Flood-proofing for Canada's national building code gets U.S. expert's advice

By Brett Ruskin

Canada's national building code has guidelines for how to construct homes to defend against wind, snow, rain and earthquakes — but not floods.

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“That's a pretty difficult problem to wrap your arms around," said Bill Coulbourne, president of Coulbourne Consulting, of Annapolis, Md., the team hired by the NRC to help with the building code update.

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In Canada, building construction falls under provincial jurisdiction, but the federal government publishes and updates the National Building Code to provide a baseline starting point.

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Residents along the Ottawa River were forced to evacuate their homes when water levels rose to record levels in May. The month before, the Saint John River flooded homes throughout New Brunswick. In July, hay crops in British Columbia were destroyed when the Chilcotin River burst its banks.

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