A crucial step of disaster preparedness is being able to determine the economic and social losses that can be expected after a natural disaster has occurred. Determining what assets will be eliminated or damaged can help communities prepare a step by step recovery plan or mitigate damage upfront. Communities that actively practice proactive disaster planning specifically for hurricanes will be able to recover quicker and more effectively than those communities that do not plan in depth for disasters. Data from FEMA’s HAZUS database was in the hurricane model to identify the estimated economic, and social losses for Mobile County, Alabama. The HAZUS Hurricane Model was used to identify what portions of Mobile County such as general buildings, essential facilities, or trees are a potential subject to damage from the wind or storm surge in a hurricane. By understanding the expected losses from hurricanes the communities in Mobile County can start planning for the next hurricane. My findings will show how Mobile County will be affected by a category 4 hurricane (Hurricane Fredric) based on the HAZUS Hurricane model. The lack of disaster planning for hurricanes by the communities in Mobile County will continue to affect the disaster recovery process for years to come. This paper examines how a category 4 hurricane (Hurricane Fredric, 1979) would affect Mobile County using the HAZUS hurricane model output in order to make recommendations that will help the communities better plan for the next hurricane.
To click on Presentation to view the powerpoint or Paper to view my report.
To click on Presentation to view the powerpoint or Paper to view my report.