Multiple hazards risk assessment and mitigation

Abstract

Most regions of the world are subjected to one or more natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes (cyclones), snow storms, wildfires, costal inundation river flooding and virtually all developed areas are at some level of risk to man-made hazards such as impact, and blasting. The hazards are different in terms of the nature of the hazards; specifically the frequency of occurrence and associated return period used for current codified design. Additional differences include the associated design philosophy, warning time, consequences, and disaster mitigation strategies. Management of risks due to such hazards through proper design, construction practices, and occupancy and code enforcement presents a challenge to the structural engineering community as well as facility owners and policy makers. In some cases, mitigating one risk may reduce vulnerability to another. However, in other cases mitigating one hazard may increase vulnerability to other hazards. Standards and construction practices should aim at optimizing overall costs and risks. To do this effectively, the relative risks associated with building performance under a spectrum of hazards must be well understood. Multiple hazards risk assessment is desirable for public policy and disaster planning purposes, as well as for insurance underwriting. Furthermore, the disruptions and downtime for businesses, as well as the need for essential facilities to maintain their integrity for post-disaster recovery, must factor into the multiple risk assessment. With the move toward performance-based engineering, it should become feasible to achieve structural performance subjected to multiple hazards that is consistent with individual and social needs.

Organizers

Yue Li, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, US, (yueli@mtu.edu)
John W. van de Lindt, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, US