax dollar-paid project fees. Disasters are good for business if you own an AEC company or trade stocks in them.
We in the industry know that building codes are the most cost-effective way to improve building safety and energy efficiency. Improving infrastructure by incrementally improving the building code is a slow but meaningful process. Florida, uniquely, is a good example of this. Florida has maybe the best building codes in the US because Hurricane Andrew so thoroughly devastated south Florida in 1992 that the building code became a non-partisan issue. Miami-Dade county sets a global standard even! Their wind ratings for roof-mounted equipment are so strong, that if I'm ordering a roof-mounted fan from any manufacturer, to be installed anywhere in the world, there's a checkbox for Miami-Dade county wind ratings that impacts how that fan will be installed, to ensure it won't rip off in a Cat 5 hurricane winds and become a deadly projectile. Florida requires about 30 inspections in the process of residential construction, depending on the scope of the construction. Compare that to North Carolina's 8 required inspections for residential construction.
An excellent piece as always.
I think we must not make mitigation efforts the enemy of environmental activism. We can and should prepare communities while fighting against climatological end ecological destruction. See the flawed but fascinating Kim Stanley Robinson novel "The Ministry For The Future."
I have focused a lot in my recent writing on mitigating our political threats. In response to fascism I said, "My advice, get organized. Find a community of like-minded anti-fascists and form a network that can be relied on. Join unions and progressive organizations. Practice mutual aid, protest, organize and participate in strikes, particularly the general one planned for 2028. Prepare and practice community self-defense. Learn all the skills needed to protect yourself and those around you. Do not comply with the regime, and do not give in to fear. Realize who you are facing, what they mean to do, and act accordingly."
https://bettergracesandliberations.substack.com/p/the-far-rights-violent-hateful-reaction
Some of this does apply to natural disasters. Having a community and practicing mutual aid can definitely help in any disaster scenario. If I can get a little Syndicalist on everyone unions can help organize and provide that. I'm a proud wobblie, consider joining.
Here, in LA, we are really worried about earthquakes and the increasing, climate driven danger of more intense and frequent fires. You mention a lot of this but have an escape route. Have your important docs in a bag you can get quickly. Have some non-perishable food and water in your car and home. Have a rally point with loved ones. Take some first aid or an EMT class. Learn relevant skills like survival.
Perhaps we need to follow Kropotkin's advice and form mutual aid rescue groups like the lifeboat society he so admired. It is possible to take SAR classes or become a volunteer firefighter. This may be a way we could help with mitigation.
Anyway, sorry to plug in the comments, but please y'all like, restack, and subscribe. It's really hard to make a living as a writer right now. We have real trouble getting our work out there, especially if we are leftists. Any help is appreciated.
Don't rely on regulators or officials. Get together and work out what needs doing, then go ahead and get it done. If it can't be done, publish the news far and wide, warn everyone what will happen. Plan how to leave the area, where to go, what to take with you. Work out how soon it all might happen, whether groups can plan and go together, seeing to children and older people's needs. Don't believe easy answers in newspapers or on the TV, or from the politicians, unless they turn up and start doing the real work! Words are easy, work is hard. If it costs money, they won't want to pay for it, they will expect you to pay! Above all, DO NOT WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.
I suspect the fascists have been in the walls, and really, the house itself, for quite some time now...
When buying a house, I did take this into consideration...though in the end it won't do me that much good. I am 80 meters above sea level, but the majority of my city is not. The downtown is actually down. A stream runs through to a river that is still tidal, so a bit of the stream is tidal too. Doubtless all infrastructure will be obliterated should things rise up like they did in Texas. And if North Carolina is the example to have, with Helene, even mountains get floods severely. At least I had enough sense to not get anything too close to the coast! Hard to figure out the new rules before they change again.