Section 10 : The Marmara earthquake : A view from space

This document lists some of the lessons learned while performing the investigation. It shows the purpose of the trip, itinerary and field investigations

Improving earthquake loss estimation : Review, assessment and extension of loss estimation methodologies

The overall goals of the research are to link engineering system vulnerability analysis with the best-available techniques of economic analysis, to produce integrated models of physical and economic loss, and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of loss estimation methods through the application of advanced and emerging technologies. This program of research focuses both on general methodological refinements and model improvement and on applications that will support MCEER's power and water lifeline and hospital demonstration projects

Pipeline replacement feasibility study : A methodology for minimizing seismic and corrosion risks to underground natural gas pipelines

This report completes the review of procedures used by the Southern California Gas Company to optimize decisions on pipeline replacement and repair. In addition to discussions with the Engineering Design Department, meetings were also held with representatives from System Planing, Transmission and Distribution. This study was conducted as a joint effort between EQE International and Cornell University. Partial support for this effort was received from the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research. This report is comprised of two major parts: (1) a report that discusses a plan for consideration of seismic and corrosion risk under a common program, and (2) a report that summarizes the development of improved corrosion leakage models for the Southern California Gas Company (Appendix B).(AU)

Crude oil transmission study : An assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts resulting from oil spillage and disruption caused by a major earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone

In 1989, the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research launched a multi-year, multi-disciplinary study of the seismic vulnerability of an important lifeline system. The production and delivery of crude oil is critical to every major industry and business sector in the United States. This nation's most crucial crude oil system traverses the midwest and is subject to seismic hazards posed by the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). To understand fully the significance of this system, particularly after major disasters such as earthquakes, it is necessary to quantify the level of seismic vulnerability of this system and the impact that many result should oil be released or disrupted. To address these questions, NCEER formed a multi-disciplinary team representing researchers in seismic hazard assessment, component vulnerability analysis, system reliability analysis, and socioeconomic impact analysis.(AU)

Estimation of indirect losses caused by disruption of lifeline service : A pilot study of the Memphis light, gas and water system

A general methodology for estimating the indirect losses caused by a disruption of lifeline service is presented. This methodology is different from previous approaches in that it attempts to incorporate local data on lifeline usage patterns and detailed information on regional economics into the analysis. Although the analysis is presented using natural gas as the pilot system, the methodology is general enough to have application for other lifeline systems. Since the conduct of this study is part of a large National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (NCEER) effort that involves multiple investigators, parts of the analysis are still being perfomed. Therefore, what is presented in this paper is a snapshot of the analysis with particular focus on model development. Models for natural gas usage, economic productivity and natural gas outage are presented. In order to provide the reader with some understanding of how the results of the analysis will feed into the overall loss assessment procedure, a general discussion of the methodology is presented along with a discussion of future activities. This study is part of the Urban Seismic Risk Project that is being sponsored in whole by the NCEER.(AU)

Chapter 3 : Lifeline damage and resulting impacts

The failure of lifeline system in natural disasters canbe devastating, hampering both response and recovery. Recent events, such as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, heve demonstrated that indirect impacts associated with the failure of lifeline systems may outweigh the direct costs associated with system repair. As a result, the problem of quantifying possible indirect losses is currently receiving increased attention. This chapter addresses previous, current and future efforts in the field of indirect loss assessment. Direct loss is defined as those costs associated with the repair of a damaged lifeline system. Indirect or secondary losses include a variety of post-earthquake costs such as business interruption losses, environmental damage, and collateral damage, e.g., fire following. To describe the basic elements needed to perform an indirect loss assessment, a general methodology is presented. In addition, a review of previous loss assessment studies as well as summaries of several state-of-the-art studies currently underway are presented. Some recent studies focusing on earthquake impacts in the Central and Eastern United States are highlighted. Finally, a discussion is provided on future directions, with respect to models and methodologies, with particular emphasis on the Central and Eastern United States.(AU)

Application of a regional hazard assessment methodology using GIS for a Midwestern natural gas pipeline system

Historically. earthquakes have adversely affected water. sewer and gas utilities. A large earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) would cause extensive damage to building as well as lifelines (facilities that transport resources, people and information). This paper summarizes a study utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to quantify the seismic hazard exposure of a natural gas transmission and distribution system located in the Midwest, operated by ARKLA, Inc. GIS are computerized system used to store, analyze and display spatial or mappable information (AU)

A simplified model for assessing secondary loss impacts associated with oil and natural gas pipeline failures during earthquakes

This paper discusses the results of a preliminary study to estimate the secondary and regional impact of oil and natural gas system disruption during earthquakes. Simplified models have been developed which approximate order-of-magnitude secondary losses. In this study, secondary loss is defined as business interruption costs. To demonstrate the methodology, the models are applied to the New Madrid Seismic Zone. A comparison of the present results with those published in a recent Applied Technology Council report (ATC-25) indicate that the simplified models provide a reasonable approximation of business interruption losses associated with the disruption of oil and natural gas supply. This methodology can be used in cases where little or no data exists on the locations of critical lifeline systems, or where rapid evaluations of business interruption losses are needed. The results presented here represent findings from a previous Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) study and an ongoing study for the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (NCEER).(AU)

Mitigating risks to infrastructure systems through natural hazard reduction and design

This paper provides a brief summary of the issues and opportunities associated with the reduction of risks to urban lifeline systems. In this paper, the term lifeline (which is commonly used to define utility and transportation systems) is used interchangeably with infrastructure. The general focus of this paper is on all natural hazards, however, earthquakes are used to illustrate most points. The basic thesis for this paper is that the cost of rebuilding lifeline systems after major natural disasters is becoming prohibitively expensive, even for large federal budgets. As our cities continue to develop and expand geographically, we increase the chance of "direct hits". Therefore, the design pf our systems must consider these risks and perhaps more importantly, ways of effectively reducing these risks through land use planning, modification of hazardous site conditions, or increased design and/or retrofit.(AU)