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• Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989--Highway Systems

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  "This paper summarizes the impact of the Loma Prieta earthquake on highway systems. City streets, urban freeways, county roads, state routes, and the national highway system were all affected. There was damage to bridges, roads, tunnels, and other highway structures. The most serious damage occurred in the cities of San Francisco and Oakland, 60 miles from the fault rupture. The cost to repair and replace highways damaged by this earthquake was $2 billion. About half of this cost was to replace the Cypress Viaduct, a long, elevated double-deck expressway that had a devastating collapse which resulted in 42 deaths and 108 injuries. The earthquake also resulted in some positive changes for highway systems. Research on bridges and earthquakes began to be funded at a much higher level. Retrofit programs were started to upgrade the seismic performance of the nation's highways. The Loma Prieta earthquake changed earthquake policy and engineering practice for highway departments not only in California, but all over the world."

  United States. Government Printing Office

  Yashinsky, Mark

  1998-01-28?
• Earthquake Safety and Mitigation for School Buildings: Providing Protection to People and Buildings [video]

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  This hour long webinar for school officials, teachers, facility managers, and other local stakeholders discusses how to reduce earthquake risks and take action to ensure school safety. The presenters highlighted the value of school preparedness, participating in ShakeOut 'drop, cover, hold on' drills, and most importantly investing on earthquake risk reduction methods to fully enhance schools' resilience from earthquake events. The webinar taught the participants how to: "1) Assess and analyze your earthquake risks 2) Develop an actionable plan to reduce and manage earthquake risks 3) Initiate an earthquake risk reduction plan for existing school buildings that were not designed and constructed to meet modern building codes 4) Secure 'non-structural' elements of the school facility; and 5) Apply 'incremental seismic rehabilitation/retrofitting' to protect buildings and ensure occupant safety".

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  Andrews, William A.; Moore, Walter P.

  2011-02-17
• Earthquake Hazards-A National Threat

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  This fact sheet describes the activities of the United States Geological Survey in relation to earthquakes. "Earthquakes are one of the most costly natural hazards faced by the Nation, posing a significant risk to 75 million Americans in 39 States. The risks that earthquakes pose to society, including death, injury, and economic loss, can be greatly reduced by (1) better planning, construction, and mitigation practices before earthquakes happen and (2) providing critical and timely information to improve response after they occur. As part of the multiagency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has the lead Federal responsibility to provide notification of earthquakes in order to enhance public safety and to reduce losses through effective forecasts based on the best possible scientific information."

  United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)

  2006-03
• Seismic Waves: Growing Earthquake-Resilient Americans

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  Seismic Waves is a newsletter published by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. "As relatively infrequent but potentially cataclysmic events, earthquakes can sow a sense of fatalism and resignation among those they threaten. This can be countered through education about how seismic risks are reduced. Primary and secondary schools are important venues for such instruction, not only because of the unique access that they afford to emerging citizens, but also because children are no less vulnerable than adults to earthquake hazards and because tomorrow's earthquake professionals must be cultivated among today's youth. The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is facilitating seismic education in schools through the production of resources designed for teachers and children. These efforts are led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Geological Survey. This article highlights some of the earthquake- related materials that FEMA has developed for this important audience."

  National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (U.S.)

  2010-02
• Seismic Waves: The Mid-America Earthquake Center: Managing Seismic Risks from Source to Society

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  Seismic Waves is a newsletter published by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. "Seismic hazards present unusual challenges in the central United States. Major earthquakes in this area occur at time intervals longer than those in California, but impact much larger areas that are much less prepared. Despite facing similar risks from such earthquakes, midwesterners are generally less aware of them than are Californians since the smaller earthquakes that serve as reminders of seismic hazards are less frequent in the Midwest. These challenges prompted the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the Mid-America Earthquake (MAE) Center in 1997, and to support the Center through its first decade in operation under grant award EEC-9701785. The Center is a consortium of nine core institutions headquartered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The MAE Center has developed an approach called Consequence- based Risk Management (CRM), for managing the risks posed by earthquake hazards in the central and eastern United States. It has also led the development of a comprehensive new software system, MAEviz, that employs the CRM approach. The Center has conducted targeted research that has generated the fundamental knowledge and enabling technologies needed to develop CRM and MAEviz. And it has tested CRM and MAEviz in real-world applications both in the United States and overseas."

  National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (U.S.)

  2008-09
• Options for Developing an Earthquake Preparedness Plan Within the Santa Rosa Fire Department

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  "The problem is that Santa Rosa Fire Department (SRFD) does not have a comprehensive earthquake preparedness plan, thus leading to the possibility of discontinuity of the department's mission. The purpose of this research was to identify ways to increase knowledge within SRFD in order to develop an earthquake preparedness plan. Through descriptive research, earthquake standards and guidelines were identified, other fire departments were surveyed about this issue, and essential components SRFD should consider were identified, along with the internal earthquake preparedness knowledge of company officers. The research was accomplished through literature review and surveys. The results showed the importance of developing a comprehensive earthquake preparedness plan. Recommendations include the design, implementation and evaluation process for an earthquake preparedness plan."

  National Fire Academy

  Shubin, William R.

  2009-05?
• NN/LM Earthquake Summit Report

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  "The NN/LM [National Network of Libraries of Medicine] Earthquake Summit was designed to develop a greater understanding of earthquake risks, promote partnerships with emergency planners, explore potential roles for libraries and librarians before and after a disaster, and to share best practices." Key takeaways from the summit include: "1. NN/LM is active in facilitating partnerships among libraries and community emergency responders. […] 2. The most important actions to remember in responding to an earthquake are: DROP, COVER and HOLD ON! 3. The reason for not running outside of a building during an earthquake is that most injuries and fatalities associated with earthquakes are caused by parts of buildings falling off the outside. 4. The incidence of earthquakes is increasing due to human activity, or 'induced seismicity.' 5. 'Sudden onset' disasters have an enormous impact on the physical and mental/emotional health of survivors; a quick recovery should not be expected. 6. Disasters bring profound change and prolonged challenges. 7. The Disaster Information Management Research Center provides many free and downloadable tools to assist emergency responders and health care professionals. […] 8. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides structure and training for emergency/disaster preparedness response on the national level and through regional, state and county agencies, as well as assistance to individuals. […] 9. Public libraries prepare for disasters by developing Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPs). Their plans cover preparedness and response for staff, facilities, collections and patrons. Public libraries function as community centers, especially following a disaster, and must be prepared to maintain as many of their services and locations as possible."

  National Network of Libraries of Medicine (U.S.)

  Wilson, Dan; Yowell, Susan

  2012-04-06
• National Earthquake Information Center Strategic Plan, 2019-23

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  From the Executive Summary: "Damaging earthquakes occur regularly around the world; since the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of earthquakes have caused significant loss of life and (or) millions of dollars or more in economic losses. While most of these did not directly affect the United States and its Territories, by studying worldwide seismicity we can better understand how to mitigate the effects of earthquakes when they do occur within U.S. borders. Within the U.S. Government, this mandate falls on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), which has the statutory responsibility for monitoring and reporting on earthquakes domestically and globally. [...] To maintain its prominent position in earthquake monitoring, the NEIC must continue to evolve, concurrently improving its operations and 24/7 robustness, streamlining services and infrastructure, and keeping pace with research and innovation in the field of seismology. This document outlines how the NEIC might best achieve such goals, by describing specific avenues and opportunities for development in the next five years (2019-23)."

  United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)

  Hayes, Gavin; Earle, Paul S.; Benz, Harley M. (Harley Mitchell) . . .

  2019
• Edgewater Elementary School Sample Earthquake Annex

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  From the Document: "Edgewater Elementary School is located in an area that, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has a high probability of experiencing an earthquake. In many parts of Oregon, earthquakes are a serious threat and can strike without warning. We must be prepared for an earthquake in the state, as well as one occurring offshore in the Cascadia subduction zone. If this were to occur, it could severely damage not only the school, but a lot of Oregon's infrastructure. We expect that roads could be impassible, bridges severely damaged, and utilities destroyed, and it may be weeks or months before this infrastructure is repaired. Mitigating potential hazards before an earthquake strikes, being prepared to take protective measures when the ground shakes, and preparing to meet the immediate and short-term needs of students and staff members following an earthquake are essential elements in our 'Earthquake Annex.'"

  Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (U.S.)

  2016-12-29?
• Ground Failure Triggered by Shaking During the November 30, 2018, Magnitude 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska, Earthquake

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  From the Introduction: "The magnitude (M) 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake occurred at 8:29 a.m. local time on November 30, 2018, about 12 kilometers (km) north of Anchorage. The focal depth of about 47 km and the normal focal mechanism indicate that the earthquake occurred in the subducting slab of the Pacific Plate. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap (Worden and Wald, 2016) of this event (fig. 1) shows severe (intensity VIII) shaking near the epicenter; this caused significant damage in the urban and infrastructure center of Alaska and was felt throughout the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Valley areas. The USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER; Wald and others, 2010) system gave an 'orange' alert within an hour of the origin time, indicating estimated economic losses in the range of $100 million to $1 billion with few fatalities. No fatalities were reported following the 2018 Anchorage earthquake, but considerable damages to roads, railway alignments, and homes were observed throughout the epicentral region. The 2018 Anchorage earthquake was one of the most damaging earthquakes in the United States in the past decade."

  Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior

  Jibson, Randall W.; Witter, Robert C.; Allstadt, Kate . . .

  2020
• Chile Earthquake: U.S. and International Response [March 11, 2010]

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  "On February 27, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck off the coast of central Chile. Centered 70 miles northeast of Chile's second-largest city, Concepción, at a depth of 22 miles, the earthquake was the second largest ever recorded in Chile and the fifth largest recorded worldwide since 1900. Over 100 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater were recorded following the initial earthquake. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which struck Chile's coast roughly 20 minutes after the earthquake and moved 2,000 feet onto shore in some places, devastated parts of the country. Although there are reports of varying casualty numbers, according to Chile's Ministry of the Interior, the official death toll is 507 (497 bodies have been identified; 10 remain unidentified). [...]. On February 27, 2010, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. government would assist with earthquake rescue and recovery efforts, pending a request from the Chilean Government. On February 28, 2010, U.S. Ambassador to Chile Paul E. Simons issued a disaster declaration, and through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), authorized $50,000 for the initial implementation of an emergency response program. OFDA deployed a 16-member USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team. As of March 10, 2010, USAID/OFDA reports that it has provided $10.7 million for emergency response activities in Chile. The U.S. Department of Defense is also providing limited assistance. Policy issues of potential interest include levels of U.S. assistance to Chile, burdensharing and donor fatigue, tsunamis and early warning systems, and managing risk through building codes."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Margesson, Rhoda; Beittel, June S.

  2010-03-11
• Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response [March 8, 2010]

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  "The largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti devastated parts of the country, including the capital, on January 12, 2010. The quake, centered about 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, had a magnitude of 7.0. A series of strong aftershocks have followed. Experts estimate the earthquake caused $8 to $14 billion in damage. [...] On January 12, President Barack Obama assembled heads of U.S. agencies to begin working immediately on a coordinated response to the disaster. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the lead agency within the U.S. government responding to this disaster. On January 14, the Administration announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti to meet the immediate needs on the ground. As of March 4, 2010, total humanitarian funding provided to Haiti for the earthquake was $712.9 million. Currently, there is no funding specifically for Haiti earthquake relief in the FY2011 budget or supplemental requests. Reportedly, the Administration is putting together details of a proposed assistance package to Haiti. The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted the deportation of Haitians and granted Temporary Protected Status for 18 months to Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010. Congressional concerns include budget priorities and oversight, burden-sharing, immigration, tax incentives for charitable donations, trade preferences for Haiti, and helping constituents find missing persons, speed pending adoptions, and contribute to relief efforts. Several congressional committees held hearings on Haiti in January and February. The focus of this report is on the immediate crisis in Haiti as a result of the earthquake, the U.S. and international response to date, and long-term implications of the earthquake. Related legislation includes P.L. 111-117, P.L. 111-126, H.R. 144, H.R. 264, H.R. 417. H.R. 1567, H.R. 3077, H.R. 4206, H.R. 4577, H.R. 4616, S. 2949, S. 2961, and S. 2978."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Taft-Morales, Maureen

  2010-03-08
• Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response [February 19, 2010]

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  "The focus of this report is on the immediate crisis in Haiti as a result of the earthquake, the U.S. and international response to date, and long-term implications of the earthquake.[…]. The largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti devastated parts of the country, including the capital, on January 12, 2010. The quake, centered about 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, had a magnitude of 7.0. A series of strong aftershocks have followed. The damage is severe and catastrophic. The earthquake caused an estimated $14 billion in damage. It is estimated that 3 million people, approximately one-third of the overall population, have been affected by the earthquake with more than 1 million displaced. The government of Haiti is reporting an estimated 230,000 deaths and 300,000 injured.[…].President Barack Obama assembled heads of U.S. agencies to begin working immediately on a coordinated response to the disaster. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the lead agency within the U.S. government responding to this disaster. On January 14, the Administration announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti to meet the immediate needs on the ground. As of February 16, 2010, total humanitarian funding provided to Haiti for the earthquake is $601.4 million."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Margesson, Rhoda; Taft-Morales, Maureen

  2010-02-19
• National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief

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  "Portions of all 50 states and the District of Columbia are vulnerable to earthquake hazards, although risks vary greatly across the country and within individual states. Seismic hazards are greatest in the western United States, particularly in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska,and Hawaii. Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state, experiencing a magnitude-7 earthquake almost every year and a magnitude-8 earthquake every 13 years, on average, since 1900. Because of its low population and low infrastructure density, Alaska has a relatively low risk for large economic losses from an earthquake. In contrast, California has more earthquake risk than any other state because of its frequent seismic activity, large population, and extensive infrastructure."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Folger, Peter (Peter Franklin)

  2018-09-20
• Earthquake Forewarning in the Cascadia Region

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  "This report, prepared for the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council (NEPEC), is intended as a step toward improving communications about earthquake hazards between information providers and users who coordinate emergency-response activities in the Cascadia region of the Pacific Northwest. NEPEC charged a subcommittee of scientists with writing this report about forewarnings of increased probabilities of a damaging earthquake. We begin by clarifying some terminology; a 'prediction' refers to a deterministic statement that a particular future earthquake will or will not occur. In contrast to the 0- or 100-percent likelihood of a deterministic prediction, a 'forecast' describes the probability of an earthquake occurring, which may range from >0 to

  Geological Survey (U.S.)

  Gomberg, Joan S., 1957-; Atwater, Brian F.; Beeler, Nicholas . . .

  2015
• Southern California Earthquake Data Center [website]

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  The mission of the Southern California Earthquake Data Center (SCEDC) is "to maintain an easily-accessible, well-organized, high-quality, searchable archive of earthquake data for research in seismology and earthquake engineering." This website "provides access to a large and well-maintained Oracle database of earthquake data in a very active seismic region and is able to provide near real-time access to data, approximately 2-3 minutes after an event. The SCEDC currently archives nearly 3000 data channels from 375 stations, processing and archiving an average of 15,000 earthquakes each year."

  Southern California Earthquake Data Center
• CREST Project: Consolidated Reporting of Earthquakes and Tsunamis

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  "In 1997 the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and the five western states joined in a partnership to enhance t he quality and quantity of seismic data provided to the NOAA tsunami warning centers in Alaska and Hawaii. The project, named t he Consolidated Reporting of Earthquakes and Tsunamis (CREST), now provides the warning centers with real-time seismic data over dedicated communication links and the Internet from regional seismic networks monitoring earthquakes in the five western states, the U.S. National Seismic Network in Colorado) and from domestic and global seismic stations operated by other agencies. The goal of t he project is to reduce the time needed to issue a tsunami warning by providing the warning centers with high-dynamic range, broadband waveforms in near real-time. An additional goal is to reduce the likelihood of issuing false tsunami warnings by rapidly providing to the warning centers parametric information on earthquakes that could indicate their tsunamigenic potential, such as hypocenters, magnitudes) moment tensors, and shake distribution maps. At the end of the 5-year project new or upgraded field instrumentation will be installed at about 56 seismic stations in the five western states. Data from these instruments has been integrated into t he CREST network utilizing Earthworm software. The CREST system has significantly reduced the time needed to respond to teleseismic earthquakes. Notably, the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center responded to the 28 February 2001 Mw 6.8 Nisqually earthquake beneath Olympia ) Washington within 2 min) compared to an average response time of over 10 min for the previous 18 years."

  United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

  Oppenheimer, D.; Bittenbinder, Alex; Bogaert, Barbara

  2001-08-07
• Secretaries Napolitano, Duncan Call on School and Colleges to Participate in April Earthquake Drill [April 19, 2011]

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  "Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan today called on K-12 schools, colleges and universities across the central U.S. -- and throughout the country -- to help their students, faculty and communities prepare for earthquakes by participating in a public earthquake drill on Thursday, April 28, 2011. Eleven states in the New Madrid Seismic Zone are participating in the drill, the 'Great Central U.S. ShakeOut,' which takes place at 10:15 a.m. Central time. Anyone can register to participate, whether at school, at work, or at home; to date, over 2 million Americans have signed up. While similar 'ShakeOut' earthquake drills are frequently conducted by California and other states on an individual basis, this is the first multistate earthquake drill, and the first drill in the central U.S., where many states would be impacted if a major earthquake hit the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Secretaries Duncan and Napolitano made their call to K-12 schools, colleges and universities in a letter sent earlier today."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office

  2011-04-19
• Catalog of Earthquake Parameters and Description of Seismograph and Infrasound Stations at Alaskan Volcanoes--January 1, 2013, Through December 31, 2017

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  From the Abstract: "Between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) located a total of 28,172 earthquakes at volcanoes in Alaska. The annual totals are 3,840, 5,819, 5,297, 6,151, and 7,065 earthquakes for the years 2013 through 2017, respectively. This represents an average of 5,634 earthquakes per year, which is comparable to the yearly number of earthquakes AVO located in the previous decade when AVO monitored a similar number of volcanoes. During the reporting period, there was significant seismic activity at 20 of the 34 volcanoes monitored by a seismograph network (Akutan Peak, Aniakchak Crater, Augustine, Mount Cerberus, Mount Cleveland, Fourpeaked Mountain, Mount Gareloi, Great Sitkin, Ilimana, Kanaga, Korovin, Makushin, Mount Martin, Okmok Caldera, Pavlof, Shishaldin, Mount Spurr, Tanaga, Ugashik-Peulik, and Mount Veniaminof) and two volcanoes without a monitoring network (Mount Recheshnoi and Bogoslof Island). Instrumentation highlights for this period include the establishment of a new subnetwork on Mount Cleveland, an accelerated transition from analog to digital telemetry at most subnetworks, and an increased number of broadband and infrasound sensors throughout the AVO network. The operational highlight was the return of seismic monitoring at Korovin and Ugashik-Peulik Volcanoes following network repairs. This catalog includes hypocenters, magnitudes, and statistics of the earthquakes located in 2013-17, along with the associated station parameters, and velocity models."

  United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)

  Dixon, James P. (James Patrick), 1962-; Stihler, Scott D.; Haney, Matthew M. . . .

  2019
• Earthquake Safety Checklist

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  "This booklet is designed to help you and your family plan for and survive a major earthquake. By taking action to be prepared, you can lessen the impact of an earthquake on your family. Set aside some emergency supplies, and teach your family what to do at home during and after a disaster. You could be without help for up to 72 hours, so learn to cope for at least that long. Movement of the ground is seldom the actual cause of death or injury. Most casualties result from partial building collapse and falling objects and debris, like toppling chimneys, falling bricks, ceiling plaster, and light fixtures. Many of these conditions are easily preventable. Because earthquakes occur without warning, it's important to take steps now to prepare, especially if you live in Very High and High earthquake areas. Knowing what you can do and how to respond with constructive and protective actions, can make yourself, your family, and your home safer. Consult your local Building Department if you are unsure of the earthquake hazard in your locale."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  2010-03
• Earthquakes-Rattling the Earth's Plumbing System

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  "Hydrogeologic responses to earthquakes have been known for decades, and have occurred both close to, and thousands of miles from earthquake epicenters. Water wells have become turbid, dry or begun flowing, discharge of springs and ground water to streams has increased and new springs have formed, and well and surfacewater quality have become degraded as a result of earthquakes. Earthquakes affect our Earth's intricate plumbing system--whether you live near the notoriously active San Andreas Fault in California, or far from active faults in Florida, an earthquake near or far can affect you and the water resources you depend on."

  United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)

  2003-10
• Serial No. 109-48: The Big One: How Do We Ensure a Robust Federal Response to a Catastrophic Earthquake in the Los Angeles Region? Field Hearing before the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, Second Session, February 23, 2006

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  From the opening statement of Bill Shuster: "Because of the great risk California faces for both natural disasters and terrorism, you have ensured that we focus on California as we look to improve state and local readiness and capabilities. I know you have a strong interest in preventing a disorganized federal response to a catastrophic earthquake in California, and we welcome your participation in today's hearing[...]We are meeting this morning to receive state and local input for improving the emergency management capabilities and readiness at the federal, state, and local levels. Hurricane Katrina revealed problems in the emergency management system at all levels of government that have to be addressed, and you have a role in guiding the efforts to fix these problems. Unfortunately, this hasn't always been a collaborative process. Too often, the federal government has failed to take into account your views. There has never been a greater need for your professional advice and expertise. We have to get this right, and we need your help to do it. Like Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophic earthquake in Southern California could paralyze the region, destroy the infrastructure, and leave tens of thousands homeless. With over 300 faults, Southern California is at great risk for a catastrophic earthquake. Models of a 7.5 earthquake in the Los Angeles basin predict over 18,000 dead, a quarter of a trillion dollars in losses, and 300,000 left homeless. These predictions dwarf losses from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Without reforms to the current emergency management system, we will have another uncoordinated federal response like that in the Gulf Coast." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Ann-Marie Hayashi, Lucille M. Jones, Henry Renteria, and Ellis M. Stanley.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2006
• Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Colloquium: Final Report

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  "There have been many major advances in geotechnical earthquake engineering since research was accelerated by the 1964 Alaska and Japan earthquakes, where much of the damage was caused by soil effects. However, in many respects the state of the art remains less than satisfactory. A number of questions with important safety and economic implications have never been answered, or even posed clearly. Recent advances in computer and information sciences, laboratory and field testing capabilities, and field observation of earthquake effects, all infused with a new generation of powerful sensing technologies, provide an opportunity for resolving many of these major problems. Specifically, analytical procedures for geotechnical analysis and design, including powerful computer simulations, show promise of providing an increasingly realistic virtual counterpart to the actual performance of soils and structures during earthquakes. They also make it possible to perform systematic quantitative observational and experimental validations of those procedures. On July 29, 2009, a workshop (colloquium) was convened jointly by the Center for the Study of Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, to identify high priority research questions that may now be addressed with modern technological and analytical tools. The workshop was held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. The workshop participants are identified in Appendix A. The participants considered the range of successes and problems in the field, identified groups of facilities exposed to earthquake risk that are of concern to the Department of Homeland Security, and prepared a prioritized list of research areas that can improve the state of practice for these facilities."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate

  2009-07
• Earthquake Preparedness for the South Davis Metro Fire Agency

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  "The problem is that South Davis Metro Fire Agency does not have a comprehensive earthquake response plan. The purpose of this research is to identify the earthquake areas within South Davis Metro Fire and to develop such a plan. Using descriptive research, the areas at risk were identified, other fire departments were surveyed on their response and preparedness, the needs of South Davis Metro Fire to support their personnel and citizens were identified and an emergency response plan specific to earthquakes was determined. The research was conducted with literature reviews, and interviews of people with specific knowledge in the earthquake issues in the state of Utah. The results determined South Davis Metro Fire needs an in-depth comprehensive plan to respond and support the needs of personnel and the community that is served. Recommendation included developing a detailed response and mitigation plan for earthquakes, develop a food and water storage plan to sustain the needs of emergency personnel and staff, and to outline the areas within the protection of South Davis Metro Fire that are affected by the Wasatch Fault and begin a public information media campaign to inform the citizens of the danger zones."

  National Fire Academy

  Bassett, Jeff

  2011-02?
• Serial No. 112-13: Are We Prepared? Assessing Earthquake Risk Reduction in the United States, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, First Session, April 7, 2011

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  From the opening statement of Benjamin Quayle: "In light of the devastating effects of the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck off the coast of northern Japan on March 11th, many countries are examining their own level of preparedness. The scale of the human tragedy is difficult to comprehend, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan. It is always a challenge to measure how prepared we are for the next unexpected event, and whether current efforts are adequate. Although earthquake risks vary across the country, portions of all 50 states are vulnerable to these hazards. Twenty-six urban areas in 14 different U.S. states face significant seismic risk. My own district in Arizona does not lie on top of a major subduction zone or fear the threat of tsunamis. But I believe today's topic is important for all of us. Earthquake catastrophes have the potential not only to destroy lives and buildings, but also to wreak havoc on civil and industrial infrastructure and the national economy. […] The impacts and consequences of a major earthquake are felt on a global scale. These hazards consequently represent a serious threat to both national security and global commerce. Given our current economic situation, it would be even more painful for the United States to endure a disastrous earthquake, the socioeconomic effects of which would reverberate for decades." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Benjamin Quayle, David Wu, Jack Hayes, Jim Mullen, Chris Poland, Vicki McConnell, and Randy Neugebauer.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2011
• Performance of Buildings and Nonstructural Components in the 2014 South Napa Earthquake

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  From the Preface: "California is subject to frequent damaging earthquakes, and each one presents an opportunity to study the impacts, improve our understanding of how buildings perform when subjected to strong ground shaking, and update building codes and standards for improved building performance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) established the Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) program to investigate post-disaster building performance and develop recommendations that address improvements in building design and construction, code development, enforcement, and mitigation activities that will lead to greater resistance to hazard events. The FEMA MAT program, however, is not currently set up to investigate the performance of buildings after earthquakes. On August 24, 2014, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake occurred in Napa, California. In response to this earthquake, the Special Projects task of the National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program (NETAP) under FEMA Contract HSFE60-12-D-024 with the Applied Technology Council (ATC) was used to fund an investigation. At the time, this event had not yet been declared a federal disaster, and disaster funds were therefore not available. Because of limitations to this funding, some issues, such as performance of lifelines or building investigations in additional areas, could not be investigated."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (U.S.)

  2015-02
• Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and What They Mean for the U.S.

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  "The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the multi-agency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) joins with the rest of the United States and indeed the rest of the world in expressing our concern to the Japanese people as they recover from their historic magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who were affected by this ongoing tragedy. Immediately after the earthquake, NOAA's [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center both issued tsunami warnings for Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast, Alaska and the island territories in the Pacific. Fortunately, the tsunami generated by this earthquake which hit Hawaii and the West Coast caused relatively minor damage that was generally limited to beach front and harbor facilities. However, past tsunamis have been far worse, and the caution shown by Federal, State and local officials was certainly warranted. One only has to look back to 1960, when an earthquake in Chile resulted in a 35 ft tsunami in Hilo, Hawaii that killed 61 people to see that their caution was justified."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (U.S.); National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (U.S.)

  Mahoney, Michael

  2011-03-17
• Japan: Legal Responses to the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011

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  From the summary: "The Great East Japan Earthquake brought the starkest crisis since the desolation of the Second World War. During the emergency period just after the earthquake, the Japanese government tried to do everything it could under existing disaster response systems. However, because large areas were affected and some municipalities lost functions, the existing systems, which placed the responsibility on each affected municipality to take action, did not work well in some parts of the country. The national government therefore made exceptions and stepped in, assuming financial responsibilities for local governments. Many issues arose as a result of the earthquake, such as food safety concerns and disaster debris management and disposal. The nuclear crisis caused by the earthquake also created long-lasting radiation problems. A new system was created for local governments outside of the disaster area to accept and process debris. The government also established new standards for radiation levels in foods. In addition to utilizing existing systems and programs, exceptions were made and new systems were created to support disaster victims and ease their hardship, with many laws being amended or new laws created to address the situation. A reconstruction agency was created to coordinate various reconstruction efforts. Based on post-earthquake assessments of the effectiveness of the existing nuclear regulatory authority, a new nuclear regulatory agency and new standards for nuclear power plants were created. Japan has used the experience to better prepare for future disasters. Laws and regulations were amended, and a new tsunami countermeasure law was enacted."

  Law Library of Congress (U.S.)

  Umeda, Sayuri

  2013-09
• Assessment of Damage to Residential Buildings Caused by the Northridge Earthquake

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  "This report presents the findings of a damage assessment survey of the Northridge earthquake. The primary purpose is to provide a statistically-based representation of the seismic performance of residential construction relative to local construction characteristics. In addition, case studies of more extreme failures provide insight into the causes of life-threatening performance problems. The Northridge Earthquake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on January 17, 1994. Its epicenter was located in a densely populated area of Los Angeles county near the community of Northridge. Over 30 deaths were reported as a direct result of the tremor, and a total death toll of 58 was attributed to both direct and indirect causes. Current estimates of the severity of this earthquake place it at a magnitude of ML= 6.4 on the Richter scale (Mw=6.7 and Ms=6.8). Uncorrected peak horizontal ground accelerations were recorded at 0.9g near the epicenter and varied from 0.1g to 1.8g at specific nearfield locations. In terms of the effective peak horizontal ground accelerations, the 475 year return period design estimate of 0.4 g was exceeded by a factor of 1.5 to 2 at several locations. A large 'pulse' of ground movement produced during the 15 and 20 second duration by this earthquake is among the worst recorded in U.S. history. Large ground movements from the earthquake were felt as far away as Las Vegas."

  United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Office of Policy Development and Research

  NAHB Research Center

  1994-07-30
• Earthquake Home Hazard Hunt

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  "This poster has information for you and your family to help you find and fix areas of your home that might be damaged in an earthquake and that might injure family members during an earthquake. Information is also provided on planning for an earthquake and safety steps you can take during and after an earthquake. Your earthquake home hazard hunt should begin with all family members participating. Foresight, imagination, and common sense are all that are needed as you go from room to room imagining what would happen if the earth and house started shaking. Anything that can move, break, or fall when your house starts to shake is a potential hazard."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  2005-09