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Hayward Fault-Is It Due for a Repeat of the Powerful 1868 Earthquake?
"On October 21, 1868, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay region. Although the region was then sparsely populated, this quake on the Hayward Fault was one of the most destructive in California's history. Recent studies show that such powerful Hayward Fault quakes have repeatedly jolted the region in the past. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists describe this fault as a tectonic time bomb, due anytime for another magnitude 6.8 to 7.0 earthquake. Because such a quake could cause hundreds of deaths, leave thousands homeless, and devastate the region's economy, the USGS and other organizations are working together with new urgency to help prepare Bay Area communities for this certain future quake."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2008
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Forecasting California's Earthquakes-What Can We Expect in the Next 30 Years?
"In a new comprehensive study, scientists have determined that the chance of having one or more magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquakes in the California area over the next 30 years is greater than 99%. Such quakes can be deadly, as shown by the 1989 magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta and the 1994 magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquakes. The likelihood of at least one even more powerful quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the State. Building codes, earthquake insurance, and emergency planning will be affected by these new results, which highlight the urgency to prepare now for the powerful quakes that are inevitable in California's future."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2008
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Documentation for the 2008 Update of the United States National Seismic Hazard Maps
"The 2008 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Maps display earthquake ground motions for various probability levels across the United States and are applied in seismic provisions of building codes, insurance rate structures, risk assessments, and other public policy. This update of the maps incorporates new findings on earthquake ground shaking, faults, seismicity, and geodesy. The resulting maps are derived from seismic hazard curves calculated on a grid of sites across the United States that describe the frequency of exceeding a set of ground motions. The USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project developed these maps by incorporating information on potential earthquakes and associated ground shaking obtained from interaction in science and engineering workshops involving hundreds of participants, review by several science organizations and State surveys, and advice from two expert panels. The National Seismic Hazard Maps represent our assessment of the 'best available science' in earthquake hazards estimation for the United States." This document contains numerous maps and tables.
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Frankel, Arthur D.; Petersen, Mark D.; Harmsen, S. C.
2008
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Climate Simulation and Flood Risk Analysis for 2008-40 for Devils Lake, North Dakota
"The purpose of this report is to describe climate simulation and flood risk analysis for 2008--2040 for Devils Lake, North Dakota. In the report, previously published estimates of monthly precipitation, evaporation, and inflow data for Devils Lake for 1950--99 are extended to include data for 2000--2006, the data are used to recalibrate the Devils Lake stochastic simulation model, and new estimates of future flood risk for Devils Lake and Stump Lake are provided. Recent research on long-term regional climate variability will be used to provide a sound scientific basis for the climatic assumptions used to generate potential future lake levels and estimate future flood risk. The report can be used by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), and other agencies for developing updated flood-insurance rate maps and planning flood-mitigation activities such as levee raises, road raises, or other infrastructure improvements."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
Vecchia, Aldo V.
2008
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Potential Effects of a Scenario Earthquake on the Economy of Southern California: Labor Market Exposure and Sensitivity Analysis to a Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake
"The analysis is inspired by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report that analyzed the labor market losses (exposure) of a M6.9 earthquake on the Hayward fault by overlaying geocoded labor market data on Instrumental Intensity values. The method used here is influenced by the ZIP-code-level data provided by the California Employment Development Department (CA EDD), which requires the assignment of Instrumental Intensities to ZIP codes. The ZIP-code-level labor market data includes the number of business establishments, employees, and quarterly payroll categorized by the North American Industry Classification System. According to the analysis results, nearly 225,000 business establishments, or 44 percent of all establishments, would experience Instrumental Intensities between VII (7) and X (10). This represents more than 4 million employees earning over $45 billion in quarterly payroll. Over 57,000 of these establishments, employing over 1 million employees earning over $10 billion in quarterly payroll, would experience Instrumental Intensities of IX (9) or X (10). Based upon absolute counts and percentages, the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities Super Sector and the Manufacturing Super Sector are estimated to have the greatest exposure and sensitivity respectively. The Information and the Natural Resources and Mining Super Sectors are estimated to be the least impacted. Areas estimated to experience an Instrumental Intensity of X (10) account for approximately 3 percent of the region's labor market." Figures (1-15) and Tables (1-7) illustrate industry data and effects on payroll of the labor market Southern California.
Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior
Wein, Anne M.; Sherrouse, Benson C.; Hester, D. J. (David J.)
2008
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Potential Effects of a Scenario Earthquake on the Economy of Southern California: Baseline County-Level Migration Characteristics and Trends 1995-2000 and 2000-2010
"This report uses historical, estimated, and projected population data from several Federal and State data sources to estimate baseline characteristics and trends of the region's population migration (that is, changes in a person's place of residence over time). The analysis characterizes migration by various demographic, economic, family, and household variables for the period 1995-2000. It also uses existing estimates (beginning in 2001) of the three components of population change-births, deaths, and migration-to extrapolate near-term projections of county-level migration trends through 2010. The 2010 date was chosen to provide baseline projections corresponding to a two-year recovery period following the November 2008 date that was selected for the occurrence of the ShakeOut Scenario earthquake. These baseline characteristics and projections shall assist with evaluating the effects of inflow and outflow migration trends for alternative futures in which the simulated M7.8 [Magnitude 7.8] earthquake either does or does not occur and the impact of the event on housing and jobs, as well as community composition and regional economy changes based on dispersion of intellectual, physical, economic, and cultural capital." Figures (1-7) illustrate migration statistics by county in Southern California.
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Hester, D. J. (David J.); Sherrouse, Benson C.
2008
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Potential Effects of a Scenario Earthquake on the Economy of Southern California: Small Business Exposure and Sensitivity Analysis to a Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake
This report for the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program, in conjunction with the magnitude 7.8 ShakeOut Scenario, examines the potential impact on small businesses in Southern California if an earthquake were to occur. From the introduction: "The Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and various partners from the public and private sectors and academia, meant to improve Southern California's resiliency to natural hazards (Jones and others, 2007). In support of the MHDP objectives, the ShakeOut Scenario was developed. It describes a magnitude 7.8 (M7.8) earthquake along the southernmost 300 kilometers (200 miles) of the San Andreas Fault, identified by geoscientists as a plausible event that will cause moderate to strong shaking over much of the eight-county (Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura) Southern California region (Jones and others, 2008). This report contains an exposure and sensitivity analysis of small businesses in terms of labor and employment statistics. Exposure is measured as the absolute counts of labor market variables anticipated to experience each level of Instrumental Intensity (a proxy measure of damage). Sensitivity is the percentage of the exposure of each business establishment size category to each Instrumental Intensity level. The analysis concerns the direct effect of the earthquake on small businesses." Figures (1-7) and Tables (1-5) illustrate an earthquake's impact on employees in designated establishments throughout Southern California.
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Wein, Anne M.; Hester, D. J. (David J.); Sherrouse, Benson C.
2008
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Potential Effects of a Scenario Earthquake on the Economy of Southern California: Intraregional Commuter, Worker, and Earnings Flow Analysis
This report for the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program, in conjunction with the magnitude 7.8 ShakeOut Scenario, examines the potential impact on employees commuting to work in Southern California if an earthquake were to occur. From the introduction: "This report uses selected datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau and the State of California's Employment Development Department to develop preliminary estimates of the number and spatial distribution of commuters who cross the San Andreas Fault and to characterize these commuters by the industries in which they work and their total earnings. The analysis concerns the relative exposure of the region's economy to the effects of the earthquake as described by the location, volume, and earnings of those commuters who work in each of the region's economic sectors. It is anticipated that damage to transportation corridors traversing the fault would lead to at least short-term disruptions in the ability of commuters to travel between their places of residence and work." Figures (1-3) and Tables (1-4) illustrate the impact of an earthquake on commuter flow and employment growth rates, by county, throughout Southern California.
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Hester, D. J. (David J.); Sherrouse, Benson C.
2008
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Instrumentation Recommendations for Volcano Monitoring at U.S. Volcanoes Under the National Volcano Early Warning System
"As magma moves toward the surface, it interacts with anything in its path: hydrothermal systems, cooling magma bodies from previous eruptions, and (or) the surrounding 'country rock.' Magma also undergoes significant changes in its physical properties as pressure and temperature conditions change along its path. These interactions and changes lead to a range of geophysical and geochemical phenomena. The goal of volcano monitoring is to detect and correctly interpret such phenomena in order to provide early and accurate warnings of impending eruptions. Given the well-documented hazards posed by volcanoes to both ground-based populations (for example, Blong, 1984; Scott, 1989) and aviation (for example, Neal and others, 1997; Miller and Casadevall, 2000), volcano monitoring is critical for public safety and hazard mitigation. Only with adequate monitoring systems in place can volcano observatories provide accurate and timely forecasts and alerts of possible eruptive activity. At most U.S. volcanoes, observatories traditionally have employed a two-component approach to volcano monitoring: (1) install instrumentation sufficient to detect unrest at volca¬nic systems likely to erupt in the not-too-distant future; and (2) once unrest is detected, install any instrumentation needed for eruption prediction and monitoring."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
LaHusen, Richard G.; Moran, Seth C. (Seth Charles); Freymuller, Jeffrey T.
2008
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Understanding Volcano Hazards and Preventing Volcanic Disaster: A Science Strategy for the Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 2004-2008
"With more than 169 geologically active volcanoes, the United States is among the most volcanically active countries in the world. During the twentieth century, volcanic eruptions have caused substantial economic and societal disruptions. Hazardous volcanic activity will continue to occur in the U.S., and, because of rising populations, development pressures, and expanding national and international air traffic over volcanic regions, risks to life and property through exposure to volcano hazards continue to increase. Moreover, rapid globalization makes U.S. businesses, financial markets, and government interests vulnerable to volcano hazards throughout the world. The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program (VHP) under the Disaster Relief Act (P.L. 93-288) is to enhance public safety and reduce losses from volcanic events through effective forecasts and warnings of volcanic hazards based on the best possible scientific information. The VHP conducts four major science activities to reduce volcanic risk in the Nation: (1) monitoring volcano unrest and eruption, (2) preparing volcano hazard assessments, (3) conducting research on volcanic processes, and (4) providing reliable forecasts, warnings, and volcano-hazard information. These activities address the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) Serving Communities strategic goal of protecting lives, resources, and property by making information available to communities to use in developing volcano hazard mitigation, preparedness, and avoidance plans, and support the Geology Strategic Plan (2001-2010) goals of conducting geologic hazards assessments for mitigation planning and providing short-term prediction of geologic disasters and rapidly characterize their effects."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
2008?
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ShakeOut Scenario
This is the initial publication of the results of a cooperative project to examine the implications of a major earthquake in southern California. The study comprised eight counties: Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura.
Geological Survey (U.S.)
2008
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PAGER-Rapid Assessment of an Earthquake's Impact
This fact sheet describes the United States Geological Survey's Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) program. "PAGER (Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response) is an automated system to rapidly assess the number of people and regions exposed to severe shaking by an earthquake, and inform emergency responders, government agencies, and the media to the scope of the potential disaster. PAGER monitors the U.S. Geological Survey's near real-time U.S. and global earthquake detections and automatically identifies events that are of societal importance, well in advance of ground-truth or news accounts."
Geological Survey (U.S.); United States. Department of the Interior
2007-12
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Map and Data for Quaternary Faults and Fault Systems on the Island of Hawai'i
"This report and digitally prepared, GIS [Geographic Information Systems]-based map is one of a series of similar products covering individual states or regions of United States that show the locations, ages, and activity rates of major earthquake-related features such as faults and fault-related folds. It is part of a continuing the effort to compile a comprehensive Quaternary fault and fold map and database for the United States, which is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program. [...] The primary intention of this compilation is to aid in seismic-hazard evaluations. The report contains detailed information on the location and style of faulting, the time of most recent movement, and assigns each feature to a slip-rate category (as a proxy for fault activity). It also contains the name and affiliation of the compiler, date of compilation, geographic and other paleoseismologic parameters, as well as an extensive set of references for each feature. The map (plate 1) shows faults, volcanic rift zones, and lineaments that show evidence of Quaternary surface movement related to faulting, including data on the time of most recent movement, sense of movement, slip rate, and continuity of surface expression."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Cannon, Eric C.; Burgmann, Roland; Crone, Anthony J.
2007-12
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Analysis of Flood-Magnitude and Flood-Frequency Data for Streamflow-Gaging Stations in the Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania
"The Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania experienced severe flooding as a result of intense rainfall during June 2006. […] In response to this flooding, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pennsylvania Water Science Center began a study to analyze flood-magnitude and flood-frequency data for streamflow-gaging stations (stations) on tributaries within the Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania. This study updates and compares flood frequencies deter-mined from annual maximum series (AMS) data from continuous-record stations to flood discharges obtained from previously published Flood Insurance Studies (FIS) to determine whether there were any major differences in the flood-discharge data. The study also computes flood frequencies using partial-duration series (PDS) data to determine how the use of this PDS data may affect the flood frequencies compared to those deter-mined using the AMS data. The potential effects of regulation and urbanization also were included in the study. […] This report presents the results of (1) a comparison of updated AMS-derived flood-frequency discharges and flood discharges from previously published FIS, (2) a comparison of flood-frequency discharges computed using updated AMS and PDS peak-flow data, and (3) an analysis of the potential effects of regulation and urbanization on updated AMS-derived flood frequencies in the Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins. A flood-frequency analysis with recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 years (Q2, Q5, Q10, Q50, Q100, and Q500, respectively) was performed for 41 stations in the Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania (fig. 1) (appendix 1). Thirty-six of the 41 stations had 30 or more years of continuous record; the other 5 stations had 25 or more years of record."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
Roland, Mark A.
2007-10
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USGS ShakeCast
This fact sheet describes the United States Geological Service's ShakeCast application. "ShakeCast, short for ShakeMap Broadcast, is a fully automated system for delivering specific ShakeMap products to critical users and for triggering established post-earthquake response protocols. ShakeMap is a well-established tool used to portray the extent of potentially damaging shaking following an earthquake. ShakeMap is automatically generated for small and large earthquakes in areas where it is available and can be found on the Internet at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/shakemap/. It was developed and is used primarily for emergency response, loss estimation, and public information. However, for an informed response to a serious earthquake, critical users must go beyond just looking at ShakeMap, and understand the likely extent and severity of impact on the facilities for which they are responsible. To this end the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed ShakeCast."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-10
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'Fully Enclosed Pressure Transducers' (Aka Hobo's™ or Insitu™) May Be Misidentified as Explosive Devices
This bulletin contains information on how law enforcement officers can distinguish a storm surge monitoring device used by the US Geological Survey from an explosive device.
Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-06-26?
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Increasing the Resilience to Natural Hazards in Southern California
"Southern California is at great risk for extreme catastrophic losses owing to numerous natural hazards, such as earthquakes, wildfires, floods, tsunamis, landslides and coastal changes, that occur in this area (fig. 1). Expected losses from these hazards are estimated to exceed $3 billion per year in the eight counties of southern California. In southern California: A) Natural hazards have devastating consequences, including loss of life and injury, replacement costs of buildings and infrastructure, loss of function of critical facilities, service and infrastructure outages, business interruption, loss of jobs, and a decrease in the quality of life. B) Multiple natural hazards are commonplace and often overlap to create secondary hazards. For example, earthquakes can produce landslides and severe fires and heavy storms can produce debris flows."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-05
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Alaska Science Center: Providing Timely, Relevant, and Impartial Study of the Landscape, Natural Resources, and Natural Hazards for Alaska and Our Nation
"The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, has studied the natural features of Alaska since its earliest geologic expeditions in the 1800s. The USGS Alaska Science Center (ASC), with headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, studies the complex natural science phenomena of Alaska to provide scientific products and results to a wide variety of partners. The complexity of Alaska's unique landscapes and ecosystems requires USGS expertise from many science disciplines to conduct thorough, integrated research. In Alaska each year, natural hazards may cause deaths and can cost millions of dollars due to the disruption of commerce, and the destruction of critical infrastructure. The USGS ASC science helps forecast and mitigate disasters and build resilient communities through cutting edge science, research, and monitoring tools and techniques pioneered here for Alaska's diverse and challenging landscape. Monitoring programs that address natural and emerging hazards include: 1. Monitoring volcanoes through the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a cooperative program of the USGS, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. 2. Operating a streamflow monitoring network for flood warning and mitigation. 3. Tracking emerging wildlife diseases, such as Avian Influenza (Highly Pathogenic H5N1) in migratory birds."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-03
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Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country: Your Handbook for the San Francisco Bay Region
"This handbook provides information about the threat posed by earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region and explains how you can prepare for, survive, and recover from these inevitable events. If you live or work in the region, you need to know why you should be concerned with earthquakes, what you can expect during and after a quake, and what you need to do beforehand to be safe and reduce damage."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-03
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Natural Hazards - A National Threat
"In the United States each year, natural hazards cause hundreds of deaths and cost billions of dollars in disaster aid, disruption of commerce, and destruc¬tion of homes and critical infrastructure. Although the number of lives lost to natural hazards each year generally has declined, the economic cost of major disaster response and recovery continues to rise. Each decade, property damage from natural hazards events doubles or triples. The United States is second only to Japan in economic damages resulting from natural disasters. A major goal of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to reduce the vulner¬ability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards. Working with partners throughout all sectors of society, the USGS provides information, products, and knowledge to help build more resil¬ient communities."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-02
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Roundtable on a National Framework for Natural Hazard Risk Reduction and Management: Developing a Research Agenda, Summary Report
"This report summarizes discussion at the Roundtable on a National Framework for Risk Reduction and Management held on November 15, 2006, at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. The Roundtable was co-sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Association of American Geographers (AAG), and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Comments made by speakers not affiliated with the USGS do not necessarily reflect the positions of the USGS. The purpose of the day-long Roundtable was to bring together academic, business, and government leaders to advance a research agenda on improving decision-making to reduce and manage the risks of natural hazards. The Roundtable addressed predicted behavior and incentives at both the national and the local levels and sought to develop a research agenda to achieve the following broad goals: advancing the use of scientific information to reduce societal vulnerability and risk from hazards; and identifying how spatial data can most effectively enable and empower decision-making at the local, state, and national levels."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
Kempthorne, Dirk, 1951-; Meyers, Mark D.
2007
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Scoping of Flood Hazard Mapping Needs for Penobscot County, Maine
"This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Flood Insurance Study revision in Penobscot County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-06-X-0018. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine State Planning Office Floodplain Management Program (MFMP), began scoping work in 2006 for Penobscot County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Penobscot County, documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) Database with information gathered during the scoping process."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Schalk, Charles W.; Dudley, Robert W.
2007
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Scoping of Flood Hazard Mapping Needs for Hancock County, Maine
"This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Flood Insurance Study revision in Hancock County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-06-X-0020. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine Floodplain Management Program (MFMP) State Planning Office, began scoping work in 2006 for Hancock County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Hancock County, documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) database with information gathered during the scoping process."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007
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Scoping of Flood Hazard Mapping Needs for Lincoln County, Maine
"This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Flood Insurance Study revision in Lincoln County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-06-X-0020. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine Floodplain Management Program (MFMP) State Planning Office, began scoping work in 2006 for Lincoln County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Lincoln County, documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) database with information gathered during the scoping process."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Schalk, Charles W.; Dudley, Robert W.
2007
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Flood of May 2006 in New Hampshire
"This report documents the flood of May of 2006 by presenting the flood data collected at the streamgages (48 active and 17 discontinued) in central and southern New Hampshire. The flood data include peak-stage data, peak-discharge data, flow-frequency curves, and estimates of flood recurrence intervals at each streamgage. In addition, data were compiled from FEMA flood-insurance studies for comparison purposes. The active streamgages included 37 operated by the USGS, 8 operated by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), 2 operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and 1 operated privately. All 17 discontinued streamgages were those that had been operated by the USGS. A description of each streamgage location included in this investigation is listed in table 1 (in back of report)."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Olson, Scott A.
2007
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Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2005
"The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. This report contains only published papers and maps; numerous abstracts produced for presentations at scientific meetings have not been included. Publications are included based on date of publication with no attempt to assign them to Fiscal Year."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Nathenson, Manuel
2007
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Preliminary Volcano-Hazard Assessment for the Tanaga Volcanic Cluster, Tanaga Island, Alaska
"The Tanaga volcanic cluster lies on the northwest part of Tanaga Island, about 100 kilometers west of Adak, Alaska, and 2,025 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The cluster consists of three volcanoes--from west to east, they are Sajaka, Tanaga, and Takawangha. All three volcanoes have erupted in the last 1,000 years, producing lava flows and tephra (ash) deposits. A much less frequent, but potentially more hazardous phenomenon, is volcanic edifice collapse into the sea, which likely happens only on a timescale of every few thousands of years, at most. Parts of the volcanic bedrock near Takawangha have been altered by hydrothermal activity and are prone to slope failure, but such events only present a local hazard. Given the volcanic cluster's remote location, the primary hazard from the Tanaga volcanoes is airborne ash that could affect aircraft. In this report, we summarize the major volcanic hazards associated with the Tanaga volcanic cluster."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Coombs, Michelle L. (Michelle Lynn); McGimsey, Robert G.; Browne, Brandon Lanquist
2007
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Science and the Storms: The USGS Response to the Hurricanes of 2005
"This report is designed to give a view of the immediate response of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to four major hurricanes of 2005: Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Some of this response took place days after the hurricanes; other responses included fieldwork and analysis through the spring. While hurricane science continues within the USGS, this overview of work following these hurricanes reveals how a Department of the Interior bureau quickly brought together a diverse array of its scientists and technologies to assess and analyze many hurricane effects. Topics vary from flooding and water quality to landscape and ecosystem impacts, from geotechnical reconnaissance to analyzing the collapse of bridges and estimating the volume of debris. Thus, the purpose of this report is to inform the American people of the USGS science that is available and ongoing in regard to hurricanes. It is the hope that such science will help inform the decisions of those citizens and officials tasked with coastal restoration and planning for future hurricanes. Chapter 1 is an essay establishing the need for science in building a resilient coast. The second chapter includes some hurricane facts that provide hurricane terminology, history, and maps of the four hurricanes' paths. Chapters that follow give the scientific response of USGS to the storms. Both English and metric measurements are used in the articles in anticipation of both general and scientific audiences in the United States and elsewhere. Chapter 8 is a compilation of relevant ongoing and future hurricane work. The epilogue marks the 2-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. An index of authors follows the report to aid in finding articles that are cross-referenced within the report."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007
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Preliminary Assessment of Volcanic and Hydrothermal Hazards in Yellowstone National Park and Vicinity
"Possible future violent events in the active hydrothermal, magmatic, and tectonic system of Yellowstone National Park pose potential hazards to park visitors and infrastructure. Most of the national park and vicinity are sparsely populated, but significant numbers of people as well as park resources could nevertheless be at risk from these hazards. Depending on the nature and magnitude of a particular hazardous event and the particular time and season when it might occur, 70,000 to more than 100,000 persons could be affected; the most violent events could affect a broader region or even continent-wide areas. This assessment of such hazards is presented both as a guide for future activities of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) and to aid appropriate response planning by the National Park Service and surrounding agencies and communities. Although the assessment is presented here in some technical detail, this summary is intended to be understandable to non-scientists. The principal conclusions also will be made available in other forms, more accessible to general readers."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Christiansen, Robert L.; Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Smith, Robert B.
2007
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Simulation of Flood Profiles for Fivemile Creek at Tarrant, Alabama, 2006
"A one-dimensional step-backwater model was used to simulate flooding conditions for Fivemile Creek at Tarrant, Alabama. The 100-year flood stage published in the current flood insurance study for Tarrant by the Federal Emergency Management Agency was significantly exceeded by the March 2000 and May 2003 floods in this area. A peak flow of 14,100 cubic feet per second was computed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the May 2003 flood in the vicinity of Lawson Road. Using this estimated peak flow, flood-plain surveys with associated roughness coefficients, and the surveyed high-water profile for the May 2003 flood, a flow model was calibrated to closely match this known event. The calibrated model was then used to simulate flooding for the 10-, 50-, 100-, and 500-year recurrence interval floods. The results indicate that for the 100-year recurrence interval, the flood profile is about 2.5 feet higher, on average, than the profile published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The absolute maximum and minimum difference is 6.80 feet and 0.67 foot, respectively. All water-surface elevations computed for the 100-year flood are higher than those published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, except for cross section H. The results of this study provide the community with flood-profile information that can be used for existing flood-plain mitigation, future development, and safety plans for the city."
Geological Survey (U.S.)
Hedgecock, T. S.; Lee, K. G.
2007
