‘Sensible policies’ needed for new building codes post Beryl – Engineer

DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS conducted following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, showed that many homes across St Vincent and the Grenadines did not meet the minimum standards for the country’s building codes.

This, coupled with issues of deterioration of building materials due to poor maintenance, increased the potential for significant damage from the weather system.

Engineer within the Physical Planning Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Desmond Pompey said the department has recognized the need for improving the country’s building codes.

“We at Physical Planning recognize that any new requirement is expected to have technical and economic impacts. We are designing sensible policies, nothing too restrictive or burdensome, so that people can build back.”

He explained “sensible policies” should be designed in such a way that it is not burdensome on builders.

“We have to balance it too. While we don’t want to be restrictive and burdensome, we also want people to try to meet the minimum standards when they are building back. So that is a dance we will have to perform and I think the team is up to it,” Pompey said Sunday, August 4, 2024, on WEFM’s ‘Issue at Hand’ programme on the topic ‘Resilient Designing and Building in the Face of Climate Change’.

Pompey said the building codes which currently guide construction in SVG are at a minimum standard for a Category One weather system, and what is being proposed will be to withstand a Category 3 hurricane.

“Research information shows that the return period of a category one is 50 years. A 50-year return period is a two percent chance of expediency- which means there is a 98 per cent of not occurring. That was the research up until Beryl ….When we review the storms and hurricanes that made landfall in St Vincent maybe as far back as the 50s or the 60ss, you would find that those that made landfall was nothing more than a Category One storm. We have never really had a major hurricane.”

Pompey suggested the need for informed discussions on the way forward for the rebuilding effort in SVG as weather systems are becoming increasingly stronger.

“People talk about Category Four and Category Five construction. I would advise that we have further

discussion on this, because even with the latest update of building regulations we have, which we are working on implementing, you are talking about 700 years return and 1,700 year return period.

A 700-year return- the probability of that is less than a percent, 1700 years is less than a percent of a percent. So you are talking about a 99 percent chance of not occurring. We are going to have discussions on how we move forward.”

Pompey said as well that consideration should be given to designing some structures which are used during the disaster period, to withstand up to a category four system.

“Designing roofs for Category 3 and 4, you are talking about rafters that are of dimensions, three by eight. Currently we use two by six rafters, that is expensive. So when I talk about coming up with sensible policies, one proposal I’ve made, there are structures that we might want to consider designing for Category 3 and 4, 5- certainly the shelters, places and public buildings like the schools, so at least we know persons have a safer place to take shelter in the eventuality of such storms. And that may address cost issues slightly.”

Architect and Lecturer at the SVG Community College, James Campbell, stressed the need for more “honest and skilled” construction workers in the country as he has recognized the practice of contractors taking shortcuts during the building process. He also called on persons building homes to take steps to get educated on the steps in the construction process.

Pompey emphasized the importance of liaising with the Physical Planning Department so inspections can be carried out to ensure compliance with the building codes.