Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Buildings, bridges, and other structures are not supposed to fall down. But sometimes they do, and for different reasons: fires, earthquakes, high winds, errors in design and construction, flaws in materials, and even terrorist attacks.
When disaster and failure events cause, or pose the potential for, substantial loss of life, the NIST Disaster and Failure Studies Program provides a platform for research into building and infrastructure performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures.
By understanding the technical causes leading to structural or response failures and then making that information public, NIST engineers and researchers strive to prevent similar failures in the future. Studies conducted by NIST have led to significant changes in practices, standards, and codes to enhance the health and safety of the American public.
News and Updates
NIST Transfers Evidence From Champlain Towers South to Miami-Dade Police Department
NIST Provides Update on Champlain Towers South Investigation
NIST to Provide Public Update on Hurricane Maria and Champlain Towers South Investigations During Advisory Committee Meeting March 6-7, 2024
Blog Posts and Feature Stories
The Joplin Tornado: A Calamity and a Boon to Resilience, 10 Years On
The Highs and Lows of Studying the Aftermath of One of Turkey’s Deadliest Earthquakes
