Texture-Informed Approach for Hurricane Loss Estimation: How Discounting Neighborhood Texture Leads to Undervaluing Wind Mitigation
Publication: Natural Hazards Review
Volume 23, Issue 4
Abstract
Motivating investment in predisaster mitigation requires accurate estimates of natural hazard risks. The present tools for loss estimation overlook building-level variations in wind loading induced by the configuration of surrounding buildings, called neighborhood texture. In doing so, such tools underestimate expected wind-related losses and undervalue wind mitigation. In this paper, texture effects are incorporated into a widely recognized loss estimation framework and applied to a case study of the residential building stock in Florida, with a focus on five densely populated counties representing a range of hazard exposures. For this study, each building is individually assessed for its prevailing local texture, and its occupancy and building characteristics are probabilistically assigned based on current census data. Mitigation measures considered include shutters, straps, and tie downs. Even accounting for more than a third of homes already having these mitigation measures, the model results suggest that implementing them would yield annualized benefits of $4.3 billion statewide ranging from $136 per household in Duval County to $1,950 per household in Miami-Dade County (respectively 100% and 90% higher than conventional estimates).
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository or online in accordance with funder data retention policies. Our study of all hurricane-prone states can be found at https://cshub.mit.edu/city-texture-dashboard. Our code (with sample input) can be found at https://github.com/cshubmit/texture_loss_estimation. HAZUS software and associated data files can be found at https://msc.fema.gov/portal/resources/hazus. GIS files for building footprints can be found at https://github.com/microsoft/usbuildingfootprints. US Census Bureau’s cartographic boundary files and ACS data tables can be found at https://www.census.gov.
Acknowledgments
Research was carried out by the Concrete Sustainability Hub at MIT with funding provided by the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research and Education Foundation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Natural Hazards Review
Volume 23 • Issue 4 • November 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 9, 2021
Accepted: Mar 29, 2022
Published online: Jul 1, 2022
Published in print: Nov 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Dec 1, 2022
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Buildings
- Business management
- Case studies
- Continuum mechanics
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Dynamic loads
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones
- Infrastructure
- Methodology (by type)
- Mitigation and remediation
- Motivation
- Natural disasters
- Personnel management
- Practice and Profession
- Research methods (by type)
- Residential location
- Solid mechanics
- Structural dynamics
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Urban and regional development
- Urban areas
- Wind engineering
- Wind loads
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