HAZUS-MH Earthquake Model
- Earthquake Model Performance
- Use of Earthquake Loss Estimates
- New Features in HAZUS-MH MR4
- HAZUS-MH Earthquake Model Applications
The HAZUS-MH earthquake model estimates damage and loss to buildings, lifelines and essential facilities from scenario and probabilistic earthquakes, including:
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Ground shaking and ground failure
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Estimates of casualties
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Displaced households and shelter requirements
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Damage and loss of use of essential facilities
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Estimated cost of repairing damaged buildings
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Quantity of debris
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Damage to buildings
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Direct costs associated with loss of function (e.g., loss of business revenue)
Earthquake Model Performance
- HAZUS-MH is a regional loss estimation tool. Results are most accurate when aggregated on a county or regional scale.
- Modeled results depend on accurate inventories. The more complete the inventories, the more accurate the results.
- Because of their complexity, it is more difficult to estimate losses to lifelines (utility and transportation) than buildings.
Use of Earthquake Loss Estimates
HAZUS-MH displays the analysis both through GIS maps and tables. This forecasting capability enables users to carry out a wide range of analyses.
- Emergency managers can use HAZUS-MH to develop scenarios to drive exercises and support emergency operations plans.
- State Hazard Mitigation Officials can use information on costs and benefits of specific mitigation measures, and to use analysis for risk assessments for State and local hazard mitigation plans.
- Shelter managers can use estimates of displaced households and shelter requirements to scale mass care mission requirements.
- Utility company representatives can use information on the locations and duration of potential utility outages in setting restoration priorities and committing necessary personnel and other resources.
New Features in HAZUS-MH MR4
- Updates the probabilistic maps with the latest version from USGS.
- Operates on ArcView 9.3 SP1 or ArcGIS 9.2 SP5, and MS Windows XP SP3.
- Corrects the Hawaii datum used in HAZUS.
- Certified to operate with Office 2003, but compatible with Office 2007.
- Deletes BIT and (Building Inventory Tool) and InCAST (Inventory Collection Assessment and Survey Tool), which have been superseded by CDMS 2.5 (Comprehensive Data Management System).
- Deletes the third-party model option (FLDWAV, FLDVIEW, Aloha and Marplot), but maintains the existing capability to import GIS layers from these tools.
- Deletes the multihazard average annualized loss assessment capability.
HAZUS-MH Earthquake Model Applications
Since the HAZUS-MH earthquake model was first used in 1995, there has been a wide range of applications by Federal, state, local and private sectors users.
- Hospitals Get a Jolt of Reality with HAZUS-MH Earthquake Analysis Results (2009)
- California Uses HAZUS-MH to Reassess Safety of Hospitals (2007)
- Scenario Development for the New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Initiative (2007)
- Annualized Earthquake Loss Study (2006)
- San Francisco Bay Area Earthquake Exercise (2006)
- Assessment of Losses from Repeat of 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (2006)
- Earthquake Loss Study: Gallatin County, Montana (2005)
- King/Pierce County, Washington, Port-to-Port Transportation Corridor Earthquake Vulnerability Study (2002)
Last Modified: Friday, 18-Sep-2009 17:00:55 EDT