Building performance assessment: hurricane Fran in North Carolina. Observations, recommendations and technical guidance

On September 5, 1996, Hurricane Fran made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina, and generated considerable rainfall, moderately high winds, and storm surge and waves along the coast. This report focuses on the damages along the North Carolina coast that resulted from flood surge, wave action, erosion and scour.
On September 12, 1996, the Mitigation Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed a Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) to coastal North Carolina to assess damage caused by Hurricane Fran. It assessed the performance of primary structural systems of buildings, i.e., systems that support the building against lateral and vertical loads experienced during a hurricane, building extensions and on-site building support utilities such as electrical, water and sewage services.