HAZUS News

Updated Annualized Earthquake Loss Study (FEMA 366) Now Available

Cover image of FEMA 366

The recently updated HAZUS-MH Estimated Annualized Earthquake Losses for the United States (FEMA 366) can be downloaded from FEMA's website. HAZUS-MH was used in the preparation of the Annualized Earthquake Loss, which estimates seismic risk in all regions of the United States by using two risk indicators:

1. Annualized Earthquake Loss (AEL), which is the estimated long-term value of earthquake losses to the general building stock in any single year in a specified geographic area; and

2. Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratio (AELR), which expresses estimated annualized loss as a fraction of the building inventory replacement value.

This study is an important contribution to our understanding of the earthquake risk in the United States, and in ongoing efforts to promote seismic safety through the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

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HAZUS-MH Used in Support of Utah Seismic Safety Legislation

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The State of Utah has recently taken important steps to reduce the vulnerability of schools to damaging earthquakes in the Wasatch Front region. House Bill 162, passed on February 21, 2008, requires a seismic evaluation of public schools, and appropriates $500,000 to support seismic safety.

HAZUS-MH has played an important role in this initiative. The model has sharpened the focus on the vulnerability of schools in this region to damaging earthquakes. Specifically, HAZUS-MH has been used to estimate losses and potential casualties from scenario earthquakes in a region that is among the most susceptible in the U.S. to seismic activity. Read the full story.

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California Uses HAZUS-MH to Reassess Hospitals

HAZUS-MH is playing a central role in the vulnerability analysis of over 1,300 hospitals that were built in California before 1973. The findings of this analysis have significant cost implications for the state. In November, 2007, the California Building Standards Commission approved the use of the HAZUS-MH Advanced Engineering Building Module (AEBM) to re-evaluate hospitals in California. The ability to adapt the AEBM methodology to the evaluation of hospitals in California provides the state with a much more accurate assessment of the seismic safety of these essential facilities, and in the process is saving the state billions of dollars. Read the full story.

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HAZUS-MH to be Featured at Multiple Conferences in 2008

As interest in HAZUS-MH continues to grow, so does the number of national conferences at which the model will be featured. For an updated list of these conferences, go to HAZUS-MH Conference Schedule.

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HAZUS-MH Used in Two Integrated Emergency Management Courses (IEMC)

HAZUS-MH was successfully used in two Integrated Emergency Management Courses/Hurricane Recovery and Mitigation – one that focused on South Carolina and the other on Mobile, Alabama. These courses bring together State and local officials from the “study area” to develop and implement recovery and mitigation strategies following a major disaster.

For these courses, HAZUS-MH was used to develop two scenario events: Thumbnail version of Hurricane Alonzo map graphic 1) Hurricane Alonzo, a Category 3 event that reached landfall southwest of Horry County in South Carolina, and 2) Hurricane Daphney, a Category 4 hurricane that followed the same track as Hurricane Ivan in 2004, impacting southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle.
View larger Estimated Peak Gusts Wind Speeds: Hurricane Alonzo map graphic (64 k).

For both exercises, HAZUS-MH depicted the hurricane paths and extent of Thumbnail version of Hurricane Ivan map graphic wind Thumbnail version of Hurricane Ivan map graphic  damage, and estimated losses to schools, essential facilities, and general building stock, debris generated, and estimates of shelter requirements and displaced households. View larger Estimated Displaced Households and Short-Term Shelter Needs: Hurricane Ivan map graphic (116 k).

HAZUS-MH is well suited for community or state-based hurricane exercises. The loss estimates enable response and recovery officials to delineate the extent of damage, and to scale resource requirements to support recovery.

For additional information on how HAZUS-MH can be used to support response and recovery operations, contact Tom Durham at TSDurham@PBSJ.com.

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South Carolina Completes Phase 1 of the CDMS Web Portal

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The South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) completed Phase 1 of the pilot project to develop a Comprehensive Data Management System (CDMS) Web Portal that will enable users to enables users to upload, download, and manage HAZUS-MH datasets through the CDMS, and to use this enhanced inventory data to perform HAZUS-MH analyses. Phase 2 is underway, and will involve training and other implementation measures.

Download the presentation, CDMS Web Portal Version 1.0: The standardized role-based application to update statewide HAZUS-MH datasets. This PowerPoint® presentation describes the process and project in detail.

Other CDMS in the News:

FEMA Launches HAZUS-MH Web Portal Project with South Carolina Emergency Management Division  (January 2007)

FEMA and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) kicked off a project to develop a HAZUS-MH Web-Based Portal Project.  This pilot project will enable users to upload, download, and manage HAZUS-MH datasets, and to use this enhanced inventory data to perform HAZUS-MH analyses.

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New ESRI Speaker Series Podcast: HAZUS-MH Web Course Series Developers Discuss Release of New Courses and Related Activities

(Published February 5, 2008) Vince Brown, Senior Program Specialist in the Mitigation Division at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Kevin Mickey, Director of Professional Education and Outreach at The Polis Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, discuss the release of the new HAZUS-MH Web-based courses to help public and private organizations plan for and mitigate natural disasters as well as the upcoming HAZUS-MH User Conference and related activities. Listen/Download the Podcast from ESRI.

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HAZUS-MH Map Template Series is Expanded

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More HAZUS-MH maps and reports have been added to FEMA's HAZUS Map Template Series. The intent of this initiative, which was launched in 2006, is to share innovative HAZUS-MH products that have been developed since 2005 to support risk assessments, mitigation planning and support for disaster operations.  A standardized template has been developed to display the maps and reports with descriptions of the data and analysis.  Each map or report includes an explanation of how the analysis can be used to support decision making for hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.  View the newest map template additions. 

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FEMA Releases January 2008 HAZUS-MH Hot Zone Newsletter

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FEMA recently launched HAZUS Hot Zone, a newsletter that highlights new developments, activities and practices associated with HAZUS-MH.  The newest issue of the newsletter contains information about the Comprehensive Data Management System Web Portal, The Florida HAZUS User Group (FLHUG): A Catalyst for Mitigating Risks and Improving Collaboration Between Florida's Emergency Management Professionals, and new online training opportunities through ESRI. Download HAZUS Hot Zone January 2008 newsletter. View other issues.

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ESRI Speaker Series Podcast Introduces HAZUS-MH Virtual Course Series

Graphic of presentation slide

Listen and learn about the upcoming HAZUS-MH virtual course series developed by ESRI and Vince Brown, Senior Program Specialist in the Mitigation Division at FEMA, and Kevin Mickey, Director of Professional Education and Outreach at The Polis Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis. In the podcast, the speakers provide an overview of the courses and their objectives as well as the ideal candidates for them and how they will benefit from the training.

With seven online courses in all to serve varying interests and training needs, the series will help public and private organizations plan for and mitigate natural disasters. Courses include the following:

Read full course descriptions.

Listen/Download the HAZUS-MH Web Course Series Helps Mitigate Natural Disaster podcast. To listen to additional podcasts, visit www.esri.com/podcasts.

Download the HAZUS-MH Virtual Courses Handout with the complete course descriptions.

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Florida HAZUS-MH Best Practice

The State of Florida has been a leader since 2004 in the use of HAZUS-MH to support decision-making in response operations, mitigation planning and post-disaster analysis of recovery options and strategies. HAZUS-MH Best Practices: State of Florida highlights the important HAZUS-MH initiatives that have been carried out in Florida through the leadership of the Florida Division of Emergency Management in close coordination with FEMA Region IV and the Florida HAZUS Users Group (FLHUG).

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HAZUS-MH Inventory: Potential Applications

In order to assess and mitigate the impacts of a natural hazard such as an earthquake, flood or hurricane, it is necessary to have an understanding of the potential size of an event (hazard identification) and the characteristics of the population and environment that will be impacted (inventory collection). A unique feature of HAZUS-MH is the national inventory that comes with the model.

Inventory data includes 1) Essential Facilities: police, fire, emergency operations facilities, schools, medical facilities; 2) Lifelines: utilities and transportation; 3) General Building Stock: residential, commercial, and industrial (aggregated by square footage); and 4) Demographic Data, which can be aggregated by age, income, sex, households and other attributes that have a direct bearing on vulnerability to disasters.

The HAZUS-MH inventory has several potential applications for planners, emergency responders and decisionmakers. Read about potential applications.

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 30-Apr-2008 17:52:07 EDT

Fast Facts

Since the late 1990s, HAZUS has been used to support analysis of shelter requirements, displaced households, and residential losses from earthquakes, hurricane winds, and floods. This analysis has important potential applications for FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) applications include determining the exposure of population to hazard impacts (hurricane winds, storm surge, ground shaking); and estimations such as the number of IA Preliminary Damage Assessment Teams required for a disaster, residential damage, short-term shelter requirements, or number of displaced households.

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