SCEC INSTANeT News
	Southern California HAZUS User Group Being Organized

By Mark Benthien SCEC and the Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA) are in the process of organizing the Southern California HAZUS User Group (SoCalHUG).  The SoCalHUG will be modeled on FEMA's success in establishing the San Francisco Bay Area HAZUS User Group (BAHUG). Public and private risk managers, GIS professionals and earthquake experts throughout southern California are encouraged to participate (see box below). The FEMA Hazards U.S. (HAZUS) loss estimation methodology is a software program developed in cooperation with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) that uses mathematical formulas and information about building stock, geology, economic data, and other information to estimate losses from potential earthquakes. HAZUS uses a geographic information system (GIS) to map and display ground shaking, the pattern of building damage, and demographic information about a specified area. Once the characteristics of a hypothetical or actual earthquake are entered, HAZUS will estimate the intensity of ground shaking, the number of buildings damaged, the number of casualties, the amount of damage to transportation systems, disruption to electrical and water utilities, the number of people displaced from their homes, and the estimated cost of repairing projected damage and other effects. HAZUS was used by FEMA in its study of future U.S. losses from earthquakes released this Fall, which estimat ed an average annual loss of $4.4 billion nationwide, with California alone accounting for $3.3 billion. For more information about this study, read FEMA's press release or the SCEC's response featured in the SCEC INSTANeT News. The objectives of the SoCalHUG are to: CREATE a comprehensive regional earthquake risk assessment. NETWORK  risk managers, GIS professionals and earthquake experts. TRAIN GIS professionals in HAZUS earthquake loss estimation software. IMPROVE earthquake modeling capabilities and databases DEVELOP and exercise emergency management protocol. DEMONSTRATE the process by which other regions can develop HAZUS application projects. The ultimate goal is to reduce the loss of life and property damage after the next major Southern California earthquake. The first general SoCalHUG meeting is being planned for March or April of 2001. To be added to the database and e-mail list of people interested in participating, send your name, title, organization, phone, fax, e-mail, and mailing address to jcaplan@mediaone.net. See www.hazus.org for more information about BAHUG, SoCalHUG and other Groups being formed. To order HAZUS software and supporting documentation (free), go to FEMA's HAZUS ordering information web page.

Phone 213/740-5843 Fax     213/740-0011 e-mail: SCECinfo@usc.edu