StEER: Hurricane Helene Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR)

StEER activated a Level 1 response to conduct building performance assessments following this event, initiating a Virtual Assessment Structural Team (VAST) on September 29, 2024, based on the event having the strong potential to generate new knowledge. The VAST was charged with the production of the primary product of StEER’s Level 1 response: this Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR), intended to:
provide an overview of Hurricane Helene, particularly relating to coastal impacts, inland flooding, and wind damage impact on the built environment,
overview the regulatory environment and construction practices in the landfall area and other areas affected by the storm,
synthesize preliminary performance assessment reports for buildings and a range of infrastructure classes across multiple states,
provide recommendations for continued study on (1) Non-Stationary Hurricane Risk, (2) Drivers of Catastrophic Loss in North Carolina, (3) Housing Vulnerability, and (4) Future Reconnaissance Needs.
Note that this hurricane was geographically expansive and its impacts wide ranging, well beyond what could be documented through the volunteer efforts of a VAST. Moreover, since the VAST data collection initiated immediately following Hurricane Helene, at a time when access was limited to many areas and impacts were not fully known or reported, the observations herein may not capture the full scope of the impacts as now understood.