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Hazus User Groups Success Stories

FEMA produces several success stories each year to highlight outstanding work by Hazus User Groups and Hazus users. These stories are sorted by the primary type of hazard and by FEMA Region.

Earthquake

Hazus Haiti Study Region Success Story

FEMA Region VIII

Using Hazus to Assess Alternative Futures and Earthquake Scenarios for Haiti 
Using the GIS-based methodology developed by Hansen and Bausch in 2006, a Hazus Haiti study region was developed in the immediate weeks following the devastating January 12, 2010 earthquake. Before the earthquake, Haiti lacked adequate GIS datasets to support detailed loss estimation.  But with the combined efforts of the GIS and earthquake research communities, Haiti rapidly became a data rich environment. Enhancement of the original methodology for Haiti included the development of grid sizes of 10 km, and 1 km that represent rural and urban environments.

FEMA Region IX

HIHUG: Hawaii Hazus Atlas 
The Hawaii Hazus Atlas is a web-based catalog of 20 “plausible” hypothetical earthquakes based on historical events located in (and around) Maui and Hawaii Counties. With HHA, communities can use Hazus results to assist in all phases of disaster planning. Prototypes have also been used recently by Hawaii State Civil Defense to support statewide tsunami and earthquake exercises. For the tsunami exercise, the Atlas was used to examine the damage caused by the hypothetical earthquake in Maui and Hawaii Counties.

NVHUG: Loss-Estimation Modeling of Earthquake Scenarios for Each County in Nevada Using Hazus-MH 
With the support of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology conducted a project to model the potential earthquake loss in each county in the state of Nevada using Hazus-MH. The probability of at least one magnitude 6 or greater event in the next 50 years is between 34 and 98%. The probability of at least one magnitude 7 or greater event in the next 50 years is between 4% and 50%. Understanding these facts, plus the fact that it is possible to prepare, respond, and mitigate structural and nonstructural risks motivated this project.

FEMA Region X

ORHUG: Geologic Hazards and Future Earthquake Damage and Loss Estimates for Six Counties in the Mid/Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon
In an effort to become more resilient from natural hazards, communities in Oregon have begun a large-scale endeavor aimed at pre-disaster mitigation. The goal of the partnership is to assist all counties in the state to develop mitigation plans. In order to assist these counties in the development of their natural hazards mitigation plans, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries identified the primary geologic hazards, developed countywide earthquake and landslide hazard maps for each county, performed future earthquake damage and loss estimates, and performed overall project management. The Community Service Center’s Oregon Natural Hazards Workgroup at the University of Oregon facilitated the community plan development through hands-on trainings, applied research, and plan development support. The Office of Emergency Management managed the grant, performed general review of final plans, and was the lead communicator with FEMA.

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Flood

3 Rivers HUG Flood Success Story

FEMA Region III

3RiversHUG: CUP Students Begin a New Chapter in Hazus History 
Find out how students at California University of Pennsylvania are using Hazus to assist municipal governments with all levels of emergency management. The students are gaining valuable real-world experience that augments their education through class projects, field assignments, service-learning activities, and internships. At the same time, various entities-including local emergency management offices, Hazus users, GIS users, regional planning agencies, and county and municipal governments-are getting their projects completed more quickly and efficiently by leveraging the energy and efforts of the student chapter.

3RiversHUG: Formed by the California University of Pennsylvania 
California University of Pennsylvania bringing Hazus expertise to local governments in Southwestern Pennsylvania through research and service projects. The 3RiversHUG is helping all stakeholders with their goals because academicians are able to expand their research and service activities, their students gain valuable real world experience, the public sector receives much needed assistance to complete valuable data gathering and analysis projects, and the private sector provides certified engineering analysis, advice, and gains networking opportunities and potential internship candidates.

FEMA Region IV

USGS and FEMA Collaborate to Expand Flood Mapping and Risk Assessment Science 
Utilizing a new real-time tool, FEMA and the U.S. Geological Survey are developing a web-based module for Albany, Georgia that uses Hazus loss estimation. The website allows users to view inundation maps sequentially by moving a guiding cursor. During the next year, FEMA and USGS will be reviewing the prototype website with emergency managers and other local officials in Albany to get their feedback and make modifications as deemed appropriate.

FEMA Region V

Wisconsin Emergency Management: Using Hazus-MH to Evaluate Flood Risks and Losses Across the State 
Leveraging Hazus methodology, the state of Wisconsin, conducted 100 year flood analysis for the whole state. A comprehensive study of flood risks and losses can prove particularly useful in a state such as Wisconsin, which contains many lakes and rivers. When rainfall or snowmelt exceeds normal levels, the State can suddenly find itself facing a flood.

FEMA Region VI

Louisiana State University: Using the Power of Hazus to Study a Flood-prone State 
Michelle Barnett used Hazus to analyze damage estimates for flood-prone parishes in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Three of the studies of the Louisiana Gulf Coast focused on the lower Amite River Valley, the Calcasieu River Basin, and St. Mary Parish, respectively.

FEMA Region VII

Johnson County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Collaborates with the University of Iowa Department of Geography to Assess Flooding Impacts Using Hazus-MH 
June 9, 2008, Johnson County Emergency Management Director Dave Wilson anxiously watched as floodwaters rose to record levels of 28 feet upstream. Forecasts called for more rain, painting a grim picture for the County. Visualizing a repeat of the 1993 flood, Dave realized that using paper maps to plan response and recovery would not be a viable option. EMS turned to Hazus-MH for answers. Hazus-MH flood boundaries were intersected with local GIS road networks and elevation data to create an estimate of upcoming road closures. Creating this analysis days before the event gave EMS staff time to prepare for alternative routes to navigate around the county.

FEMA Region VIII

Using Hazus-MH at Devils Lake, North Dakota 
With the support of the Minnewaukan government and FEMA, Tina Cummings created a site-specific database using building information provided by the Benson County Tax Assessor’s Office. She was able to provide accurate maps and flood damage profiles to officials at the local, state, and federal levels to assist them in making more informed decisions regarding relocation as a flood mitigation alternative. For the City of Minnewaukan, the Hazus-MH model was applied in an innovative manner to examine the effects of lakeshore flood hazards.

FEMA Region X

Eagle, Alaska Uses Hazus to Map Safe Rebuilding Zones Following Ice Jam Devastation 
In early May 2009, an ice jam on the Yukon River above Eagle, Alaska broke, flooding the town with icebergs as large as homes. The Geospatial Intelligence Unit (GIU) and the Risk Analysis Branch at The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region X watched news reports of the Eagle, Alaska disaster on CNN and YouTube and came to the town's rescue with Hazus. The town of Eagle had not been previously mapped for flood hazards, including ice jams, and the normal flood mapping process can take several years. Using the US Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge data and elevation data from across the border in Canada, the team was able to run the Hazus flood model. The flood model required a large area of digital elevation data which led to the combination of U.S. and Canadian data. The initial Hazus runs identified areas that were most severely impacted, which helped emergency responders focus their response efforts.

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Hurricane Winds

Florida Hazus User Group Hurricane Success Story

FEMA Region IV

FLHUG: A Catalyst for Mitigating Risks and Improving Collaboration Between Florida’s Emergency Management Professionals
Florida finds a way to achieve “economies of scale,” by forming the FLHUG and mitigating risks using Hazus. When Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, hit Southwestern Florida on August 13, 2004, its impact was devastating. The state used Hazus methodology as its primary tool for this work and offered Hazus-MH training regionally.

FEMA Region VI

TXHUG: Using Hazus-MH Runs to Calculate Debris and Commodity Needs for Hurricanes 
During the spring of 2007, the Texas Governor’s Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) participated in a GAP analysis meeting with representatives from FEMA. The GAP analysis included what levels of commodities (ice, water, food) could be supplied by the State as well as the amount of tree debris likely to be produced and the State’s ability to dispose of it, following a Category 3 hurricane. Quantifiable answers are available through the commodity needs spreadsheet. Recently, Miguel Pavon, the Information Center Director of the Texas/ Mexico Borderlands and one of the facilitators of this success story, was awarded the Outstanding Mitigation Award at the 2011 National Hurricane Conference.

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Multi-Hazard

Using Hazus-MH in a Decision Support System

FEMA Region III

Decision-Making for Critical Infrastructure using Hazus-MH 
The two most recent major disasters in the United States, the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, underscored the need for improvements in both safety and security. At the same time, a difficult economic period started reflecting smaller budgets to manage critical infrastructure systems, current and growing maintenance, and construction-development needs. Looking in particular to post-disaster policies for recovery and mitigation of damaged and disrupted critical infrastructure, a research opportunity to develop an approach to improve the resilience of these systems taking advantage of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazus-MH tool was identified. A case study included Hazus-MH original data inventory and analysis results in a Decision Support System model that demonstrated the possibility and benefits for using an integrated approach of recovery and mitigation focusing on improving resilience of critical infrastructure systems.

FEMA Region IV

South Carolina Hazus User Group Develops from the Successful CDMS Web Portal Project 
Building on momentum of Hazus training and the CDMS Web Portal Project, Melissa Berry forms the SCHUG to create a network of hazard professionals to generate high level risk assessments. The SCHUG will increase the coordination and collaboration between statewide emergency managers, GIS users, and educational institutions in the State of South Carolina. The mission of the SCHUG is to use the Hazus-MH software to reduce the loss of life and property caused by natural and technological hazards in South Carolina through its implementation.

FEMA Region IV Strengthens Disaster Preparedness Nationwide by Sharing Hazus Expertise
What can the FEMA Region IV Hazus Technical Team do for you? They provide assistance using Hazus for the highest levels of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. FEMA Region IV is comprised of eight states in the southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee).

FEMA Region V

CHUG: Expanding Hazus Use in FEMA Region V 
The Central Hazus Users Group (CHUG) provides a means of collaboration between Hazus-MH users within FEMA Region V. This group looks at software challenges, Hazus-MH projects, and the overall general use of Hazus-MH software. The main goal of the CHUG is to maximize the potential of Hazus-MH within the region. Sharing the successes and challenges between users helps bring the entire region together in planning for natural disasters.

FEMA Region IX

Tribal Governments: Using Hazus-MH for American Indian Reservation's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning 
Sovereign Indian nations are gathering data and using Hazus for mitigation planning despite the Reservation designation of “unincorporated area” without publicly accessible data. A responsible PDM plan for an Indian reservation gathers essential data for and about the reservation and examines the relationships and capabilities that exist between the tribal government and its local-government counterpart. These governments have similar missions: to protect their people and assets. These shared goals are best achieved by working together to mitigate risks. Those cooperative efforts are currently being advanced on numerous reservations by leveraging the dynamic strengths of Hazus-MH technology.

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Last Modified: Tuesday, 19-Jul-2011 14:20:22 EDT

Fast Facts

There are currently 24 active Hazus User Groups (HUGs) throughout the United States. If you are interested in forming or joining a HUG, please contact Jamie Caplan at HazusUserGroupHelp
@jamiecaplan.com.

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