Biennial Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2003 and 2004
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The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2003 and 2004 January 2005 Cover: National Seismic Hazard 2003 .2 seconds map (USGS) Contents 1 Executive Summary 4 I. Introduction 4 The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program 5 The NEHRP Agencies 6 The NEHRP Partners 6 Scope of This Report 7 II. Achieving the Goals of the NEHRP 7 NEHRP Accomplishments: Goal A 8 The NEHRP Agencies 12 Regional Consortia 15 Selected State,Territorial, and Local Accomplishments 22 Other Organizations 26 NEHRP Accomplishments: Goal B 26 The NEHRP Agencies 30 Selected State,Territorial, and Local Accomplishments i 30 Other Organizations 33 NEHRP Accomplishments: Goal C 33 The NEHRP Agencies 36 Regional Consortia 37 Selected State,Territorial, and Local Accomplishments 41 Other Organizations 42 NEHRP Accomplishments: Goal D 42 The NEHRP Agencies 48 Selected State,Territorial, and Local Accomplishments 49 Other Organizations 53 III. Seismic Safety of Federal Buildings: A Progress Report on Federal Agencies’ Implementation of Executive Orders 12699 and 12941 66 IV.Future Directions 69 Appendices 69 Appendix 1: List of Acronyms 72 Appendix 2: Executive Orders 72 Executive Order 12699 74 Executive Order 12941 Nevada State Mapping Advisory Committee (NBMG) utilized HAZUS to produced an earthquake scenario for the Death Valley Region and worked with FEMA HAZUS to update the Nevada portion of the earthquake fault database that is part of HAZUS. 1 Executive Summary In 1977, Congress passed the Earthquake Hazards Reduction the Congress within 90 days after the end of Act (Public Law 95-124), establishing the National each even-numbered fiscal year, which shall Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), a long- describe the activities and achievements of the term, national program to reduce the risks to life and Program during the preceding two fiscal years.”1 property in the United States from earthquakes.The NEHRP agencies, which are described below, work separately and in This report describes the progress of the NEHRP agencies and cooperation with each other and other federal and state their partners in Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 and 2004 in mitigating agencies, the private sector, universities, and regional, earthquake losses through basic and directed research and voluntary, and professional organizations to improve the implementation activities in the fields of earthquake science Nation’s understanding of earthquake hazards, prepare for and engineering.The progress described in this report is earthquakes, and develop knowledge on best practices to organized according to the four goals of the Strategic Plan for the reduce earthquake damage. NEHRP for 2001-2005, Expanding and Using Knowledge To Reduce Earthquake Losses (Strategic Plan).The four goals represent the The Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 requires that continuum of activities undertaken by the NEHRP agencies, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranging from research and development to application and (FEMA) shall: implementation.The activities form a complementary program that has the ultimate aim of reducing earthquake “prepare, in conjunction with other Program losses across the Nation. agencies, a biennial report, to be submitted to The foundation of the NEHRP is research, which underpins 1 Beginning in FY 2005, NIST, which has become the lead agency for the nearly all of activities of the NEHRP agencies and partners. NEHRP,will be responsible for submitting an annual report to the The basic research supported and conducted by the National Congress on NEHRP activities, as required by the Earthquake Hazards Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Geological Survey Reduction Authorization Act of 2004, Public Law 108-360, enacted on (USGS) extends across a number of earthquake-related October 25, 2004. disciplines, including earthquake engineering, seismology, access, free of charge, to specialized databases and GIS-based geology, and the social sciences.The knowledge gained by analytic tools. HAZUS-MH (HAZUS Multihazard) for basic research is used by the National Institute of Standards earthquakes streamlines modeling by merging up-to-date and Technology (NIST) to help industry adopt and use natural hazards engineering and science with a powerful innovative technologies through problem-focused research geographic information system. Users can estimate damage and development. FEMA synthesizes NIST and USGS applied and other earthquake effects and then map, display, and research results into useable loss-reduction tools and manage the results. With the completion of HAZUS-MH in methods, and uses research results to guide policy and February 2004, FEMA has improved seismic hazard practice into seismic risk reduction. identification and risk assessment methods with the implementation of the fifth version of its nationally applicable During this reporting period, the NEHRP celebrated its 25th earthquake hazard model. anniversary. Some of the achievements of the NEHRP over the last 25 years, such as the survival of the Trans-Alaska oil During this reporting period, the NIST continued to conduct pipeline during the 2002 Denali earthquake, are based on problem-focused research and development designed to earth science and earthquake engineering research. Mitigation improve building codes, standards, and practices. In 2003, and outreach efforts have resulted in safer homes, schools, NIST, in cooperation with the Applied Technology Council and businesses in communities such as Los Angeles and (ATC), completed and published an action plan,The Missing Seattle. All of the accomplishments share common features: Piece: Improving Seismic Design and Construction Practices (ATC-57).The science and engineering drive the effort, partnerships are action plan identifies industry priorities in two areas: (1) established to achieve results, and the public benefits from the support of the seismic code development process through synergy.Two notable domestic earthquakes that occurred technical assistance and development of the technical basis for during this reporting period illustrate the benefits of the performance standards; and (2) improved seismic design NEHRP in reducing earthquake losses. productivity through the development of tools for the evaluation of advanced technologies and practices. NIST is The magnitude 7.9 Denali earthquake rocked Alaska on now looking forward to working with the stakeholder 2 November 3, 2002.This was one of the largest recorded community to explore ways to best meet those needs via a earthquakes in our Nation’s history, causing countless public-private partnership. NIST also expects that this effort landslides and road closures, but minimal structural damage will build on NSF-funded basic research, including research and amazingly few injuries and no deaths. Although the conducted as part of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for remote location of the earthquake helped ensure that it was Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). not more devastating, advanced seismic monitoring from the USGS and NEHRP partners, long-term research, and a The George E. Brown, Jr. NEES project was initiated by NSF commitment to earthquake preparedness and mitigation and the earthquake engineering community in response to a played key roles. congressional mandate (NEHRP Reauthorization Act of 1994) to take stock of the Nation’s experimental and testing The magnitude 6.5 San Simeon earthquake occurred on capabilities in earthquake engineering. NEES will operate from December 22, 2003, with an epicenter near the Pacific coast October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2014, and will be in central California. While it did not rupture the surface, the managed by the nonprofit NEES Consortium, Inc., which will earthquake triggered landslides and caused strong shaking. allocate research time at equipment sites; lead training, The worst damage occurred in Paso Robles, 24 miles education, and outreach activities; and establish ties with U.S. southeast of the epicenter, where numerous older buildings and international partners.The NEES will upgrade, modernize, were damaged and one building collapsed, killing two people. expand, and network major facilities, including: Significant liquefaction also damaged housing and buried utilities in Oceano, nearly 50 miles away. In response to the • Shake tables used for earthquake simulations San Simeon earthquake, the USGS produced a ShakeMap within 9 minutes of the event.The ShakeMap served as the • Geotechnical centrifuges for testing soils and foundations basis for loss estimation by the California Office of Emergency under earthquake loading Services using HAZUS, or Hazards U.S., within 1 hour. • Tsunami wave basin for earthquake simulations One of the most successful risk assessment tools is HAZUS, a cutting edge software program developed by FEMA with the • Large-scale experimentation systems, e.g., reaction wall National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). In the 7 years and modular simulation equipment since FEMA published the prototype earthquake edition HAZUS97, HAZUS has helped communities across the United • Field monitoring and testing facilities States identify and plan for earthquakes by giving them NEES will lead to a new era of collaboration in earthquake From these accomplishments and others described in this engineering research.Teams of experts in the United States report, it is apparent that the NEHRP agencies and their and around the world will have the unprecedented partners have