Natural Hazards Review

Building Bayesian Networks for Problems of Risk Due to Natural Hazard

J. Durgaprasad, P. Subba Rao, and N. Darga Kumar
Building of Bayesian Networks (BNs) for problems of risk due to natural hazards is a complex problem. Risk analysis makes use of domain experts-knowledge, which is an essential element of input for the analysis. Perhaps, this knowledge is acquired from fragmented source of expertise. Effectiveness o ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000076] posted Sat Jan 28, 2012.

Study on Roof Vents Subjected to Simulated Hurricane Effects

Arindam Gan Chowdhury, Girma T. Bitsuamlak, Tuan-Chun Fu, and Peeyush Kawade
Most residential buildings use a natural ventilation process by which overheated air inside buildings is vented out and fresh air is pulled in to replace it. Proper ventilation helps maintain a comfortable temperature inside buildings, maintain indoor air quality, increase energy efficiency, and pre ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000039] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Hurricane Wind Damage Mitigation: Research and Outlook

Stephen P. Leatherman
The U.S. coast from Maine to Texas is vulnerable to hurricane impacts. Hurricane-induced economic losses have steadily increased in recent decades. At the same time, trillions of dollars have been invested in coastal development to accommodate the increasing population; therefore, the socioeconomic ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000048] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Post-2004 Hurricane Field Survey of Residential Building Performance

K. R. Gurley and F. J. Masters
This paper presents the methodology and results of a study of the performance of site-built single-family structures in Florida constructed after Andrew-related changes to the Standard Building Code. A detailed investigation of wind damage as a result of the 2004 hurricane season was conducted. The ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000044] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Reviewers

Abstract not available. [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000066] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Testing of Residential Homes under Wind Loads

Emil Simiu, Girma Bitsuamlak, Arindam Gan Chowdhury, Ruilong Li, Amanuel Tecle et al.
Aerodynamic testing of low-rise structures is fraught with difficulties that can be the cause of large measurement errors, resulting in the underestimation of aerodynamic pressures by a factor of as much as two. The errors are primarily attributable to the inadequate knowledge and simulation of wind ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000034] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Damage Characterization: Application to Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model

J.-P. Pinelli, G. Pita, K. Gurley, B. Torkian, S. Hamid et al.
Florida's population growth in recent decades has produced a steady increase in the concentration of population and infrastructure along its coastline. During this growth period, the vulnerability of the Florida coastline to hurricane impact has been amply demonstrated. The aftermaths unveiled the u ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000051] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Special Issue on Hurricanes and Insurance

Berrin Tansel and Erik Vanmarcke
Abstract not available. [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000067] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Catastrophe Model-Based Assessment of Hurricane Risk and Estimates of Potential Insured Losses for the State of Florida

Shahid S. Hamid, Jean-Paul Pinelli, Shu-Ching Chen, and Kurt Gurley
The state of Florida has about $1.8 trillion worth of residential property at risk of hurricane induced loss, and the hurricanes of the past few years have created a crisis in the homeowner insurance market. There is great uncertainty about the nature of the risk and the potential losses for the sta ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000050] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Hurricane Damage and Loss Estimation Using an Integrated Vulnerability Model

Siu Chung Yau, Ning Lin, and Erik Vanmarcke
An integrated vulnerability model is presented to estimate structural damage and related economic losses in clusters of residential buildings resulting from hurricane winds. The model accounts for the occurrence of a possible chain reaction of events involving wind-pressure damage and wind-borne deb ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000035] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

Significance of Historical Hurricane Activity on Structural Damage Profile and Posthurricane Population Fluctuation in South Florida Urban Areas

Berrin Tansel and Banu Sizirici
The historical hurricane tracking records for the last 100 years indicate that the southeast regions of Florida have had the highest frequency of hurricane hits in the United States. Land-use characteristics and the extent of land-development activities are the major factors that contribute to vulne ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000045] published Fri Dec 16, 2011.

The Effect of Authoritative Information and Message Characteristics on Evacuation and Shadow Evacuation in a Simulated Flood Event

S. Lamb, D. Walton, K. Mora, and J. Thomas
This study examines factors influencing shadow evacuation. A mock television evacuation order was used to experimentally manipulate presenter level of authority and message script. Dependent measures were the judged likelihood of evacuation, and judgements of message and presenter characteristics. P ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000070] posted Sat Dec 10, 2011.

The Impact of Hurricane Strikes on Local Cropland Productivity: Evidence from the Caribbean

Eric Strobl
We empirically estimate the impact of hurricane strikes on local crop productivity in the Caribbean region. To this end we first identify local cropland at 1km geographical units via Global Land Cover data. We then employ a wind field model combined with a power dissipation equation on hurricane tra ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000041] posted Sat Oct 29, 2011.

Participation in the Community Rating System of NFIP: An Empirical Analysis of North Carolina Counties

Craig E. Landry and Jingyuan Li
In order to motivate flood insurance purchase and promote flood hazard awareness and mitigation, the Community Rating System (CRS) of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), credits floodplain management activities and awards flood insurance premium discounts. CRS, however, has been marked by a lac ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000073] posted Sat Oct 29, 2011.

Need and Citizenship after Disaster

Susan M. Sterett
This article analyzes the delivery of assistance for displaced people after Hurricane Katrina. Assistance can be understood as part of social welfare assistance in the United States. It is part of the social welfare apparatus in structure, and in how recipients experienced it. Social welfare assista ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000072] posted Sat Oct 29, 2011.

Building Technologies for the Mitigation of Volcanic Risk: Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei Case Studies

Giulio Zuccaro and Mattia Federico Leone
The paper intends to show basic strategies and technical solutions that may reduce volcanic risk on buildings and infrastructures. It points out that reduction - mitigation - of vulnerability and expected damage on existing as well as on new buildings is possible. Eruptive phenomena such as earthqua ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000071] posted Thu Oct 27, 2011.

Risk-Based Seismic Retrofit Prioritization of Reinforced Concrete Civic Infrastructure: Case Study for State of Oregon Schools and Emergency Facilities

S. Tesfamariam and Y. Wang
Oregon states is in a high seismic hazard zone that raises serious concerns for potential damage, even collapse, of older concrete schools buildings and emergency facilities. In order to allocate retrofit prioritization funds, a risk-based evaluation is performed to over 600 Oregon's civic reinforce ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000060] posted Thu Oct 27, 2011.

Risk-Based Strategies for Upgrading Existing Non-Conforming Wooden Houses and Risk Information for Promoting Upgrading

Yasuhiro Mori, Takeshi Yamaguchi, and Hideki Idota
There is widespread awareness in seismic-prone countries about the necessity to upgrade the seismic performance of old buildings and wooden houses for disaster mitigation; however, upgrading occurs at a very slow pace. At present, Japan has about 10 million non-conforming old wooden houses, but most ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000069] posted Mon Sep 26, 2011.

Immediate Resource Requirements after Hurricane Katrina

Jose Holguin-Veras and Miguel Jaller
The paper focuses on the quantitative study of immediate resource requirements, i.e., the needs that arise in the aftermath of a disaster, which is one of the most severely understudied aspects of humanitarian logistics. The paper develops numerical estimates of these requirements and their temporal ... [Natural Hazards Review doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000068] posted Sat Aug 20, 2011.

Economic Losses from a Hypothetical Hurricane Event in the Houston-Galveston Area

Qisheng Pan
Most articles in the literature on hurricane impact analysis have focused on historical hurricanes, and few of them have examined the potential losses caused by a hypothetical hurricane event that may occur in the future. This research proposes a systematic approach to estimating the economic losses ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000036] published Wed Aug 3, 2011.

Proposed Seismic Risk Reduction Program for the Megacity of Tehran, Iran

H. Shakib, S. Dardaei Joghan, and M. Pirizadeh
Urban development has been rapidly progressing in the megacity of Tehran without the proper development of a disaster prevention system for potential earthquakes. Considering the high level of seismic hazard and the number of existing vulnerable structures, it is absolutely essential to prepare a re ... [Nat. Hazards Rev. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000042] published Wed Aug 3, 2011.