In the past month, devastating floods across Texas and New Mexico have claimed more than 130 lives—many of them children. Neighborhoods were submerged, thousands stranded, and billions of dollars in damage left behind. The scale of loss is staggering and deeply painful. And yet, for many, it’s a grim confirmation of what has long been predicted. Climate data clearly shows that extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent, and the built environment—our schools, homes, hospitals, and community spaces—often remains unprepared.

Florida knows this story all too well. With our low-lying communities and exposure to storms, flooding is not a distant risk but a daily operational and economic challenge. Yet, many of our buildings still aim only for code minimums, leaving them vulnerable to the very risks we know are increasing.

THE ROLE OF RESILIENCY IN BUILDING CODES

Last year, AIA Florida’s Resiliency Task Force took on the effort to address much needed changes to the Florida Building Code to make our communities more resilient to increasing intensity of climate events, especially around the five forms of flooding which include coastal, river, flash, surface water, and groundwater flooding.

This voluntary appendix chapter, currently going through the review process to be adopted, was written as a resource, crafted to help communities, designers, and owners go beyond the base code to embed resilience strategies into projects across the state. This appendix is not a mandatory layer, unless the local authority having jurisdiction decides to adopt the chapter, in parts or as written.

The appendix offers practical guidance on:

• Moisture Mitigation Strategies protecting building structures from moisture intrusion.
• Water Resilience Strategies to ensure resource continuity.  
• Flood Mitigation Strategies beyond base flood elevation or the outdated 100-year flood map, which often underestimates actual risk.

A NATIONAL MOVEMENT TOWARD RESILIENT DESIGN

Florida is not alone in recognizing the urgency of building resilience into the built environment. At the national level, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has developed several resources to support architects in designing for resilience, including:

• Framework for Design Excellence
• Resilient Project Process Guide
• Resilience Design Toolkit
• Professional development programs like the Resilience and Adaptation Certificate Series, the Disaster Assistance Program, and the Safety Assessment Program (SAP).

Several state AIA chapters—including California, Minnesota, Oregon, Middle Tennessee, New York, Arizona, and Hawaii—are leading similar efforts through advocacy, education, and local toolkits. These collective actions show a growing momentum nationwide to embed resilience at both policy and practice levels.

FLOODING: A WAKE-UP CALL FOR ALL STATES

The recent Texas and New Mexico floods, following intense rainfall in regions already stressed by heat and drought cycles, demonstrate the compounding risks our communities face. Facilities designed only to minimum code requirements often cannot withstand the stresses of today’s climate realities, let alone tomorrow’s unknowns.

It is not simply about storms, but about the cascading impacts on education, health, and economic stability when facilities flood, power fails, or HVAC systems cannot keep up with extreme heat. When risks are not mitigated, we not only face loss of life, but loss of a community’s economic stability. We need to reframe the conversation around the cost of inaction – not only monetary, but the toll these risks have on our livelihoods.

WHY CODE MINIMUMS ARE NO LONGER ENOUGH

Building codes are the floor, not the ceiling, of safety. They are designed to protect life safety, but not always livelihood safety or community continuity. Relying solely on code minimums:

• Leaves schools and critical facilities exposed to extended downtime after flooding or storms.
• Ignores the long-term operational and insurance costs tied to repeated damage.
• Misses opportunities to align design with community resilience goals and climate adaptation strategies.

MOVING FORWARD: A CALL TO ACTION

Architects, facility leaders, and community decision-makers have a choice:

• Continue building their projects using minimum codes and brace for repeated, costly disruptions.
• Or go beyond baseline requirements using tools like the FBC Resilience Appendix or other published Resiliency Standards to protect people, missions, and budgets.

The recent Texas and New Mexico floods are a reminder that while we cannot control the storms, we can control how we prepare for them. We should consider resilience not as a luxury or an add-on, but as a necessity and an investment in the future of our communities.

HOW WE CAN HELP

At Little, we are ready to help communities:

• Evaluate facility risk profiles.
• Integrate resilience strategies within budgets and project timelines.
• Leverage existing resiliency codes and standards for practical, phased resilience upgrades.

If your organization is ready to move from reactive recovery to proactive resilience, we’re here to help you take the next step, because our communities deserve more than the minimum.