Repeat Disaster Impacts

Infrastructure Impacts on Recovery

Repeat Disaster Impacts to Infrastructure Networks and their Effects on Economic Agent Recovery

Principal Investigator: Scott Miles
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation, Civil Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation
Amount: $250,000 over four years

What will the study do?

There is plenty of research and data on damage and loss of critical infrastructures, but little exists on long term recovery, restoration, and the relationship these have with local economies. This project will develop models of infrastructure and economic interdependency and recovery from natural hazard disruptions using data collected over four years from Western Washington. This region is an excellent location for the study because it experiences repeated moderate and severe winter flooding, often disrupting highways, electricity and other public services that communities rely on.

Infrastructure damage and reduced service from repetitive hazard events significantly impact business and household economic performance negatively.  This project will collect physical and econmic data on infrastructure damage, service loss, and restoration from high frequency moderate and large-scale flood events. The project will utilize the computer model ResilUS-developed by the principal investigator-to assess linkages between infrastructure damage, economic loss, and community recovery. Both the database framework developed from the study and ResilUS will be designed to be transferable to other regions in the United States.

The project goals are:

  1. Develop a database framework for measuring, assessing, and monitoring impacts on the economy from infrastructure
  2. Establish a unique--and possibly the first--multi-service, geographic and longitudinal representation on the impacts of damage to infrastructure, and the resulting influence on community economic vitality
  3. Utilize a computer modeling approach for visualizing large amounts of geographic data on infrastructure service loss and recovery
  4. Apply the model in two Western Washington communities with the goal of validating the model as a tool for promoting disaster resilience by monitoring infrastructure restoration, economic recovery, and important policy decisions

Who’s leading the project?

Dr. Scott B. Miles is the principal investigator; Rebekah Green is the grant coordinator. Undergraduate and graduate students will assist in the research process through paid internships and volunteer data gathering.

Where and when will the study take place?

The study area will be in Western Washington, where high-frequency and moderate-impact flooding occurs regularly. Between 1954 and 2007, Washington State had 41 federally declared disasters, 90 percent of which were moderately damaging severe storms, flooding and high winds in the western half of the state. Two likely locations for the model assessment and validation include Lewis and Skagit counties, but are dependent upon data availability and stakeholder interest. The project is funded starting October 1, 2009. It will extend over a four-year period.