Texas Lawmakers issue report on Hurricane Ike, disaster preparedness

In a recent report released by the Texas House of Representatives Select Committee on Hurricane Ike Devastation state lawmakers laid out plans to better prepare the state for the aftermath of a major hurricane. Spurred into action by Hurricane Ike’s aftermath, lawmakers assessed the damage and made plans for the future. READ MORE

DOWNLOAD REPORT (.pdf / ~13MB)

HAZUS.org gave this report a quick look ... we saw no mention of how HAZUS-MH can be used for planning, mitigation, response or response ...

Media reporting of HAZUS-MH damage estimates ...

HAZUS.org is getting calls and emails from media sources asking about HAZUS-MH generated damage estimates for Hurricane IKE.

HAZUS.org cautions that HAZUS-MH hurricane loss and damage estimates can vary dramatically depending on the accuracy of the input data and the experience of the operator. HAZUS-MH is a sophisticated software system that is intended to be used in the disaster management community.

The following is taken from the FEMA HAZUS web site...

HAZUS-MH loss estimates can include:

• Physical damage to residential and commercial buildings, schools, critical facilities, and infrastructure;
  
• Economic loss, including lost jobs, business interruptions, repair and reconstruction costs; and
  
• Social impacts, including estimates of shelter requirements, displaced households, and population exposed to scenario floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.

The HAZUS-MH MR3 Hurricane Wind Model allows users in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions and Hawaii to estimate hurricane winds and potential damage and loss to residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. It also estimates direct economic loss, post-storm shelter needs, and building and tree debris quantities and allows assessment of specific structural changes to buildings to strengthen them for mitigation. The model has the capability to define hurricane scenarios using National Weather Service forecasts/advisories and the software is optimized for rapid loss assessment. New MR3 features for the Hurricane Model include mitigation analysis options for all of the building classes and thousands of new damage and loss functions in the database. Tree debris can be estimated by weight or volume likely to be collected and disposed of using public funds. An "Automatic Outputs" tool added to the Hurricane Analysis Options dialog allows users to specify a standard set of results that will be automatically generated after each scenario or probabilistic analysis. A new rapid loss feature has been added that generates a range of potential damage and loss estimates for a given hurricane forecast that are included in the rapid loss summary report. Details about the Hurricane Wind Model.

Hurricane IKE

For the latest updates on Hurricane IKE go to the NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center web page, click here...*

The HAZUS-MH Hurricane Model allows users to estimate the economic and social losses from hurricane winds. The information provided by the model can be used by state and local officials in evaluating, planning for, and mitigating the effects of hurricane winds. For more info on the HAZUS-MH Hurricane Model, click here..

A CNN article reports that HAZUS-MH estimates that Hurricane IKE will cause $11.8 billion in damage, including $10 billion in property damage. HAZUS.org has no information as to the source of these estimates or who performed the HAZUS-MH runs that CNN is quoting. Readers are cautioned that results from HAZUS-MH simulations can vary dramatrically depending on the accuracy of input data.


Read more about the September 8, 1900 Galveston Hurricane ...
CNN Continental Remembrance
The 1900 Storm


HURRTRAK
HurricaneMapping.com

* NOTE: HAZUS.org should not be used for time critical disaster information. Information posted on HAZUS.org is intended to support the HAZUS user community prior to, during and after disasters.

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