Citation

ASCE ASME J. Risk Uncertain. Eng. Syst. A Civ. Eng. 2017; 3(3): e04016016.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Society of Civil Engineers)

DOI

10.1061/AJRUA6.0000897

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

As natural hazard losses continue to increase, more effective and efficient mitigation techniques need to be implemented to diminish or possibly reverse this trend. A tool that hazard mitigation planners can use is hazard mapping. Although maps for single hazards are common, maps that simultaneously consider different hazards are not as extensively developed. In this paper multihazard maps of the United States are created by mapping multiple hazards together. Using the spatial hazard events and losses database for the United States (SHELDUS) from the Hazard and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina, losses at the county level were gathered and analyzed. In addition to adjusting for inflation, population and wealth changes were also considered. Using the modified hazards loss data, maps based on categories of natural hazards have been determined. Additionally, a map of regions based on similar natural hazards was created. It is widely accepted that visual aids are effective communication tools, and the multihazard maps created here will assist regional mitigation planners in implementing more effective measures to confront natural hazards as well as to better communicate hazard risk to the public.

Language: en