A Time to Rember - A Time to Prepare

September is "National Preparedness Month" ...

A Time to Remember...
A Time to Prepare...

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Hurricane Irene: Economic Loss Estimates

IEM posted their HAZUS derived economic loss Estimates for hurricane Irene, READ MORE

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FEMA's "whole of community" approach

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate talked about his agency's new "whole of community" approach to preparedness and response in federal disasters. The new approach includes engaging the entire community, including the public and private sectors, in coordinating a federal response to disasters.

This August 16, 2011 talk was recorded by CSPAN.

Click on the image to see the CSPAN replay... or GO THERE

CNN touts HAZUS during lead-up to Hurricane IRENE

CNN, in an article leading up to Hurricane IRENE landfall, reported on data derived from HAZUS modeling of the storm to quantify expected wind damage from the storm.
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New Flood Prediction Technology Simulates Rivers 100x Faster Than Real Time

Researchers from IBM and the University of Texas at Austin have applied advanced analytics to river systems, weather and sensor data, to predict river behavior more than a hundred times the normal speed.

The system simulates thousands of branches at a time. The technology has many applications including HAZUS "what if" scenarios.

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National Seismic Hazard Maps

Now that we are thinking about earthquakes ...

The USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps are the basis for seismic design provisions of building codes, insurance rate structures, earthquake loss studies, retrofit priorities, and land-use planning.
Incorporating these hazard maps into designs of buildings, bridges, highways, and critical infrastructure allows these structures to withstand earthquake shaking without collapse.
Properly engineered designs not only save lives, but also reduce disruption to critical activities following a damaging event. By estimating the likely shaking for a given area, the maps also help engineers avoid costs from over-design for unlikely levels of ground motion. MORE INFO

2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season .. Hurricane IRENE

The 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season is finally starting up in earnest ...

For the latest official news and warning information on Hurricane IRENE HAZUS.org suggests you use the resources provided by the
>> NWS National Hurricane Center



August 4, 2011 - NOAA 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook Update, READ MORE

August12, 2011 - Experts: Hurricane Activity Likely to Increase, READ MORE

HAZUS Helpdesk now working with the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX)

The following is from a FEMA email sent out on Monday Aug 22nd at 06:56AM PDT

TheHAZUS Program is implementing an improvement in its user support processes that we’d like you to know about. While the HAZUS Helpdesk (https://support.hazus.us) is still the main source of providing HAZUS user’s with technical support, we are pleased to announce a new partnership with FEMA’s Map Information eXchange (FMIX) to provide additional telephone support. The new partnership with the FMIX will give HAZUS users the ability to speak directly with a support representative during normal business hours to follow up on Helpdesk tickets, receive assistance in using the Helpdesk, or get answers to general questions about HAZUS.

The toll free phone number for HAZUS technical support (1-877-283-8789) has not changed. Starting on Monday, 8/22/11 calls to that number will be automatically redirected to the FMIX. Users can also reach the FMIX directly by calling 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627). FMIX hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am until 6:30 pm Eastern Standard Time (Eastern Daylight Time). Self-service options are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

National Earthquake Resilance

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is the multi-agency program mandated by Congress to undertake activities to reduce the effects of future earthquakes in the United States. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-the lead NEHRP agency-commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to develop a roadmap for earthquake hazard and risk reduction in the United States that would be based on the goals and objectives for achieving national earthquake resilience described in the 2008 NEHRP Strategic Plan. National Earthquake Resilience does this by assessing the activities and costs that would be required for the nation to achieve earthquake resilience in 20 years. MORE INFO

2011 HAZUS User Conference

Follow the annual conference remotely via #hazus twitter posts.

Understanding the Power of Social Media as a Communication Tool in the Aftermath of Disasters

On May 5, 2011 the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs held a hearing on Understanding the Power of Social Media as a Communication Tool in the Aftermath of Disasters. MORE INFO

Crisis Maps Can Be Risky

Crisis mapping tools—which combine communications technologies with a Web-based platform for analysis—can be used to organize information contributed by participants using mobile phones and other devices, and to display important updates on a live map.

Crisis mapping has had a major impact recently. For example, helping to collate information and coordinate activities during the Haitian earthquake in early 2010 and the Japanese tsunami that struck earlier this year.

Crisis mapping tools are increasingly springing up in politically fraught situations. The use of crisis mapping during political situations significantly raises the possibility of interference, says George Chamales, a hacker and activist who has served as technical lead for crisis map deployments in Libya, Pakistan, and Sudan. READ MORE

Related Presentation (.pdf) at the 2011 Black Hat Conference ( This is a big file give it a chance to dl ) DOWNLOAD

HAZUS Helpdesk Problems Resolved ...

In an email sent out on Aug 5th FEMA reports:

"The Hazus program has been experiencing technical problems over the past several days with the processing of some Helpdesk tickets. We apologize if this situation has resulted in a slower than usual response to a request you may have submitted recently. The technical difficulties have now been resolved and we are working diligently to recover as quickly as possible and address any tickets that are still outstanding. Again, we are very sorry if this has caused any delays to your work and we appreciate your patience. "

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Earthquake Loss Reduction Summit

The Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) will be hosting a major earthquake loss reduction summit on October 13, 2011 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. This is an annual event and is a precursor to the "Great ShakeOut" event that will be held on October 20th. As you know, there are several types of structures that are at risk and many stakeholders do not know what action can be taken to mitigate this risk.

MORE INFO...