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Severe natural multi-hazard events can cause damage to infrastructure and economic losses of billions of dollars. The challenges of modeling these losses include dependency between hazards, cause and sequence of loss, and lack of available data. This paper presents and explores multi-hazard loss modeling in the context of the combined wind and rain vulnerability of mid/high-rise buildings during hurricane events. A component-based probabilistic vulnerability model provides the framework to test and contrast two different approaches to treat the multi-hazards: In one, the wind and rain hazard models are both decoupled from the vulnerability model. In the other, only the wind hazard is decoupled, while the rain hazard model is embedded into the vulnerability model. The paper presents the mathematical and conceptual development of each approach, example outputs from each for the same scenario, and a discussion of weaknesses and strengths of each approach.
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Risky Development: Increasing Exposure to Natural Hazards in the United States
Abstract Losses from natural hazards are escalating dramatically, with more properties and critical infrastructure affected each year. Although the magnitude, intensity, and/or frequency of certain hazards has increased, development contributes to this unsustainable trend, as disasters emerge when natural disturbances meet vulnerable assets and populations. To diagnose development patterns leading to increased exposure in the conterminous United States (CONUS), we identified earthquake, flood, hurricane, tornado, and wildfire hazard hotspots, and overlaid them with land use information from the Historical Settlement Data Compilation data set. Our results show that 57% of structures (homes, schools, hospitals, office buildings, etc.) are located in hazard hotspots, which represent only a third of CONUS area, and ∼1.5 million buildings lie in hotspots for two or more hazards. These critical levels of exposure are the legacy of decades of sustained growth and point to our inability, lack of knowledge, or unwillingness to limit development in hazardous zones. Development in these areas is still growing more rapidly than the baseline rates for the nation, portending larger future losses even if the effects of climate change are not considered.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1924670
- PAR ID:
- 10360660
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Earth's Future
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 2328-4277
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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