The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "unsafe construction" ...
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Unsafe, Unsound: School Construction Safety In Colorado
The Denver Post's series examined several failures that led to closure, for safety concerns, of a new $18.9 million elementary school in rural Northwestern Colorado town of Meeker- and the broader implications for school construction in the state. The DP demonstrated that the design-and-build firm made a series of mistakes and fought back when questioned, that a state official missed a glaring error in reviewing the project, and that the local school board allowed children to attend classes in the building for months, despite being warned about structural deficiencies.
Tags: elementary schools; construction; meeker; colorado; school officials; structural integrity
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Muddy 98
"Reporter Ben Raines discovered that lax oversight and poor engineering of a major highway project had allowed thousands of tons of mud to wash into Mobile's drinking water supply and the numerous creeks and wetlands that feed it."
Tags: environment; water supply; unsafe construction; public health; highway development; environmental agency
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In the Danger Zone
"This series revealed how seriously inaccurate federal flood maps for coastal Alabama have contributed to hurricane flood losses, encouraged unsafe construction, and influenced people to forego flood insurance." FEMA’s flood maps drastically underestimate the reality of coastal flooding in large areas of Alabama; the author used GIS to show that floods in the area are six to nine times more frequent than federal predictions.
Tags: environment; hurricane; GIS; FEMA: disaster relief; insurance; mapping
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Hurricane Coverage
Substandard and poorly enforced building codes led to houses that were unsafe during hurricanes in Mobile, Alabama. Gaps were also found in the county's evacuation plan and in the sturdiness of oil rigs constructed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tags: hurricane; oil rigs; gas rigs; building codes; Hurricane Katrina