NEHRP Post-Earthquake Investigations Plan

HR 1379^[1] and SB 646^[2], both known as the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act of 2011, direct that the lead for post-earthquake investigations in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) be transferred from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to NIST. It is anticipated that this Act will become new Public Law in the near future. This investigations lead transfer coincides with the establishment of the NIST Disaster and Failure Studies (D&FS) Program. This project will examine interagency coordination; operating protocols; and data collection,management and resource requirements for supporting NEHRP post-earthquake investigations in the anticipated new statutory structure. 

[1] http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1379 

[2] http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s646is/pdf/BILLS-112s646is.pdf

Objective:   This project supports the planning activities that will be required to facilitate NIST assumption of the leadership role within the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) for post-earthquake investigations, in coordination with the framework provided by the NIST Disaster and Failure Studies (D&FS) Program. The planning will examine interagency coordination, resource requirements, and data collection and management requirements.            

What is the new technical idea?  The 1990 reauthorization of NEHRP, PL 101-614, established the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with statutory responsibility for NEHRP post-earthquake investigations. In response to this tasking, USGS worked with its NEHRP partners (NIST, the Federal Emergency Management Agency – FEMA, and the National Science Foundation – NSF) to research and publish The Plan to Coordinate NEHRP Post-Earthquake Investigations, USGS Circular 1242[1].

HR 1379[2] and SB 646[3], both known as the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act of 2011, direct that the lead for post-earthquake investigations in NEHRP be transferred from USGS to NIST. It is anticipated that this Act will become new Public Law in the near future. This investigations lead transfer coincides with the establishment of the NIST D&FS Program.

This project will examine interagency coordination; operating protocols; and data collection,management and resource requirements for supporting NEHRP post-earthquake investigations in the anticipated new statutory structure. The procedures currently outlined in USGS Circular 1242 will be re-examined in light of the emerging NIST lead agency role. The collective NEHRP post-earthquake investigational capacity will be included in this new examination, including the NSF-funded Learning from Earthquakes (LFE), Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER), and Rapid Response Research ("RAPIDS"); FEMA-funded Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT); and USGS reconnaissance.

The project will effectively develop a formal replacement for USGS Circular 1242 and will produce a new NEHRP post-earthquake investigation plan based on NIST's leading the program, in coordination with the framework provided by the NIST Disaster and Failure Studies Program.            

What is the research plan? It is anticipated that contractor personnel will be retained under the auspices of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) to perform this study. Personnel from each of the NEHRP agencies will be engaged with this effort.

The interagency coordination protocols outlined in USGS Circular 1242 will all be re-examined and subsequently restructured in a multi-agency NEHRP-wide setting. Structuring and coordination of the NEHRP agencies' activities (LFE, GEER, RAPIDS, MAT, D&FS, NCST, and USGS) will be addressed. Both domestic and international reconnaissance activities will be considered, with appropriate consideration given for agency mission areas. For international reconnaissance, coordination with other federal agencies (e.g., USAID) will be addressed. The plan will be full-spectrum, from initial reconnaissance through long-term research and data gathering that are tied to reconnaissance. The plan will also be multi-disciplinary in nature, considering the full spectrum of information that would be collected and analyzed following major earthquakes, including, but not limited to seismology and earth sciences, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, social sciences, and response and recovery.

Plan development will include operating protocols, data collection protocols, logistics considerations, and recommended procedures for formal interaction and coordination with other federal agencies, and with state and local entities.

In addition to the various activities directly associated with reconnaissance and related research, short and long-term data archiving  and management, via the NIST D&FS Program, will be addressed (this has been referenced in the NEHRP Strategic Plan as the Post-Earthquake Information Management System – PIMS).

The study will map out the resources required to coordinate the investigations and provide the data archiving and management.

In addition to USGS Circular 1242, the results of previous related studies will be reviewed for relevant information. Publications include the American Lifelines Alliance Post-Earthquake Information Systems Scoping Study, the American Lifelines Alliance, September 2008; and Collection and Management of Earthquake Data: Defining Issues for an Action Plan, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, 2003. It is anticipated that the contractor will incorporate a workshop of key leaders in post-earthquake data collection, archiving, and utilization in conjunction with the study.

[2]  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1379

[3] http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s646is/pdf/BILLS-112s646is.pdf

Recent Results: None. This is a new effort.              

Standards and Codes: While not directly impacting codes and standards, it is anticipated that this study will develop procedures that in the future will ensure that NEHRP post-earthquake reconnaissance activities will provide valuable information that can be used for code and standard improvement.