HAZUS User Groups Success Stories

Region III
Region IV
Region V
Region VI
Region VII
Region IX
Region X
Tribal

As HAZUS User Groups (HUGs) continue to evolve in all regions of the U.S., new applications of HAZUS-MH are being carried out by the membership of these groups. These HAZUS User Group Success Stories are being documented so they can be shared. Contact information is provided, with descriptions of the projects and the network of project supporters.

Region III

3RiversHUG CUP Students Begin a New Chapter in HAZUS History
In March 2006, the 3Rivers HAZUS User Group (3RiversHUG) made history-by voting to initiate the first-ever student chapter of the HAZUS user group at the California University of Pennsylvania. The inception of the student chapter of the 3RiversHUG marked the beginning of a true “win-win” situation. For their part, students are gaining valuable real-world experience that augments their education through class projects, field assignments, service-learning activities, and internships. At the same time, various entities-including local emergency management offices, HAZUS users, GIS users, regional planning agencies, and county and municipal governments-are getting their projects completed more quickly and efficiently by leveraging the energy and efforts of the student chapter. Download Handout.

3RiversHUG, formed by the California University of Pennsylvania Graphic of 3RiversHUG handout
The benefits of having a HUG in southwestern Pennsylvania are already being realized. Communications and collaboration between academia and the public, private, and third (not-for profit) sectors are improving. The 3RiversHUG is helping all stakeholders with their goals because academicians are able to expand their research and service activities, their students gain valuable real world experience, the public sector receives much needed assistance to complete valuable data gathering and analysis projects, and the private sector provides certified engineering analysis, advice, and gains networking opportunities and potential internship candidates. Finally, the community benefits from improved mitigation and preparedness activities which may reduce losses from future hazard events at a relatively low cost. The 3RiversHUG provides a win-win situation for all potential stakeholders while reducing the vulnerability of the region to disasters. Download Handout.

Region IV

The Florida HAZUS User Group (FLHUG): A Catalyst for Mitigating Risks and Improving Collaboration Between Florida’s Emergency Management Professionals
When Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, hit Southwestern Florida on August 13, 2004, its impact was devastating. The largest storm to make landfall on Florida shores since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Charley thrust the state into mitigation mode and spurred its emergency management leaders to focus on strategies that would estimate and minimize potential losses from the hurricane and flood hazards. The state used HAZUS methodology as its primary tool for this work and offered HAZUS-MH training regionally. Professionals from Florida also participated in HAZUS-MH courses at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI). The Florida HAZUS User Group (FLHUG) as formally organized in January 2006. This important step expanded a process that began two years earlier, making HAZUS trainings more widely available and encouraging statewide collaboration between emergency mitigation professionals in both the public and private sectors. Download Handout.

FEMA Region IV Strengthens Disaster Preparedness Nationwide by Sharing HAZUS Expertise
FEMA Region IV is comprised of eight states in the southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). The Region has been using HAZUS successfully since 2004 in pre- and post-disaster capacities. Joe Rachel, FEMA Region IV, HAZUS Program Manager, formed the FEMA Region IV (Southeast) HAZUS Technical Team. This team is a type of HAZUS User Group combining the expertise of various stakeholders. With Joe Rachel’s leadership, the Region has made a commitment to growing and sharing HAZUS capabilities within the Region as well as nationally. Joe Rachel and the HAZUS Technical Team are proponents of HAZUS User Groups nationwide. They supported the formation of the Florida HAZUS User Group and were integral in its success. Recently, the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and FEMA Region VII looked to the FEMA Region IV HAZUS Technical Team for HAZUS guidance related to disaster exercises. Download Handout.

Region V

Wisconsin Emergency Management: Using HAZUS-MH to Evaluate Flood Risks and Losses Across the State
In 2005, the agency charged with helping safeguard the State of Wisconsin against the impacts of all types of disasters initiated a significant undertaking: to conduct a 100-year flood risk and loss estimate that could apply to the entire state. While still engaged in that ambitious project, Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) has also been preparing for the launch of a second statewide assessment, one that will utilize the powerful processing abilities of HAZUS-MH methodology. A comprehensive study of flood risks and losses can prove particularly useful in a state such as Wisconsin, which contains many lakes and rivers. When rainfall or snowmelt exceeds normal levels, the State can suddenly find itself facing a flood threat of huge proportions underscoring the pressing need for analytical research and predictive models. Download Handout.

Expanding HAZUS Use in FEMA Region V
The Central HAZUS Users Group (CHUG) provides a means of collaboration between HAZUS-MH users within FEMA Region V. This group looks at software challenges, HAZUS-MH projects, and the overall general use of HAZUS-MH software. The main goal of the CHUG is to maximize the potential of HAZUS-MH within the region. Sharing the successes and challenges between users helps bring the entire region together in planning for natural disasters.

The Polis Center at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, an active CHUG member, has been working with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to use HAZUS-MH in pre-disaster mitigation planning projects including the development of a statewide 100-year flood study as well as development of multi-hazard risk assessments using local data in 29 Indiana counties. Download Handout.

Region VI

Louisiana State University: Using the Power of HAZUS to Study a Flood-prone State
In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, much HAZUS work was being done in the CADGIS lab, on the campus of Louisiana State University. In particular, a graduate student named Michelle Barnett (who now works at the Center for Energy Studies at LSU) produced many significant studies that took advantage of HAZUS methodology to create flooding scenarios. Her subject: the flood-prone parishes located all along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Three of the studies of the Louisiana Gulf Coast conducted by Michelle Barnett focused on the lower Amite River Valley, the Calcasieu River Basin, and St. Mary Parish, respectively. Download Handout.

Texas HAZUS User Group (TXHUG): Using HAZUS-MH Runs to Calculate Debris and Commodity Needs for Hurricanes
During the spring of 2007, the Texas Governor’s Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) participated in a GAP analysis meeting with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The GAP analysis included what levels of commodities (ice, water, food) could be supplied by the State as well as the amount of tree debris likely to be produced and the State’s ability to dispose of it, following a Category 3 hurricane. The scenario used was based on a hypothetical hurricane coming ashore along the southern coast of Texas. The HAZUS-MH wind model was used to estimate hurricane wind damage. This information was then built upon using an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) model that calculates commodities that could be distributed. The result of this effort was a flexible, user-friendly spreadsheet that incorporates several programmed formulas, or assumptions, was then developed for a user to calculate specific debris removal and commodity needs. Download the Handout.

Region VII

Johnson County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Collaborates with the University of Iowa Department of Geography to Assess Flooding Impacts Using HAZUS-MH
Johnson County GIS staff supplied data which was formatted to create a countywide dataset of building locations with necessary attributes to update the HAZUS-MH building inventory. Initially there were no official forecasts for the water levels along the Iowa River in Johnson County. A preliminary HAZUS-MH analysis began by simulating the 1993 flood event from historical discharges recorded along streams within the county. As the National Weather Service (NWS) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began to forecast the approximate discharge values for the Iowa River through Johnson County, the model was initialized to reflect those forecasts. A final HAZUS-MH analysis was generated creating a flood boundary and loss estimate. The updated building information along with the expert-supplied discharge data represented a Level II analysis. In the days leading up to the final crest, numerous roads were closed due to high water. Road closures inhibited the ability for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to serve the county during the disaster. EMS turned to HAZUS-MH for answers. HAZUS-MH flood boundaries were intersected with local GIS road networks and elevation data to create an estimate of upcoming road closures. Creating this analysis days before the event gave EMS staff time to prepare for alternative routes to navigate around the county. Download Handout.

Region IX

Hawaii HAZUS User Group (HIHUG) : Hawaii HAZUS Atlas
To help Hawaii's disaster managers better prepare for and respond to potentially devastating earthquakes, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) -- in collaboration with Hawaii State Civil Defense and the Hawaii State Earthquake Advisory Committee -- has created the Hawaii HAZUS Atlas (HHA). "HHA is a web-enabled tool that drastically saves time in delivering critical information to disaster managers," states PDC Chief Scientist Stanley Goosby. "If a large earthquake were to strike Hawaii or Maui County in the middle of the night, emergency personnel would be able to instantly access extremely useful data to help assess impacts and potential losses."

The HHA is a web-based catalog of 20 "plausible" hypothetical earthquakes based on historical events located in (and around) Maui and Hawaii Counties. The HHA contains loss estimation data and analyses based on HAZUS scenarios. With HHA, communities can use HAZUS results to assist in disaster planning before, during, and after a destructive earthquake. Prototypes have also been used recently by Hawaii State Civil Defense to support statewide tsunami and earthquake exercises. For the tsunami exercise, the Atlas was used to examine the damage caused by the hypothetical earthquake in Maui and Hawaii Counties. Download Handout.

Nevada Hazus User Group (NVHUG) : Loss-Estimation Modeling of Earthquake Scenarios for Each County in Nevada Using HAZUS-MH Graphic of Nevada HUG handout
With the support of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology conducted a project to model the potential earthquake loss in each county in the state of Nevada using HAZUS-MH. One of the first pieces of information needed in disaster planning, preparedness, and response is a general estimate of potential damage and costs of an event, such as an earthquake. Nevada has a relatively high level of earthquake hazard, but that hazard is not evenly distributed throughout the state. Another relevant factor is that the characteristics of the population, infrastructure, and societal resources vary dramatically across the state. The probability of at least one magnitude 6 or greater event in the next 50 years is between 34 and 98%. The probability of at least one magnitude 7 or greater event in the next 50 years is between 4% and 50%. Understanding these facts, plus the fact that it is possible to prepare, respond, and mitigate structural and nonstructural risks motivated this project. Download Handout.

Region X

Oregon HAZUS User Group (ORHUG) : Geologic Hazards and Future Earthquake Damage and Loss Estimates for Six Counties in the Mid/Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon
In an effort to become more resilient from natural hazards, communities in Oregon have begun a large-scale endeavor aimed at pre-disaster mitigation. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Studies (DOGAMI) partnered with Oregon Emergency Management (OEM) and the Oregon Natural Hazards Workgroup (ONHW) at the University of Oregon to assist local communities with their Pre-Disaster Mitigation plans.

As of April 2006, 18 of Oregon's 36 counties have FEMA-approved natural hazard mitigation plans. The goal of the DOGAMI-ONHW-OEM partnership is to assist all remaining counties in the state to develop plans by 2010 utilizing this approach. In order to assist these counties in the development of their natural hazards mitigation plans, DOGAMI identified the primary geologic hazards, developed countywide earthquake and landslide hazard maps for each county, performed future earthquake damage and loss estimates, and performed overall project management. The Community Service Center's Oregon Natural Hazards Workgroup (ONHW) at the University of Oregon facilitated the community plan development through hands-on trainings, applied research, and plan development support. The OEM managed the grant, performed general review of final plans, and was the lead communicator with FEMA. Download Handout.

Tribal

Tribal Governments: Using HAZUS-MH for American Indian Reservation's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning
Since 2000, Indian tribes (along with State and local governments) have been writing pre-disaster mitigation (PDM) plans in order to achieve compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2000). A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved PDM plan makes a government entity eligible for FEMA non-emergency public assistance funding that can cover infrastructure improvements, including: roads and bridges; water-control facilities; buildings and equipment; utilities; and parks and recreation. Without an approved plan, FEMA will only fund emergency debris removal programs and emergency protective measures. HAZUS-MH was used to identify potential hazards, impact, and severity. Download Handout.

Last Modified: Monday, 15-Sep-2008 14:37:52 EDT

Fast Facts

There are currently 24 active HAZUS User Groups (HUGs) throughout the United States. If you are interested in forming or joining a HUG, please contact Jamie Caplan at HAZUSUserGroupHelp
@jamiecaplan.com.