Circular 1242
This report presents the plan to coordinate domestic and foreign post-earthquake
investigations supported by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
(NEHRP). As has been demonstrated in numerous disasters, authoritative and timely
scientific and engineering advice after a disaster both improves emergency response
and helps allay public fears and anxiety. Large urban earthquakes in the United
States can cause many fatalities and great property loss. It is likely after
a great earthquake that the Nation will turn to officials of NEHRP for authoritative
advice following these inevitable events. By coordinating its post-earthquake
response, NEHRP will be in a stronger position to provide input and work effectively
with officials involved in the post-earthquake emergency response activities.
Major earthquakes also provide critical information on earthquake processes,
ground shaking, and the performance of the built and socioeconomic environments.
A set of coordinated efforts during and following the event can enhance the
information acquired. The nature and quality of this information can significantly
reduce losses not only immediately following the specific event, but also from
future events through improved planning, design, and construction. The infrequency
of large damaging earthquakes and the many NEHRP-supported investigators who
can be expected to conduct field studies after earthquakes require that post-event
investigations be closely coordinated in order to maximize the learning that
will improve mitigation of the effects of future earthquakes. Post-earthquake
investigations are critical for:
• Providing insight into why and how faults rupture.
• Understanding and predicting shaking and secondary ground deformation.
• Documenting and improving performance of the built environment.
• Evaluating the adequacy of current building standards and practices.
• Documenting societal and economic impacts and providing information
for improving earthquake response and recovery activities.
• Identifying specific opportunities to mitigate the impacts of future
earthquakes.
In summary, benefits from post-earthquake investigations can include improved
emergency response, a safer built environment, cost-effective construction
of new structures and rehabilitation of older ones, improved land-use practices,
and better understanding of earthquake hazards in the United States.
This plan provides a framework for both coordinating what is going to be done
and identifying responsibility for post-earthquake activities. It does not and
cannot specify what will be done because each earthquake offers different challenges
and learning opportunities. The plan applies primarily to the NEHRP Federal
agencies and their partners, which range from state agencies, multistate consortia,
the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), the NSF-funded centers
and organizations for earth science and earthquake engineering research and
education, the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES), to other
academic and professional groups with professional interests in post-earthquake
investigations. It is important to recognize that NEHRP post-earthquake activities
primarily consist of information gathering and documentation of what happened.
Some of this information, however, is of immediate interest to emergency managers
and the public. NEHRP agencies and partners need to convey this information
in a timely manner. The primary responsibility is to alert the public and Federal
and state agencies about the occurrence and scope of the event. However, NEHRP
investigators must be prepared to convey other aspects that bear on public safety
or concerns.
In addition to proposing a structure to improve coordination of the activities
and investigations that typically are conducted following significant earthquakes,
the plan also identifies new activities—some of which are permitted by
advances in technology—that are considered significant to improve loss
reduction in future earthquakes. These activities and a mechanism for their
funding are described in four recommendations. Their implementation would substantially
improve the contribution of NEHRP post-earthquake investigations to earthquake
risk reduction in the United States.
Earthquakes are one of several hazards that can cause large disasters that result in great loss of life and property. The most significant of these are hurricanes, floods, winter storms, tornadoes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and terrorism. Indeed, from 1992 to 1996, losses in the U.S. from natural hazards averaged about $1 billion per week (OSTP, 1997). Post-event documentation of these hazards and their consequences contributes significantly to improvements in mitigating their impact and thereby reduces future losses. Although scientific and technical aspects of these hazards may differ, post-disaster investigations pose many similar challenges. Thus, this plan for post-earthquake coordination should be useful for planning and coordinating investigations of these other hazards.
| Abbreviations | Domestic Earthquakes | Foreign Earthquakes |
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