Roosevelt students get lesson from Linn County staff on how building codes keep people safe in disasters

CEDAR RAPIDS — Whether it’s the hurricane-force winds of the 2020 derecho, or the destructive rising Cedar River waters of the 2008 flood, Linn County is no stranger to disasters.

To avoid massive damage to buildings and keep residents safe as severe weather events increase in frequency, building codes have had to improve over time to stand up to the growing threats brought on by the climate crisis.

Representatives from Linn County’s Planning and Development Department met with sixth grade students at Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy on Friday to teach Cedar Rapids youth about the role building codes play in infrastructure stability during natural disasters.

This lesson coincided with Building Safety Month, which both the city of Cedar Rapids and Linn County are celebrating.

Students learned about different types of natural disasters and how to build commercial and residential structures that can withstand the disasters or curb their effects.

Linn County staff service eight cities — with one more to be added soon — as well as unincorporated Linn County. They ensure buildings are built in compliance with building code — the mandatory set of rules on building design, construction, testing, inspection and maintenance to protect public health, safety and welfare.

Cities such as Cedar Rapids have their own Building Services Department, which has jurisdiction over properties within city limits.

County Associate Combination Inspector Ryan Sampica reviewed the history of codes, basic codes and how the county performs damage assessments and collects data after disasters for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid in the recovery process.

He identified examples of disasters and how they influenced changes in building codes over time. He shared with the students how inspectors took the code and other factors to inspect structures to make them safe.

Simply put, Sampica told students, “building code is to help you be safe in whatever building you're in, whether it's a school, a home, a mall.”

“That's what our job is, as building inspectors, it's to come out and make sure that whatever building is being built will be safe and will protect you in case of some sort of a natural disaster,” Sampica said.

The first known building code dates back to approximately 1750 B.C. with the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes. It was proclaimed by King Hammurabi, who reigned over the Old Babylonian Empire from 1792 to 1750 B.C.

That code was quite simple, though, Sampica said — essentially dictating that if a house fell, for example, it should be rebuilt at no cost to the occupant. Over time, events occurred that prompted codes to be strengthened.

After a Roman amphitheater collapse killed tens of thousands of spectators at the packed venue in A.D. 27, Sampica said Roman lawmakers required all amphitheaters to be built on solid foundation, inspected and certified.

Another example he provided was the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake in 1994 in Southern California, which caused damage up to 85 miles from its epicenter. Many buildings in that disaster were crushed because they lacked proper reinforcement, he said, but now there’s rebar in the walls to make concrete stronger so it will better hold up in such an event.

Most recently, Sampica used the derecho as an example. The costliest thunderstorm in U.S. history caused $7.5 billion in damage across Iowa with sustained wind gusts of 115 miles per hour and gusts of 140 miles per hour.

There was minimal structural damage caused by high wind speeds alone in the derecho, Sampica said. Rather, much of the damage to properties was caused by trees the ferocious winds toppled — a testament to the advancement of building codes over centuries.

“That's how far our codes have come to make those buildings safe,” Sampica said. “ … The fact that we had that and didn't have a lot of structural damage, that's impressive, and that's why the codes work.”

As an example of how Linn County uses building code, Building Official Luke Maloney told The Gazette code allows for project planners to request reductions to the maximum wind speed projects are designed to withstand. He said NextEra requested a wind speed reduction for its utility-scale Duane Arnold solar project near Palo, but that request was denied because the community has already experienced a disaster with high winds.

Science teacher Valerie Sampica, whose class hosted the county guests, said this is the first full year that students get educated in science. To finish the year, students are learning about earth science — everything from geological processes and changes in the Earth over time to natural hazards around the U.S.

Being a magnet school, she said there’s an effort to incorporate project-based learning into curriculum, so she assigned a project giving students a city to research. They will study its location, what hazards it faces and how communities might implement processes to keep citizens safe from those threats.

“They're enjoying this unit,” she said. “They're getting involved. I'm trying to do a lot more hands-on activities. I just want to end the year giving them something to look forward to, momentum into seventh grade.”

Several students had questions about the building inspectors’ work: What does zoning mean? How much do building inspectors make? What inspired you to do this? If a building falls, whose fault is it?

Despite Ryan Sampica’s sales pitch for the profession, at least one of the students wasn’t quite ready to ditch his dreams of becoming an athlete.

“You’d rather be a professional soccer player?” said Principal Justin Blietz, who sat in on the presentation. “If that doesn’t work out, this might be a good alternative.”

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com