Zoning and Building Codes

Perhaps one of the most pressing issues, after public health and safety, is the polution released from flooded infrastructure whether sitting in a basement or buried in the yard. Those releases may create more harm than previously appreciated and their threats to humans and the environment need to be addessed. Spillage from Furnaces, water heaters,the fuels that drive those utilities and hazardous materials that are frequently stored in basements may become the most long lasting problems arrising from the recent disasters. Damage to homes and commercial space as well as their surroundings resulting from the release of heating oil, other petroleum products and hazardous materials are likely to make the clean up and restoration of buildings more difficult and set back many of the water pollution successes of the lsst three decades.

Considering the regulations regarding the infrastructure we rely on appears a needed element of the recovery and future planning efforts.