World's major cities on shaky ground

In 1800, there was just one city with more than a million people -- Beijing. Now there are 381 urban areas with at least 1 million inhabitants. Urbanization crossed a threshold last year when, for the first time, more people lived in city settings than rural ones.

According to a recent study by seismologist Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado, over 400 million people live in cities that face significant seismic hazard. READ MORE

REPORT: The seismic future of cities, Roger Bilham

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HAITI'S KILLER QUAKE: WHY IT HAPPENED - Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel and Science Channel take a closer look at the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti...

Thursday, February 11th at 9PM ET/PT (look for other dates)

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 was the strongest to hit the island in over two centuries. Beginning Thursday, February 11, Discovery Channel and Science Channel explore Haiti in the aftermath of the tragic quake, whether it could have been avoided, and what we can learn scientifically from the tragedy.

On Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 9PM ET/PT, Discovery Channel premieres HAITI'S KILLER QUAKE: WHY IT HAPPENED. The special delves deep into the key questions that scientists are racing to answer: Why did the quake happen now? Could it have been predicted? And when and where might the next "big one" strike?

MORE INFO
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Earthquakes caused the deadliest disasters in the past decade

In the past decade, nearly 60 per cent of the people killed by disasters died because of
earthquakes, the Center for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) reported today in a
joint press conference with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(UNISDR).

READ MORE

UNISDR Press Release

REPORT

Haiti: Poor construction the real disaster

The audience at a recent UC Berkeley lecture given by Eduardo Fierro, one of the first U.S. earthquake engineers to visit post-quake Haiti, collectively cringed as Fierro showed slide after slide of haphazard columns, brittle frames, and slipshod rods and joints. “This was not an earthquake disaster,” Fierro said. “This was caused by people that didn’t know how to use codes, that built things in bad shape. These were the people that caused the tragedy.”

READ MORE

Opinion ... I think Prof. Fierro ignores the total picture in Haiti. I suspect the primary risk in Haiti is hurricanes, where Haiti's "houses and buildings constructed with unwieldy slabs of concrete and cinder blocks" are ideal. This is little different than the wildfire situation in Southern California. Most houses there are wood frame construction because this is a good construction type in earthquake country. However these same houses are a worst case situation when it comes to wildfires. The real question will be when reconstruction occurs will Haiti address all-hazards.

California hospitals HAZUS update

Update:

The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) has been implementing a voluntary program to re-evaluate the seismic risk of California's hospital buildings classified as Structural Performance Category (SPC-1). These buildings are considered hazardous and at risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake and under California law must be retrofitted, replaced or removed from providing acute care services by 2013.

OSHPD is using HAZARDS U.S. (HAZUS) to reassess the seismic risk of SPC-1 buildings and those that are determined to pose a low seismic risk may be reclassified to SPC-2. The SPC-2 buildings would have until 2030 to comply with the structural seismic safety standards. Participation in the HAZUS program is optional for hospital owners wishing to have their SPC-1 building(s) re-evaluated.

MORE INFO

Ushahidi Digital Mapmakers Help Haitian Rescue Efforts

"Right now it's about getting information out as much as possible," says Patrick Meier, the humanitarian response and crisis mapping specialist in Ushahidi's 10-person team and a PhD student at Tufts University, where Ushahidi's situation room for the Haiti earthquake aftermath is based. In this situation room, 10-20 volunteers work around the clock to find, evaluate and post relevant information. As of this morning, the Haiti earthquake site on Ushahidi had about 300 pieces of information. READ MORE

Ushahidi Haiti web site ...

Multiyear study of earthquake early-warning system

California scientists are upgrading hundreds of seismic monitors throughout the state, installing new devices that will vastly improve the state's system for detecting and warning of major earthquakes.

The changes will allow first responders, scientists and eventually the public to be notified of an earthquake up to five seconds faster than is possible now. Those precious seconds could allow emergency officials to shut off gas and water lines, raise fire station doors, stop subway operations and possibly even warn the public of shaking to come. READ MORE

This process is possible because when an earthquake occurs there are two primary seismic waves that move through the earth. Compressional waves, also known as primary or P waves, travel fastest, at speeds between 1.5 and 8 kilometers per second in the Earth's crust. Shear waves, also known as secondary or S waves, travel more slowly, usually at 60% to 70% of the speed of P waves. The P waves are used to trigger the early-warning system.

USGS Press Release ...

Twitter Used to Collect Accounts of Seismic Activity

TED,Twitter Earthquake Detector, uses an application programming interface that aggregates tweets based on keywords — like "earthquake" — to pull tweets about a particular earthquake into a database. This information is then combined with the magnitude and epicenter observations to provide short little snippets about what people felt in the earthquake and what people experienced. READ MORE

USGS already operates the "Did You Feel It?" site to collect observations from the public.
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Nevada interactive seismic map

The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology has released an interactive map that allows NV residents, emergency planners and managers, and other public officials to locate homes, schools or businesses in relation to mapped earthquake fault lines throughout the state.

Using a new earthquake potential-loss report, anyone will be able to assess probabilities and consequences of various magnitudes of earthquakes in 38 communities around the state.

MORE INFO / ON-LINE MAP

AIR Worldwide Updates its U.S. Earthquake Model to Reflect Significant Advances in Science and Engineering

Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) announced the availability of an update to its probabilistic earthquake risk model for the United States. The model is used by insurers, reinsurers, corporations and government agencies to assess and manage earthquake risk in the U.S.

AIR Press Release

Tsunami Risk for U.S. West Coast Higher Than Expected

The risk of a massive tsunami striking the U.S. West Coast may be greater than previously thought, according to recent analysis.

In 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake off the coast of Alaska generated a tsunami that killed 130 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Now, geologists say an even bigger tsunami could someday be in store for the West Coast. READ MORE

"Mysterious" Tremors Detected on Central San Andreas Fault

Scientists have detected a spike in underground rumblings on a section of California's San Andreas Fault.

What these mysterious vibrations say about future earthquakes is far from certain. But some think the deep tremors suggest underground stress may be building up faster than expected and may indicate an increased risk of a major temblor. READ MORE

The persistent changes in tremor suggest that stress is now accumulating more rapidly beneath the part of the San Andreas Fault which ruptured in the 7.8M Ft. Tejon earthquake of 1857. SCIENCE Magazine Article Abstract

Study questions New Madrid threat

New findings might give disaster responders in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi reason to reconsider earthquake response policy. According to studies headed by Eric Calais, professor of geophysics at Purdue University, and Seth Stein, William Deering professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University, there doesn’t seem to be enough stress accumulating at the New Madrid Fault line to produce an earthquake of any significant magnitude. READ MORE
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GEM - Global Earthquake Model

GEM - Global Earthquake Model is a public/private partnership initiated and approved by the Global Science Forum of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD-GSF). GEM aims to be the uniform, independent standard to calculate and communicate earthquake risk worldwide. With committed backing from academia, governments, and industry, GEM will contribute to achieving profound, lasting reductions in earthquake risk worldwide.

HAZUS.org is seeking feedback and comments from anybody in the HAZUS community familiar or involved with GEM.

GEM - Global Earthquake Model , MORE INFO

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California's water supply vulnerable to quakes, floods

The California Department of Water Resources has just released a study that concludes there is a 40 percent chance that a major earthquake will flood 27 delta islands between now and 2030, costing billions in repairs and knocking out the water source for 25 million Californians for more than a year.

Without intervention, it is estimated that about 140 levees of California's could fail in the next century due to storms or rising seas. An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or greater could result in fatalities, flooding of islands and costs of $15 billion. In California levees have failed about 160 times in the past 109 years. READ MORE

California Department of Water Resources: Delta Risk Management Strategy - Final Phase 1 Report
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New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Project

The guest speaker on the Mar 25, 2009 EMForum.org is James M. Wilkinson Jr., Executive Director of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC). The discussion topic will be the New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Project. The goal of this initiative is to increase national readiness for a catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). This multi-year, multi-agency initiative is the largest planning effort ever undertaken in United States History. MORE INFO

CUSEC New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Initiative

EMForum

HAZUS vs. spreadsheet ...

Mark Warnick, a student at the Public Safety Program, Capella University, recently used his pencil, paper and a calculator to prepare an earthquake hazard analysis for a town of 60,000 in Utah ... after completing this analysis he received the latest copy of the FEMA HAZUS HOTZONE Newsletter that highlighted a HAZUS Level 3 analysis for Sugarhouse, UT ... READ MORE

Southern California San Andreas Overdue?

New research by University of California Irvine scientists shows the southern stretch of the San Andreas fault has had a major temblor about every 137 years (previous studies indicated a 200 yr cycle). The last major earthquake in the Carrizo Plain section of the San Andreas was the 7.9 magnitude Fort Tejon event of 1857. READ MORE

Global Earthquake Model: The Open Platform Initiative to Understand Earthquake Risk

RiskMarketNews has posted a podcast with Dr. Ross Stein from USGS regarding his work on the Global Earthquake Model and why it’s important to the insurance industry and the development of insurance-linked securities. MORE

Does anybody know how or if HAZUS-MH plays in the Global Earthquake Model initiative, please comment ?

Contributions of Earthquake Engineering

A recent report by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) lays out the contributions of earthquake engineering that enhance public safety and improve the protection of U.S. communities from hazards beyond earthquakes. Four categories of earthquake engineering were reviewed that identify major contributions and present representative examples: planning, advanced technologies, emergency response, and community engagement. DOWNLOAD (.pdf, large file 12MB)

The contribution of HAZUS-MH is "only" addressed in the "Planning for Catastrophes" section, ignoring that HAZUS-MH is a recent advanced and evolving geospatial technology and has significant applications in earthquake response and community engagement.

FYI ... The EERI-WSSPC Annual meeting is February 11-14, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah - Earthquake Risk Reduction / Are Voluntary Actions the Key? MORE INFO

USGS Shake Map HAZUS Format

Did you know that one of the Shakemap Product Formats that USGS provides after an earthquake is the "HAZUS ZIP File" ... READ MORE

Missouri Releases Earthquake Task Force Findings - Recommends Proficiency with HAZUS

The Missouri Earthquake Insurance Task Force has released the findings of a task force report which studied the potential effects of an earthquake in the state of Missouri. READ MORE

The key task force conclusions are:(1) The earthquake threat is real, as documented through historical evidence and on-going research. (2) The earthquake threat to Missouri is significant. (3) Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (DIFP) should acquire proficiency with FEMA's HAZUS computer model,. (4) DIFP’s collection of earthquake insurance data should be improved in a few key areas.

To download the report, CLICK HERE

San Francisco. 'soft-story' buildings at risk in quake

An on-going seismic study concludes that without a costly seismic retrofit, 80 percent of San Francisco's weakest wood-frame buildings are expected to collapse or to suffer damage beyond repair in the large earthquake scientists say is likely to occur in the region within decades. READ MORE

This is not an issue unique to San Francisco or northern California. The risks associated with "soft-story" construction were evident following both the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. MORE

Philippines: Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS)

The Philippine Vulcanologist and Seismologist - Department of Science and Technology is developing the Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS) for earthquake mitigation and risk assessment and response. MORE

HAZUS.org is looking for more info on REDAS and how/if it can be integrated with HAZUS.MH.

Study Looks at Impact of 7.7 Magnitude New Madrid Earthquake

A study conducted for FEMA by the Mid-America Earthquake (MAE) Center at the University of Illinois in partnership with the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and George Washington University’s Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management.

The study, the first of its kind to be conducted on such a large scale, is part of FEMA’s NMSZ Catastrophic Earthquake Disaster Response Planning Initiative. It is primarily intended to provide scientific data upon which to base response and recovery planning for the devastating earthquakes that have long been predicted for the New Madrid region, which includes areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

FEMA PRESS RELEASE

DOWNLOAD REPORT

Development of the Golden Guardian 2008 ShakeOut Scenario

UPDATE

Look behind the scenes and see how the Golden Guardian 2008 ShakeOut Scenario was developed. This multi-day exercise and public outreach is the largest earthquake preparedness event in U.S. history!

Larry Collins from the LA County Fire Department and a member of the SoCalHUG has a great article in the September 2008 issue of Fire Engineering on the development of the Golden Guardian 2008 ShakeOut Scenario (.pdf) , DOWNLOAD

The Great Southern California Shakeout Web Site

CA OES Golden Guardian Web Site

Toilet shortage feared in case of big Tokyo quake

Japan's disaster prevention panel studied a simulation that imagined a magnitude-7.3 quake striking Tokyo at noon on a workday. A temblor of that size would send 12 million people spilling out of their offices, forced to walk home from the city center. The panel's study said hundreds of thousands of people would be unable to find a toilet if a major earthquake were to hit Tokyo on a weekday. READ MORE

Does HAZUS need to add a "toilet" report?

California Is Due for a Katrina-Style Disaster

October 21, 2008 marks the 140th anniversary of the "1868 Hayward earthquake", the first great “San Francisco earthquake” and one of the most damaging earthquakes in the nation's history.

Recent work has shown that the average interval between the past five large earthquakes on the Hayward Fault is 140 years. In 1868 the "East Bay" was sparsely populated. Those in the know believe that when the Hayward fault shakes the next time it will do exponentially more damage. USGS geologist Tom Brocher says "A Hayward fault earthquake will change the Bay Area. It's likely to be one of the nation's biggest natural disasters." READ MORE

1868 Earthquake Alliance

Hospital Industry Report on HAZUS

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that hospitals in the San Diego region are using HAZUS-MH to evaluate and to better assess earthquake damage risk. READ MORE

HAZUS.org has previously reported (August 24, 2008) on how the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) is implementing a new voluntary HAZUS-MH based program to re-evaluate the seismic risk of hospital buildings in California.

California Using HAZUS to Evaluate Hospital System Safety

The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) has implemented a new voluntary program to re-evaluate the seismic risk of California hospital buildings classified as Structural Performance Category (SPC-1). These buildings are considered hazardous and at risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake and must be retrofitted, replaced or removed from providing acute care services by 2013. OSHPD is using HAZUS to reassess the seismic risk of SPC-1 buildings. Those buildings that are determined to pose a low seismic risk may be reclassified to SPC-2. The SPC-2 buildings would have until 2030 to comply with the structural seismic safety standards. Participation in the HAZUS program is optional for hospital owners wishing to have their SPC-1 building(s) re-evaluated. For more info, click here...

California Hospital Association press release, click here...

To read an August 23rd San Diego Union-Tribune article about this program , click here...