FLASH Urges No More Delays on Adoption of New Building Codes in Today's Edition of The Memphis Commercial Appeal

This critical vote will take place this morning after 8:55 a.m. CST.

As president and CEO of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, I urge the Shelby County Commission to reject approval of a proposed joint ordinance designed to further delay critical building codes essential to protecting Memphis and Shelby County from the personal and economic devastation inflicted by earthquakes.

The new codes are set to take effect July 1. The proposed ordinance, which a commission committee is scheduled to discuss Wednesday, would delay implementation until Dec. 31. The time to have new code protections in place is now.

Tennessee is second only to the West Coast as a region in the U.S. most at risk for earthquakes. The New Madrid Fault Zone, centered near Memphis, has produced three of the four strongest earthquakes in the United States. Stronger building codes, particularly seismic standards, are proven to protect lives.

Delays bring economic costs as well. Insurance rates inevitably rise in communities with lower standards, as evidenced by the downgrade in Shelby County from 3 to 8 in the Insurance Services Office Building Code Effectiveness Grading Scale for failing to adopt the modern seismic code.

Local employers, including FedEx, understand the value of enhanced codes and are already using the advanced practices learned from modern seismic events. Imagine the devastation to local and worldwide commerce if an earthquake interrupted their ability to move 30 percent of all U.S. goods through Memphis. Homeowners and small business owners deserve the same protection.

It’s time for Shelby County and Memphis to join the neighboring communities of Chattanooga, Jackson, Madison County, Dyersburg, Nashville/Davidson County, Bristol/Knoxville and Southaven, where the new codes are already in effect.

Safety delayed is safety denied.

Leslie Chapman-Henderson

Tallahassee, Fla.