ST-RISK

ST-RISK version 4.5 released, includes HAZUS damage functions and risk analysis based on those functions. READ MORE
_

HAZUS-MH discussed at CrisisCampSiliconValley

Rich Davies the Managing Director of HAZUS.org and the coordinator for the San Francisco Bay Area HAZUS User Group (BAHUG) discussed a Silicon Valley HAZUS Level-3 proof-of-concept project at the recent CrisisCampSiliconValley. Conceptually this project would leverage hand-held computer technology and crowdsourcing to collect HAZUS-MH Level-3 exposure/infrastructure data.

SELENA

SELENA is a Matlab™ based open-source computer tool that will assist you in computing earthquake damage scenarios. The damage probability for any specific structure follows the computation principles of HAZUS-MH. GIS-based software (e.g., Arcview) can be utilized at multiple levels of resolution to display predicted losses graphically. SELENA was developed through support from the International Centre for Geohazards, Norway.

MORE INFO...

Tsunami Awareness Week, March 21-27

Sorry, we almost missed this one!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program have designated March 21-27 as Tsunami Awareness Week. This designation comes in the wake of last month’s tsunami in Chile and less than six months after a tsunami hit American Samoa, both events resulting in loss of life and property.

MORE INFO ...

Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstructing after Natural Disasters

The World Bank has released Safer homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstructing after Natural Disasters.

The handbook is not a quick, fit‐all recipe for reconstruction policy, instead it provides elements to create a tailored one which will likely lead to better outcomes. It emphasizes the need for countries to invest in capacity building and establish a culture of risk management before disasters hit and to ensure that tools to analyze and mitigate risks are widely understood and diligently applied. To this end the Handbook fills a widespread gap in managing largescale reconstruction programs.” READ MORE

Press Release ...

The Report...

HAZUS Training at EMI ...

FEMA provides free HAZUS-MH training at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, MD. MORE INFO


HAZUS-MH classes offered during the EMI 2010 Second Semester include:

E174 HAZUS-MH for Earthquake / April 19 - 22, 2010
E313 Basic HAZUS-MH / May 17 - 20, 2010
E313 Basic HAZUS-MH / Jul 12 - 15 –
E172 HAZUS-MH for Flood / July 26 - 29 - -
E296 Application of HAZUS-MH for Risk Assessment / August 2 – 5, 2010
E317 Comprehensive Data Management for HAZUS-MH / Sep 13 - 16, 2010

Course schedules can change. Check out the EMI web site for the latest info.

Global Earthquake Model Risk Module Proposals Due March 18th...

Responses to the Global Earthquake Model Request For Proposal to develop five Components within its Risk Module, is due in one week ... March 18, 2010!

1. GEM Ontology & Taxonomy
2. Inventory Data Capture Tools
3. Global Exposure Database
4. Global Earthquake Consequences Database
5. Global Vulnerability Estimations methods


GEM invites international consortia to respond to these calls. The deadline for submission of proposals is 18 March 2010 at 0:00 CET. The GEM Secretariat will aim to facilitate contact between institutions for the creation of international consortia. Proposals will be subject to peer review, and will be selected by GEM’s Governing Board, with awards expected in July 2010.

MORE INFO

Killer Buildings in U.S. 'Predictable Surprise'

An "Opinion" article in Emergency Management, while referencing the collapse of unreinforced masonry buildings during the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, raises the concerns around unreinforced masonry buildings here in the United States. READ MORE

This article does not address the concerns around "soft story" buildings which is perhaps an even a more widespread problem than unreinforced masonry buildings.

HAZUS & Haiti ...

FEMA analysts have adapted HAZUS to assess the January 12, 2010 7.0M earthquake in Haiti, Haz Haiti. Click on graphic to download...







The HAZ Haiti analysis was based on "A GIS-Based Methodology for Exporting the Hazards U.S. (HAZUS) Earthquake Model for Global Applications" . Click on graphic to download...










Related ... Estimating Casualties for Large Earthquakes Worldwide Using an Empirical Approach ... Open-File Report 2009–1136 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey