Following the recent catastrophe faced by the San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina archipelago due to Hurricane IOTA in November 2020, and the subsequent need to rebuild all exposed elements damaged during the event, the basic wind speed values for structural design were updated in light of the provisions given in ASCE 7-16.
The calculation of basic wind speed values was conducted by Ingeniar: Risk Intelligence as part of the consultancy to “analyze and assess the modification of risk associated with meteorological and climatic hazards due to long-term climate change at the departmental level under existing adaptation conditions,” as part of the roadmap for constructing Colombia’s Long-Term Climate Resilience Strategy (E2050) (in Spanish).
The update to wind hazard and design and construction standards for housing and infrastructure conducted by Ingeniar aims to provide a sustainable solution aligned with the necessary adaptation to new climatic scenarios that the islands will face due to climate change. The results obtained are inputs for the reconstruction processes currently initiated by the National Government of Colombia
Ingeniar prepared a technical note presenting the minimum values that should be used in the reconstruction efforts in San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina, and other affected areas of the Archipelago, in accordance with the ASCE 7-16 standard from the American Society of Civil Engineers, in chapters 26 to 30.
The calculated values were obtained from simulations of hurricane paths through the Caribbean region near the Archipelago, incorporating the effects of climate change, for 3-second gusts at 10 meters above ground level, considering an exposure category C (defined in ASCE 7-16 section 26.7.3).
