This page discusses FEMA's Hazus program and related news updates. This page is intended for Hazus users and other parties interested in using Hazus to support risk-informed decision making efforts by estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes and visualizing the effects of such hazards.
Download Hazus Today: Users looking to download the Hazus software for free can go to the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) download page.
Have any interesting Hazus research or success stories to share? Want to get involved with the Hazus program by attending our monthly user group calls? Reach out to the Hazus Outreach Team at hazus-outreach@riskmapcds.com with questions or comments.
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Hazus News
Register for the Hazus Conference and Submit Your Abstract: Registration for the 9th Annual Hazus Conference is now open. The conference will take place from November 7-9, 2016 in Charleston, SC. Check out the conference website for details: www.hazusconference.com. Be sure to submit an abstract to become a presenter at the conference as well. You can find more details under the Abstract Submission section of the conference website. Feel free to reach out to the Hazus Outreach Team with questions at hazus-outreach@riskmapcds.com.
New Hazus Virtual Courses Released on Esri Training Catalog: The Hazus Virtual Courses have been upgraded to Hazus 3.0 compatibility as of June 2016. The courses can also be used with Hazus 3.1. All courses require access to ArcGIS 10.2.2. Visit the Esri Training Catalog and search for 'Hazus' to download the courses. To learn more about each course, visit the Virtual Courses page.
Hazus: FEMA's Methodology for Estimating Potential Losses from Disasters
Hazus is a nationally applicable standardized methodology that contains models for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Hazus uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of disasters. It graphically illustrates the limits of identified high-risk locations due to earthquake, hurricane, and flood. Users can then visualize the spatial relationships between populations and other more permanently fixed geographic assets or resources for the specific hazard being modeled, a crucial function in the pre-disaster planning process.
Hazus is used for mitigation and recovery, as well as preparedness and response. Government planners, GIS specialists, and emergency managers use Hazus to determine losses and the most beneficial mitigation approaches to take to minimize them. Hazus can be used in the assessment step in the mitigation planning process, which is the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Being ready will aid in recovery after a natural disaster.
Potential loss estimates analyzed in Hazus include:
- Physical damage to residential and commercial buildings, schools, critical facilities, and infrastructure;
- Economic loss, including lost jobs, business interruptions, repair, and reconstruction costs;
- Social impacts, including estimates of shelter requirements, displaced households, and population exposed to scenario floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes
As the number of Hazus users continues to increase, so do the types of uses. Increasingly, Hazus is being used by states and communities in support of risk assessments that perform economic loss scenarios for certain natural hazards and rapid needs assessments during hurricane response. Other communities are using Hazus to increase hazard awareness.
Hazus Success Stories
Success stories and interesting news items that feature the use of Hazus are highlighted and documented on the Hazus Success Stories page. If you or your organization have recently participated in an exercise using Hazus or you have a story to report on related to Hazus, reach out to the Hazus Outreach Team and perhaps your story will be featured here as well!
Recent Updates to Hazus
Hazus 3.1 is now available! For more information on the release, visit the FEMA MSC download page.
For details about upcoming changes to the Hazus software or the history of Hazus upgrades and changes over the years, check out the Hazus Modernization page to learn more.
Technical Support
Technical assistance is available via the Hazus Help Desk at hazus-support@riskmapcds.com.
Users can also call the FEMA Map Information Exchange (FMIX) at 1-877-336-2627 as an alternative means of support. The FMIX gives Hazus users the ability to speak directly with a support representative during normal business hours to follow up on Help Desk tickets, receive assistance in using the Help Desk, or get answers to general questions about Hazus.
Downloading Hazus
Federal, state, and local government agencies and the private sector can download the latest version of Hazus free-of-charge online by visiting the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC).
International users may download the Hazus 3.1 software, but not the U.S. state or territory datasets. International users who require technical assistance downloading the software may email the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) at FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com.