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Interagency Coordination in Hurricane Wind and Storm Surge

Hazard Reduction

John GaynorNOAA, Office of Weather and Air Quality

Interdepartmental Hurricane ConferenceMarch 7, 2007

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Outline(Agency Drivers for Wind and Storm Surge

Structural Hazard Research and Application)

• Windstorm Impact Reduction Act• US-Japan bilateral Panel on Wind and

Seismic Effects• NSB Hurricane Report• NIST-NOAA Disaster Resilient

Communities Partnership• Should we coordinate efforts?

3Available at www.sdr.govAvailable at www.sdr.gov

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Objective of the Program:

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NIST* NSF* NOAA* (Designated Chair)FEMA* (DHS) FHWAHUD

* Specified in legislation

Windstorm Impact Reduction Interagency Working Group

Convened: January, 2005

Meets and reports A/L quarterly to SDR

Chair of the working group will rotate between NIST, NSF, NOAA and FEMA with each Agency serving a two-year term as chair.

Annual progress report

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INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP PROCESS:• Inventory and assess existing wind hazard research, mitigation, and preparedness

• Define overall needs for wind hazard research, mitigation, and preparedness

• Identify gaps in wind hazard research, mitigation, and preparedness

• Make recommendations based on prioritized needs

• Agencies address priorities in planning and budget processes

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Areas of Focus of the WindHRP Plan

1. Understanding, predicting, and forecasting

Enhancing knowledge, information and data on severe windsImproving prediction of hazardous wind eventsUnderstanding and quantifying wind loadingUnderstanding the perception of wind hazard riskMapping wind hazards

2. Assessing impacts

Investigating wind resistance of buildings, structures and critical infrastructureDeveloping improved tools for component- and structure-level simulation and

numerical modeling of wind effectsDeveloping improved tools for loss assessment of wind hazardsAssessing social costs

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Areas of Focus of the WindHRP Plan (Continued)

3. Reducing impacts

Assessing and communicating riskDeveloping prototype structural requirementsDemonstration, education, training and outreach on improved codes and

building guidelinesGuidance on retrofittingInnovative technologiesLand use measures and cost effective construction practices

4. Preparedness and Enhancing Community Resilience

Developing tools for community preparedness to wind hazardsK-12 and college education needsGeneral public awareness and outreachEvacuation planningEnhancing disaster-resistance of building codes and standardsBuilding public and private partnershipsConducting emergency response exercises

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Priority Research Issues• Assessing individual and community capability to respond to wind events, including vulnerability analyses, risk perception, risk communication, risk management, communication of wind warnings and public response, evacuation capability, and public knowledge of appropriate protective actions for wind events, especially among vulnerable populations• Evaluating the response of the built environment and critical infrastructure to wind events by investigating aerodynamic response, load path, ultimate capacity and the performance of the building envelope • Assessing the impact of wind and windborne debris or wind and water/ice/snow • Examining the interaction between wind and storm surge to determine the Examining the interaction between wind and storm surge to determine the impact on building foundations and critical infrastructureimpact on building foundations and critical infrastructure• Exploring the near-ground and channeling/shielding effects of winds on buildings through testing and instrumentation• Developing new technologies and ground, airborne and satellite based observing systems to improve knowledge and understanding of windstorms and the wind variability within those storms• Measuring the response of bridges and other highway structures to wind events, including stability, serviceability and functionality leading up to and through extreme events• Developing and implementing technologies for rapid repair and restoration of critical infrastructure and critical services

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Summary of ProgressDespite the lack of appropriations for this program, agencies have been:

• Enhancing knowledge, information and data on severe winds• Investigating wind resistance of buildings and structures (in particular, bridge structures) • Developing improved tools for loss assessment of wind hazards• Increasing general public awareness and outreach in very narrow areas• Evacuation planning assistance and guidance

During the past year, there has been little or no progress in:

• Understanding the perception of wind hazard risk• Mapping wind hazards• Assessing and communicating risk• Developing prototype structural requirements• Guidance on retrofitting• Innovative technologies• Land use measures and cost effective construction practices• Building public and private partnerships• Conducting emergency response exercises

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Gaps and Remaining Issues

• Of the 8 highest priority research issues in the Implementation Plan, only one is being adequately addressed:– “measuring the response of bridges and other

highway structures to wind events, including stability, serviceability and functionality leading up to and through extreme events”

• Delivery of research results to users is not effective.

• Interagency coordination is also lacking.

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US-Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects

(Established nearly 40 years ago.)

• Task Committee on Wind Engineering• Bilateral meeting in July 2006 resulting in the following tasks:

– Application of computational fluid dynamics (CDF) to complex structures and urban areas

– Comparing full-scale and model scale CFD– Downscaling wind observations for use in CDF and understanding wind

structure around complex structures and complex built environment– Higher resolution data sets for windstorms– Develop methodology for predicting structural damage from landfalling Develop methodology for predicting structural damage from landfalling

tropical cyclonestropical cyclones– Improved windstorm climatologies– Convene workshop between meteorologists and wind structural Convene workshop between meteorologists and wind structural

engineers to communicate needs of engineers for wind data and reveal engineers to communicate needs of engineers for wind data and reveal what is available now and in the future for wind observationswhat is available now and in the future for wind observations

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NSB Report: Hurricane Warning – The Critical Need for a National Hurricane Research

Initiative• “High Priority: Predicting storm surge, rainfall, and inland flooding from

hurricanes and tropical storms… The impacts of flooding on community water The impacts of flooding on community water supplies, ecosystems and the built infrastructure must be better understood supplies, ecosystems and the built infrastructure must be better understood promote and enforce more effective building practicespromote and enforce more effective building practices.”

• “High Priority: Interaction of hurricanes with engineered structures…Interaction of hurricanes with engineered structures…engineered structures are vulnerable to damage from wind, precipitation and engineered structures are vulnerable to damage from wind, precipitation and storm surge though the combined impacts are not well understood.storm surge though the combined impacts are not well understood. Research therefore is needed to better understand fluid-structure interactions at fine spatial scales, with the coupling of atmospheric and land-surface/built infrastructure models essential for guiding the creation of improved building designs and construction codes in particularly vulnerable locations.”

• High Priority: Assessing and improving the resilience of the built environment. A requirement exists for a national engineering assessment of coastal infrastructure – including levees, seawalls, drainage systems, bridges, water/sewage, power, and communications – to ascertain their level of vulnerability to hurricanes. Studies are needed to identify and prioritize the most cost-effective improvements and develop a national loss reduction strategy that addresses inevitable degradation of built infrastructure. Careful attention also Careful attention also should be paid in infrastructure research to existing building codes and the should be paid in infrastructure research to existing building codes and the extent to which recent damage has been a result of non-complianceextent to which recent damage has been a result of non-compliance.

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NIST-NOAA Disaster Resilient Communities Partnership

• Improve risk-based storm surge and shallow water wave maps for the design of structures (Storm surge work is on-going.)

• Develop Saffir-Simpson-type scale to predict structural damage potential (work emerging)

• Use CDF to develop wind load databases

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Shouldn’t these interagency/international Shouldn’t these interagency/international efforts be coordinated?efforts be coordinated?

• To avoid duplication and to leverage resources

• Been attempting to link WindHRP, US-Japan, and NIST-NOAA efforts

• OSTP position is that the NSB plan be placed under WindHRP to avoid duplication.

• Is there a role for OFCM?Any ideas? John.gaynor@noaa.govAny ideas? John.gaynor@noaa.gov