9319841 Tung The project is concerned with the design and construction of break-away walls in buildings located in flood prone coastal areas. The behavior and strength of connections joining the walls panels to buildings and the panels themselves will be studied through experiments. The results of these tests will be analyzed and a model will be developed for computing the response of the wall/building system to prescribe wind and water induced loads. A method for assessing the forces acting on the break- away walls, and the response and failure mode of the walls will also be developed. The knowledge generated by the study will increase the safety of coastal area's population and will benefit the economy of these areas. ***