FEMA Pushing for Stronger Building Codes Nationwide

Kelly Burch | June 13, 2022

Kali Worth and her family. Courtesy of Kali Worth

• Kali Worth’s daughter had up to 200 seizures a day, plus other challenges.
• She eventually was diagnosed with SYNGAP1, a genetic condition.
• This is Kali’s story, as told to Kelly Burch.

I knew something was different about my daughter Kai long before I was ready to admit it. By her first birthday, Kai would injure herself when she got upset, scratching at her eyes and mouth or biting her wrists. She wasn’t walking or communicating well.

A friend with a background in childhood development once pointed out that Kai’s jacket was always falling off. Her body was so limp that the coat just slipped down. I got defensive because I wasn’t ready to admit to myself or someone else that something was wrong.

As a first-time mom, you don’t know what typical development looks like, so it’s easy to push your worries aside.… read more > “My daughter has a rare seizure-inducing condition. She wasn’t diagnosed until insurance agreed to pay for genetic testing.”

FEMA Pushing for Stronger Building Codes Nationwide

June 2, 2022

On the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season, federal officials announced a new initiative to modernize building codes across the country so that communities can be more resilient to hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and other extreme weather events that are intensifying due to climate change.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Ali Zaidi, the deputy national climate advisor to President Joe Biden, discussed the initiative Wednesday during a briefing at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, where Hurricane Andrew caused $26 billion in damage in 1992, and recovering from a similar hit could cost hundreds of billions today.

Nearly two out of every three communities in the United States have outdated building codes and, as a result, are vulnerable to climate impacts and higher energy costs, officials said. The initiative is designed help state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments adopt current building codes and standards, enabling communities to be more resilient to hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and other extreme weather events that are intensifying due to climate change.… read more > “FEMA Pushing for Stronger Building Codes Nationwide”