Program and Proceedings

A summary of the 2024 EERI Annual Meeting program, with links to presentations, when available, is included on this page.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

USGS National Seismic Hazard Model Workshop

9:00 AM–12:30 PM PDT

Description

EERI is happy to partner with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to host the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model Workshop during the 2024AM.

Purpose: To (i) summarize, for an earthquake engineering audience, the updates within the 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) and their initial dissemination to building codes and other users via the web, and (ii) solicit feedback and user needs, particularly for future NSHMs. 

Agenda:

  • Welcome – B. Mason
  • Overview of 2023 USGS National Seismic Hazard Model
    • Introduction, including Hawaii and Alaska – M. Petersen
    • Earthquake Rupture Forecast for Lower 48 – N. Field
    • Ground Motion Characterization for Lower 48 – M. Moschetti
  • Delivery of NSHMs
    • 2026 NEHRP Provisions – A. Makdisi
    • Earthquake Hazard Toolbox & nshmp-haz – P. Powers
    • OpenSHA – N. Field
    • Discussion of user needs – All
  • Future NSHMs
    • 2025, 2026, and 2029 updates – N. Luco
    • User engagement – B. Mason

Reconnaissance Training Workshop

9:00 AM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

The Reconnaissance Training Workshop on Tuesday, April 9 will provide instruction in post-earthquake reconnaissance tools and techniques, such as documenting perishable data on geological, geotechnical, structural, and lifelines impacts; utilizing instruments, survey tools, and mobile-based software apps in the field; understanding resources for sharing, publishing, and archiving reconnaissance data; and dealing with the methodological and ethical dimensions of rapid-response research in post-disaster contexts. The workshop will feature presentations from key organizations in the reconnaissance community as well as a presentation from the Washington Geological Survey introducing the multi-hazard Washington Geologic Hazards Clearinghouse, a new framework for coordinating reconnaissance following earthquake, tsunami, landslide, and volcano events impacting Washington State.

Registration is required to attend this workshop.

9:05-9:10 AM: Welcome and Overview

 9:10-10:00 AM: Roundtable: Introduction to the Disaster Reconnaissance Community

10:00-10:30 AM: Introduction to the Washington Geologic Hazards Clearinghouse Plan

10:30-10:45 AM: Break

10:45-12:00 AM: Field Readiness: Ethical and Practical Concerns

12:00 PM-1:00 PM: Lunch

1:00-1:30: Tools for Friday’s Field Exercise

1:30-3:30 PM: How to Conduct Reconnaissance: Case Studies and Techniques

 Session Organizers

  • Elizabeth Angell, EERI

Reconnaissance, Response, and Recovery: Lessons Learned from the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence

4:00 PM–5:30 PM PDT 

Description

This plenary session opens the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes Anniversary Program Track at 2024AM, organized in partnership with the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. The M7.8 and M7.7 earthquakes that struck southern Turkey on February 6, 2023 affected a wide region of southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing nearly 60,000 people and damaging or destroying hundreds of thousands of buildings in more than 10 major cities. In this plenary, speakers from Turkey and the United States will present a multidisciplinary overview of the response to these earthquakes, the ongoing recovery process, and the lessons learned for earthquake risk and resilience in the region and beyond. Speakers will address topics including the coordination of the international earthquake reconnaissance response, the structural engineering impacts and what they mean for building codes and retrofit standards, and the social and economic impacts of the earthquakes as they relate to business resilience and gender, and the temporary rehousing and long-term rebuilding process.

Session Organizers

  • Elizabeth Angell, EERI

Session Speakers

Opening Plenary: Advancing Seismic Resilience in the US Pacific Northwest and Beyond

8:30 AM–10:00 AM PDT 

Description

The Pacific Northwest is susceptible to numerous seismic hazards and their cascading downstream impacts to the built and living environments. Although earthquake risk mitigation has been ongoing in the region for decades, efforts to advance earthquake science, engineering, and policy have gained new momentum in recent years. The Opening Plenary session will feature keynotes by local and national leaders in the effort to build seismic resilience in Washington State and beyond. Speakers will discuss the significant advancements the region has made in areas such as conducting seismic retrofits and developing URM risk reduction strategies, and highlight the next steps for future action. The session will close with a welcome from the EERI President and Organizing Committee Chairs with an introduction to the week ahead. 

Session Organizers

  • Erik Bishop, Reid Middleton, Inc. 
  • Amanda Hertzfeld, City of Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections
  • Brett Maurer, University of Washington

Session Speakers

1A: Shake, Rattle, and Roll: Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation Best Practices

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

Experts from the Washington Emergency Management Division and partners will present ongoing mitigation efforts for earthquake and tsunami hazards in Washington State with key takeaways and lessons learned for attendees to apply in their own jurisdictions. Topics covered will include surveying and cataloging of unreinforced masonry buildings; school seismic safety; tsunami evacuation wayfinding and the building of vertical evacuation structures; tsunami maritime mitigation for ports, harbors, and marinas; and other best practices as they relate to earthquake and tsunami mitigation in Washington State. This practitioner-focused special session is open to others interested in presenting on or discussing topics related to best practices in earthquake and tsunami hazard mitigation.

Session Organizers

  • Maximilian Dixon, Washington Emergency Management Division
  • Elyssa Tappero, Washington Emergency Management Division

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Kamal Ahmed, University of Washington

1B: Collective Impact's role in uniting earthquake science and engineering for more resilient futures

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

The Collective Impact (CI) model develops a network of community members, organizations, and institutions through the development of a common agenda, centralized support, continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities, and shared measurement. In this special session, we will hear from a panel of interdisciplinary researchers about their experiences in conducting earthquake science and engineering research relevant to developing and understanding the implications of a Collective Impact framework. The panel will discuss opportunities and challenges for Collective Impact's role in uniting earthquake science and engineering for more resilient futures. The panel brings perspectives and experiences from seismology, civil engineering, anthropology, and geography to the framework of Collective Impact. The discussion will feature work informed by interdisciplinary earthquake science and engineering projects, including designing human-centered earthquake information products, crowd-sourcing approaches to improving building inventory, and establishing a Collective Impact focused earthquake center. We will also hear about the role of equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice in conducting Collective Impact research that can increase future resilience to earthquakes and associated hazards.

Session Organizers

  • Yolanda C Lin, University of New Mexico
  • Jeffrey Weidner, University of Texas at El Paso

Session Moderators

  • Monica Alvillar, University of Texas at El Paso

Speakers

  • Divya Chandrasekhar, University of Utah – Panelist
  • Yolanda C Lin, University of New Mexico – Panelist
  • Aaron Velasco, University of Texas at El Paso – Panelist
  • Jeffrey Weidner, University of Texas at El Paso – Panelist
  • Marísa Macías, U.S. Geological Survey – Panelist

Technical Session Organizers

  • Cristina Lorenzo-Velázquez, North Carolina State University

Session 1B Presentation Slides

1C: Seismically Resilient Tall Wood Building Systems

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

As a new construction type recognized in the most recent International Building Code, tall wood buildings are attracting intense interest from architects, engineers, and investors around the world. Combined with innovative low-damage lateral system and non-structural components, tall wood buildings are promising resilient solutions for regions with high seismicity. In order to provide such solutions, a series of full-scale buildings were designed, analyzed and tested recently on the six-degree of freedom NHERI Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table (LHPOST6) at the University of California, San Diego. The tests included a 10-story mass timber building and a 6-story mass timber building realized by removing the top four stories of the 10-story structure. These test buildings included a variety of resilient lateral systems including (1) post-tensioned mass timber rocking walls, (2) post-tensioned lateral system with buckling-restrained boundary elements, and (3) innovative steel braced-frames. The buildings were designed using code-alternative performance-based designed procedures for a site in Seattle, WA. The test buildings also included non-structural walls and façade, resilient modular stair systems, and fire sprinklers. With the newly upgraded LHPOST6, the building systems were subjected to over 200 ground motions of varying intensity up to the Maximum Considered Earthquake shaking for the design location, including with 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D motions, and using crustal and subduction zone earthquake recordings. The design, modeling, testing, and initial results from these tests will be introduced in this session.

Session Organizers

  • Shiling Pei, Colorado School of Mines
  • Andre Barbosa, Oregon State University

 Speakers

 Technical Session Organizers

  • Selamawit Dege Dires, University of British Columbia

1D: Geological and Geotechnical Engineering Findings from the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

This session continues the special 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes Anniversary Program Track organized in partnership with NEHRP. The session will focus on earth science and geotechnical engineering findings from studies of the February 6, 2023 7.8 and M7.5 earthquakes in Turkey. Presentations will discuss ground motions, surface fault rupture mapping, geotechnical impacts, and seismic settlement and its impacts on buildings.

Session Organizers

  • Elizabeth Angell, EERI

Session Moderators

  • Menzer Pehlivan, MPERA

Speakers 

2A: An Adaptation Strategy for Tsunami Hazards in a Changing Climate

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

Tsunamis are one of the most significant hazards facing coastal communities across the West Coast of the U.S.  Whether from near-shore events, like the Cascadia subduction zone, or from “far-field”  earthquakes in Alaska, Japan, or Chile.  Compounding the problem of inundation from these dangerous waves is that land-level change (subsidence) in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes can be of the order of meters, and rising sea-levels make the likelihood of dangerous and damaging inundation higher with every passing year.  With these risks, it is imperative that an open dialogue about potential adaptation strategies be facilitated with the ultimate goal of developing a comprehensive tsunami resilience plan that fully accounts for the complications introduced by Sea Level Rise (SLR) and Land Level Change (LLC).  Some of the questions that will be considered in this session are:

  • How are coastal communities being affected by the impacts of LLC, SLR, and tsunamis?
  • How do the various groups view the risks of these hazards and what are the constraints to advancing resilience?
  • What strategies are included as part of planning, preparedness, and adaptation to anticipate or help reduce the impacts of these hazards or to build resilience?
  • What strategies do the communities consider critical to have in place to reduce the impacts of these hazards including how have they coped in the past to them
  • What are other critical challenges to businesses?

The session will include brief presentations by invited speakers and a panel discussion.

Session Organizers

  • Ronald T. Eguchi, ImageCat, Inc.
  • Diego Melgar, University of Oregon & the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT)

Session Moderators

  • Ronald T. Eguchi, ImageCat, Inc.
  • Diego Melgar, University of Oregon & the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT)

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Prajakta Jadhav, University of British Columbia

2B: All fired up! The intersection of fire and earthquakes

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

Fire and earthquakes have been linked for decades in the discussion of post-earthquake fires. While this research continues to progress, new discussions within the western US are arising. These discussions surround holistic mitigation for earthquakes and wildfires. Many of the high seismic regions throughout the western US (California, Oregon, and Washington) are also vulnerable to wildfires. More recent post-earthquake fire research examines city-wide risk and vulnerability. Cascading fires following an earthquake can precipitate a full evacuation of an inordinate number of individuals with unfortunate casualties. This research will provide a decision-making tool to emergency responders and rescue teams to reconsider their response times, allocate proper firefighting capabilities and improve transportation abilities for fire suppression, as well as utility access. The results of this research can be highly applicable to the scenario planning exercises in many of the major western US cities, such as Seattle and Portland.

In addition to this cascading disaster, wildfires are ravaging the western US, most of which has high seismicity. Many of these places are not wildland urban intermix communities, but rather suburban or urban communities bordering wildland areas such as Santa Rosa or Oakland Hills. Therefore, when these communities are ignited, the fire spread through the community is an urban conflagration. Recent research on wildfires has opened up a discussion about how mitigation for earthquakes can benefit wildfires and/or how mitigation for earthquakes can have unintended consequences that increase vulnerabilities to wildfires. This group of international researchers and practitioners will present on a combination of topics at the intersection of fire and earthquakes, which will bring a unique topic to the EERI Annual Meeting that is not normally highlighted and can prompt discussions about more holistic and comprehensive hazard mitigation.

Session Organizers

  • Erica Fischer, Oregon State University

Session Moderators

  • Renmin Pretell, University of Nevada, Reno

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Renmin Pretell, University of Nevada, Reno

2C: What are We Doing About Building Collapse?

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

Among important structural performance objectives, collapse prevention is most closely tied to loss of life and catastrophic property damage. This session seeks to provide a thumbnail answer to the title question, with reference to recently completed FEMA projects.

Consideration of Collapse in ASCE/SEI 7-22

This is an overview presentation on the current state of design practice with respect to collapse, as standardized in ASCE/SEI 7-22.

 Improving Performance of Buildings in Very High-Seismic Regions

This project investigated the increased risk of collapse of new buildings in regions of very high seismicity and developed recommendations for improving seismic codes to mitigate this risk.

Numerical studies using nonlinear models of different seismic-force-resisting systems provide computed probabilities of collapse for archetypes of varying height, strength, and displacement capacity over a broad range of maximum considered earthquake ground motion levels.  The analytical results show greater-than-desired probabilities of collapse.  The FEMA P-2343 report provides recommendations for conceptual changes to ASCE/SEI 7 to address deficiencies.

Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Multi-Unit Wood-Frame Buildings with Weak First Stories

Older, multi-unit wood-frame buildings with brittle, weak, and torsionally irregular stories have collapsed in past earthquakes. Often designated as soft, weak, or open-front (SWOF) buildings, many were constructed in the 1950s through 1970s and can be found across the United States.

The FEMA P-807-1 report aims to advance the understanding of the behavior of SWOF buildings and encourage improved practice in the design of retrofits to address collapse potential.

Recommendations for Cordoning Earthquake-Damaged Buildings

Following a damaging earthquake event, it is common practice to place fencing, barricades, or cordons around damaged structures to provide safety against potential collapse or falling debris.

The FEMA P-2055-2 report presents recommendations for determining the cordon area for individual damaged buildings (considering collapse and debris shadow areas) and identifies considerations for managing the cordon area.

Session Organizers

  • Michael Valley, Applied Technology Council

Session Moderators

  • Michael Valley, Applied Technology Council

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Ahmad Hassan, Degenkolb Engineers

2D: Structural and Lifelines Engineering Findings from the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence and Lightning Poster Round

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

This session concludes the special 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes Anniversary Program Track organized in partnership with NEHRP. The session will focus on structural and lifelines infrastructure engineering findings from studies of the February 6, 2023 7.8 and M7.5 earthquakes. Presentations will discuss building codes and seismic retrofit standards, structural engineering impacts to reinforced concrete buildings, and post-earthquake lifelines reconnaissance. The session will conclude with a lightning round of poster presentations on topics including structural and geotechnical engineering, data collection and coordination, and response and recovery, representing a selection of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes-focused posters in the Wednesday evening poster session.

Session Organizers

  • Elizabeth Angell, EERI

Session Moderators

  • Ayse Hortacsu, Applied Technology Council

Speakers

2024 William B. Joyner Lecture - Helen Crowley: Why Seismic Hazard Modeling Has Become a Risky Business

4:00 PM–5:30 PM PDT 

Description

The Joyner Lecture honors the distinguished career of William B. Joyner at the U.S. Geological Survey and his abiding commitment to continuing communication and education at the interface between research findings of earthquake science and the practical realities of earthquake engineering.

One such interface that has been the source of much debate in recent years relates to the use of probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) models as the basis for seismic design and assessment. Since the publication of the landmark paper by Cornell in 1968, PSHA has become the standard approach for defining the seismic actions in design codes. Before then, following the Messina (Italy) earthquake in 1908, seismic zonation maps based on observed macroseismic intensity from past earthquakes were used to define where, and to what level, buildings should be designed to withstand the lateral forces from earthquakes. These zonation maps were often, and somewhat inevitably, updated after damaging earthquakes.

Despite the clear improvements that the use of a PSHA-based approach brought, criticism was frequently placed on the outputs of these models, such as when the ground motions from earthquakes were seen to exceed those underlying the design code, suggesting a widespread misunderstanding of the meaning of the latter. Since the 2000’s, there has been a move towards explicitly discussing the levels of risk that are being accepted by the code, together with the consequences expected under the design levels. This has led, in the United States, to the adoption of the so-called risk-targeted approach for defining the seismic actions, which aims at harmonizing the probability of collapse of buildings across the region of interest. This methodology has not yet been widely adopted by design regulations in other parts of the world, though in Italy, for instance, a significant effort has been made to evaluate the underlying spatial variation of risk to buildings designed to the latest standards. Whilst a more explicit recognition of the level of risk associated with seismic design codes has been an important step forward in Italy, the latest update to the PSHA model, developed in 2019 by the Italian Geological Survey (INGV), has continued to receive criticism and has even been rejected as the basis for an update of seismic actions in the design code. In this lecture, the argument will be made that the onus should now be on structural engineers to demonstrate the impact of these changes in terms of the levels of risk to the building stock, and how resilience has been, and can continue to be, built into the code to accommodate such changes resulting from advances in earthquake science.

Speakers

Oral History Committee Meeting (invitation only)

5:30 PM–6:30 PM PDT 

Description

This is a closed committee meeting. Attendance is by invitation only.

Wednesday Poster Session & Reception

5:30 PM–7:00 PM PDT 

Description

Join us at this evening poster session to browse posters presented by fellow attendees. A subset of this evening's posters are a part of the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence 1 Year Anniversary program track. Digital versions of the posters presented during this session are available here: https://2024am.eeri-events.org/program/poster-sessions. 

 

2024 EERI Distinguished Lecture - Michael Olsen: Geospatial Technology – Saving the World's Past, Present, and Future from Natural Hazards

8:30 AM–10:00 AM PDT

Description

The task of maintaining resilient infrastructure against the onslaught of natural hazards often feels elusive and unattainable. Recent advances in technology offer promising solutions and opportunities towards this goal; however, the effective adoption and utilization of those technologies operates at a much slower pace given the societal realities of budget limitations, workforce shortages, polarization of priorities, disillusionment from past failures, and resistance to change. In day to day operations, efforts by engineers, planners, and decision makers often are stymied due to a lack of accessible, trustworthy, and current information related to infrastructure conditions. These problems are exacerbated in emergency situations where infrastructure systems and people are pushed to extreme limits.

At the project scale, inadequate site investigations result in substantial delays and cost-overruns from unanticipated problems during construction as well as poor infrastructure performance due to ground failure during a seismic event. These challenges propagate to the network scale where entities managing lifelines are often forced to make decisions prioritizing mitigation efforts based on limited, simplistic, or outdated information, which significantly hampers response and recovery efforts during a disastrous situation. This presentation explores examples of how expanded and effective usage of geospatial technologies now can help us proactively “save” the world through detailed mapping of our critical lifeline infrastructure to improve 1) monitoring, modeling, and analysis efforts to more precisely identify vulnerable infrastructure, 2) planning for and understanding the potential impacts and damage extents associated with multiple hazards, 3) the conduct of post-disaster reconnaissance, damage assessments, and rebuilding efforts, and 4) digital preservation of infrastructure and other resources with significant cultural and historical importance that are unlikely to withstand major seismic forces lurking on the horizon. Ultimately, geospatial technology serves as the unifying glue to enable meaningful collaboration between science, engineering, and public policy necessary for a resilient society capable of effectively responding and adapting to natural hazards.

Speakers

3A: Funding Earthquake Retrofits- Exploring funding options and successes

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

Where does the funding come from to support building owners in investing in their seismic resilience? Seismic retrofits are expensive and due to their age, many of these buildings are serving populations with higher socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Requiring retrofits can contribute to community displacement, gentrification, or demolitions if not implemented with supportive resources. Join this panel discussion to learn about ideas, successes, and lessons learned when it comes to funding a scalable retrofit program.

Session Organizers

  • Amanda Hertzfeld, URM Program Manager, City of Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI)

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Selamawit Dires, University of British Columbia

3B: Climate change and seismic hazard

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

As various geologic and atmospheric hazards are amplified by a changing climate, interest in work at the intersection of climate change and seismic hazard has grown. This session will convene speakers who are working at the intersection of climate change and seismic hazards to discuss advancements in this field. Topics covered in this session include: climate change effects on sea level rise, and the design considerations for multi-hazard environments, including hurricanes and wildfires, and climate-induced complications in post-disaster recovery.  

This session will act as an avenue for in-depth conversations concerning the intricate interplay between seismic hazard dynamics and the subsequent increase in risks to the built environment. Our discussions will be enriched by a dual perspective, considering the technical complexities alongside the policy decisions. We anticipate thought-provoking discussions about the current strategies for assessing and proactively addressing seismic hazards. Through an interdisciplinary dialogue, we hope to help foster a deeper understanding of how climate change, seismic events, and other geologic and atmospheric hazards collectively impact the resilience and sustainability of civil infrastructure and communities.

Session Organizers

  • Polly Murray, University of Alaska Anchorage
  • Renmin Pretell, University of Nevada Reno

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Maria Jose Echeverria Landeta, University of Colorado Boulder

3C: 2026 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions: Progress Report and EERI Community Outreach

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

FEMA NEHRP Support to Translate Research Results into Code Resources and Best Practices for Building Seismic Design, 10 min.

2026 NEHRP Provisions Update Committee Progress Presentation, 25 min.

Under FEMA NEHRP support, the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), though its Provisions Update Committee (PUC) is currently developing the 11th Edition of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (NEHRP Provisions) for publication in 2026. The NEHRP Provisions have been serving as the starting point for the U.S. seismic standards and codes development for the past 40 years and the 2026 NEHRP Provisions are expected to be adopted by the ASCE 7-28, followed by the IBC 2030. The session proposes to inform EERI Annual Meeting attendees of progress updates on the NEHRP Provisions as well as provide an avenue for input.

2026 NEHRP Functional Recovery Task Committee (FRTC) Update Presentation, 25 min.

At the request of the 2018 NEHRP Reauthorization Act,  NIST and FEMA  convened a committee of experts and developed a FEMA/NIST Report (FEMA P-2090/NIST SP-1254) Recommended Options for Improving the Built Environment for Post-Earthquake Reoccupancy and Functional Recovery Time Report. In view of strong community wide interests to pursue functional recovery for building design, FEMA NEHRP requested that BSSC’s formation of the PUC include a commitment to establish a specific Functional Recovery Task Committee. The Functional Recovery Task Committee Chair will provide a progress update on the work to advance the concepts of increased community resilience and improved post-earthquake functional recovery within model building codes.

Facilitated Panel Discussion on Seismic Safety, functional recovery, and beyond, 30 min.

The NEHRP Provisions Leadership Team believes the discussion from the diverse audience of the EERI Annual Meeting will greatly improve the development of the NEHRP Provisions as well as increase collaboration between Seismic Design Communities.

Panel participants include John Hooper, Robert Pekelnicky, and Ryan Kersting.

Session Organizers

  • Sara Barrett, National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS)

Speakers

  • Sara Barrett, National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) – Introductions and FEMA NEHRP Support to Translate Research Results into Code Resources and Best Practices for Building Seismic Design
  • Mai (Mike) Tong, NEHRP Project Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – FEMA NEHRP Support to Translate Research Results into Code Resources and Best Practices for Building Seismic Design
  • John Hooper, PUC Chair, Magnusson Klemencic Associates – 2026 NEHRP Provisions Update Committee Progress Presentation
  • Robert Pekelnicky, PUC Vice Chair, Degenkolb Engineers – 2026 NEHRP Provisions Update Committee Progress Presentation
  • Ryan Kersting, FRTC Chair, Buehler Engineering – 2026 NEHRP Functional Recovery Task Committee (FRTC) Update Presentation
  • Kent Yu, BSSC Board Chair, SEFT Consulting Group – Panel Facilitator

Technical Session Organizers

  • Erin Sibley, Mott MacDonald

Session 3C Presentation Slides

3D: Preparing Critical Energy Infrastructure in Pacific Northwest for a Cascadia Earthquake Event

10:30 AM–12:00 PM PDT 

Description

Critical energy infrastructure (CEI) such as tank farms and distribution networks makes fuel and other petroleum products available to over 145,000 gas stations and 5,000 airports across the country. For economic and logistical reasons, these facilities are often located in coastal and riverine regions that are susceptible to co-seismic ground failure under earthquakes. Flammable and toxic content in these facilities poses significant cascading risk after initial damage and failure. One salient example is the CEI hub located in Portland, Oregon. The hub supplies 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuel. The CEI hub extends 9 km on the Willamette River on young alluvial soils and non-engineered fill soils. Most of the CEI hub was developed prior to the understanding of hazard from a Cascadia Subduction Zone event. There is significant concern that strong shaking and widespread liquefaction will have devastating impacts from damaged CEI facilities, fuel spills and combustion, and fuel shortages. This session will focus on major challenges related to the engineering analysis, risk assessment, and mitigation planning for the CEI hub and similar facilities. Specific topics will include: (1) an overview of the resilience challenges for such facilities; (2) past, present and future efforts by public agencies and government to improve resilience at the CEI hub; and (3) modeling and risk assessment of cascading events.

Session Organizers

  • Diane Moug, Portland State University
  • David Yang, Portland State University

Session Moderators

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Ozgun Alp Numanoglu, Schnabel Engineering

4A: UR-Missing Lateral Strength: Development of Seattle’s URM Retrofit Technical Standard

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

Unreinforced Masonry (URM) buildings are predictable collapse hazards in an earthquake due to their lack of structural reinforcements. Seattle has spent over a decade developing an inventory of its 1,100 URM buildings, establishing a minimum standard for retrofit compliance, and strategizing how to balance the public safety element of retrofits with historic preservation and affordable housing. Join Seattle's URM team as they discuss the technical and political considerations of the URM retrofit standard and the progress towards increasing Seattle’s seismic resilience.

Session Organizers

  • Amanda Hertzfeld, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections

Session Moderators

  • Amanda Hertzfeld, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections

Speakers

  • Nathalie Boeholt, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections – Panelist
  • Susan Chang, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections – Panelist
  • Kai Ki Mow, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections – Panelist
  • Kevin Solberg, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections – Panelist
  • Peter Somers, MKA – Panelist

Technical Session Organizers

  • Maria Jose Echeverria Landeta, University of Colorado Boulder

Session 4B Presentation Slides

4B: How can we enhance collaboration across professional silos to promote holistic multi-hazard resilience in the built environment?

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

Much of the world’s population lives in places that are exposed to both earthquake and hydrometeorological hazards, which are intensifying due to our changing climate. Increasingly, infrastructure owners, governments and communities are looking for holistic and integrated approaches to disaster risk management and resilience-building that address multiple hazards and community concerns. The professional earthquake community has many decades of experience supporting the development of technical solutions and practices that address earthquake risk. Many of us are now being asked or actively seeking ways to bridge into climate adaptation and resilience work. It presents an opportunity to draw upon the practical expertise and advances the seismic world has made.

In this session, we will hear perspectives from a diverse group of practitioners engaged in multi-hazard work both domestically and internationally who are using their seismic experience to support climate resilience efforts. The presentations will highlight ways in which the earthquake community is positioned to positively impact climate adaptation efforts; gaps in moving towards more holistic, multi-hazard efforts; and opportunities for more intentional bridging of expertise across the earthquake and climate risk communities, including the role of EERI and its members. Each speaker will each share a brief ~6 minute presentation speaking to their interest and work in holistic, multi-hazard resilience. This will be followed by a moderated discussion structured around four key areas: demand, practicality, awareness/capacity, and collaboration between the earthquake and climate communities. A brief audience Q&A will follow each topic.

Session Organizers

  • Rebecca Laberenne, Independent Consultant
  • Anna Lang, Zylient

Session Moderators

  • Rebecca Laberenne, Independent Consultant - Intro
  • Anna Lang, Zylient

Speakers

  • Juan Fung, National Institute for Standards and Technology – Panelist
  • Guy Nordenson, Princeton University – Panelist
  • Ibrahim Almufti, Arup – Panelist
  • Heidi Stenner, Geohazards International – Panelist
  • Andrew Phelps, AC Disaster Consulting – Panelist

Technical Session Organizers

  • Kaleigh Yost, Pennsylvania State University

4C: Seismic design provisions for functional recovery performance in the next generation of building codes and standards

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

This special session will discuss recent and ongoing efforts to create building code requirements for resilient design for functional recovery. The concept of functional recovery has been advanced in recent years to mobilize building design and mitigation decisions that reduce the long-term effects of earthquake-induced building damage, enhancing community resilience. The interest in this concept is motivated by increasing recognition that design of buildings to life safety standards may not be sufficient to ensure thriving and prosperous post-earthquake communities. Improving post-earthquake reoccupancy and functional recovery has recently received broad interest and support among community resilience advocates, earthquake risk mitigation professionals, building design practitioners, code and standard developers, and building owners. This session will discuss ongoing efforts to explore design criteria and related provisions for improving functional recovery in new building design in the U.S. National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Recommended Provisions. The authors are leading and participating in the Functional Recovery Task Committee, which exists as part of the Building Seismic Safety Council’s Provisions Update Committee and is funded by FEMA. The Task Committee is charged with developing technical proposals and other resources regarding design of new buildings to meet post-earthquake functional recovery performance objectives within the context of the 2026 NEHRP Provisions. This session will include a series of short presentations that describe ongoing work to create and assign functional recovery categories for building occupancies and services, identify the hazard level(s) applicable for these objectives, and develop prescriptive provisions for each category. The session will highlight the key ideas being proposed to implement in a possible Functional Recovery Standard, showing how probabilistic assessment of functional recovery has been used to develop and support the key ideas. We will also discuss how input from a broad group of stakeholders has influenced the direction of the efforts.

Session Organizers

  • Carlos Molina Hutt, University of British Columbia
  • Ryan Kersting, Buehler Engineering

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Mr. Muhammad Khalid Saifullah, University of Nebraska Lincoln and Kinemetrics

4D: Urban- and Regional-Scale Modeling of Earthquake Geohazards and Risks

2:00 PM–3:30 PM PDT 

Description

Earthquake-induced soil liquefaction and landslides have caused tremendous damage in past earthquakes and continue to pose substantial risk to critical infrastructure. Assessing these types of geohazards is an important component to a wide range of engineering applications, ranging from site-specific analyses of ground failure potential using geotechnical subsurface data, to broader regional-scale ground failure analysis of near-real time earthquake impacts or longer-term portfolio risk. Characterizing earthquake geohazards is complicated by uncertainties in all aspects of the problem, including (1) identifying hazard-susceptible geomaterials and characterizing their spatial extent and engineering properties, (2) constraining variability in groundwater conditions, (3) estimating earthquake ground motions, and (4) linking ground failure severity to system damage and loss. While these challenges are certainly present in site-specific applications, they are magnified substantially as barriers to more comprehensive regional-scale assessments.

Nonetheless, substantial progress has been made in the past 15-20 years in regional-scale modeling of earthquake geohazards, with the development of more geostatistics-based methods focused on blending site-specific geotechnical data with geospatial data and geologic mapping, regional groundwater modeling, probabilistic seismic hazard and ground motion assessments, and probabilistic modeling of landslides and liquefaction. This special session will consist of presentations from six leading researchers in the field of regional-scale modeling of earthquake geohazards, followed by a 30-minute Q&A and panel discussion with the speakers. The session will focus on specific issues such as (1) current and future applications and case studies of geohazard modeling at scale (e.g., near-real time situational awareness, scenario impact studies, long-term term risk assessments), (2) incorporation of data at different scales, ranging from geospatial information to subsurface geotechnical data, (3) geohazard modeling methodologies for both data-rich and data-sparse regions, (4) integration into multi-hazard assessments, and (5) extensions to damage and loss estimation.

Session Organizers

  • Andrew Makdisi, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Speakers

Technical Session Organizers

  • Andrew Makdisi, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Thursday Poster Session & Reception

5:30 PM–7:00 PM PDT 

Description

Join us at this evening poster session to browse posters presented by fellow attendees. Digital versions of the posters presented during this session are available here: https://2024am.eeri-events.org/program/poster-sessions.

Friday, April 12, 2024

Reconnaissance Field Exercise

8:30 AM–5:00 PM PDT 

Description

EERI is partnering with the Washington Geological Survey to conduct the first in-person exercise of the new Washington Geologic Hazards Clearinghouse Plan. The exercise will be based on the scenario of a M7.5 earthquake on the Seattle Fault, and will incorporate projected impacts based on new research from USGS and local partners, including the Seattle Office of Emergency Management and the Washington Emergency Management Division.

The exercise will begin at the Sheraton Grand with a morning briefing from the Washington Emergency Management Division and the activation of the Clearinghouse. After the briefing, interdisciplinary field teams of participants will check-out from the clearinghouse and deploy. Each team will then visit a number of stops on a planned route around downtown Seattle, along the waterfront, and in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. In the field, participants will have the opportunity to collect reconnaissance data, including ground deformation, debris deposits, and tsunami inundation, and mock impacts to URM and retrofitted buildings as well as to lifeline systems. Some teams will take the ferry to Bainbridge Island and back to learn more about the deformation front, while others will tour the Seattle Emergency Operations Center and/or retrofitted URM buildings in Pioneer Square. All teams will also visit a waterfront station hosted by the NHERI-RAPID facility for a demonstration of reconnaissance equipment including Lidar scanners and drone cameras. After lunch, teams will return to clearinghouse headquarters at the Sheraton Grand for a debrief session with data sharing and live map visualization, and a happy hour.

Schedule:

  • 8:30-5:00 PM: Introductions and Scenario Briefing
  • 11:00-3:00: Field Exercise and Lunch
  • 3:00-5:00: Afternoon Debrief and Happy Hour 

Session Organizers

  • Elizabeth Angell, EERI