ATC-127 PROJECT

ATC/USGS Seismic Hazard User-Needs Workshop

On September 21-22, 2015, in Menlo Park, California, the Applied Technology Council (ATC) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) convened the ATC/USGS Seismic Hazard User-Needs Workshop. Like the ATC-35/USGS National Earthquake Ground Motion Mapping Workshops, which were held in 1995, 2001, and 2006, this User-Needs Workshop provided an opportunity for individuals and groups that use the National Seismic Hazard Maps to provide feedback on existing and planned hazard information and products from the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project.

Agenda.  The Workshop Agenda is available here.

Presentations.

Workshop Program.‎ The ATC/USGS Seismic Hazard User-Needs Workshop was organized to (1) elicit feedback from users of seismic hazard information and products, (2) provide a forum for the wider earthquake engineering community to discuss the transfer of seismic hazard results into engineering practice, seismic risk analysis, and public policy, and (3) make practical recommendations to the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project.

The User-Needs Workshop included presentations from invited speakers and workshop attendees:
▪ Representatives of the National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project described the changes in the 2014 update of the National Seismic Hazard Maps, including changes to the hazard model input, the calculation of hazard, and the resulting differences in hazard values. The representatives also provided an overview of seismic hazard information and products currently available at the Project website.
▪ Representatives of user groups described how they use hazard information from the National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project. Users also provided feedback on the hazard products that they currently use and ideas about development of additional products or the consolidation of existing products.

Location. William Rambo Auditorium, U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California.  

Steering Committee.

Anna H. Olsen, (co-chair), Applied Technology Council, Redwood City, California
Nicolas Luco (co-chair), U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado
Norman Abrahamson, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, San Francisco, California
C.B. Crouse, AECOM, Seattle, Washington
Rod Diridon, Sr., Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose, California
Arthur D. Frankel, U.S. Geological Survey, Seattle, Washington
Keith Knudsen, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
Janiele Maffei, California Earthquake Authority, Sacramento, California
Robert B. Paullus, Jr. (ATC Board Contact), Applied Technology Council, Olive Branch, Mississippi
Sue Perry, U.S. Geological Survey, Pasadena, California
Mark D. Petersen (ex officio), U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado
Chris D. Poland, Consulting Engineer, Canyon Lake, California
Sanaz Rezaeian, U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado
Christopher Rojahn (ex officio), Applied Technology Council, Redwood City, California
Tom Shantz, California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, California
Nilesh Shome, Risk Management Solutions, Newark, California

Sponsoring Organizations.

Co-Sponsoring Organizations.

Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission
Consortium of Organizations for Strong-Motion Observation Systems
Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
International Code Council
MAE Center
MCEER
Mineta Transportation Institute
National Council of Structural Engineers Associations
Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder
National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Southern California Earthquake Center
Seismological Society of America
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Seismic Committee
Western States Seismic Policy Council

ATC-125 PROJECT

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Project Title: Recovery Advisories for the South Napa Earthquake

Project Status: Report Published

Client: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

PROJECT SUMMARY

Soon after some natural disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) develops Recovery Advisories—short (5 to 10 page) documents providing guidance on how to repair or mitigate specific issues identified in a particular disaster. The FEMA Building Science Branch often works with the Joint Field Office and uses the findings from Mitigation Assessment Team reports to inform the development of FEMA Recovery Advisories.

After the August 24, 2014, magnitude 6.0 South Napa earthquake, FEMA contracted the Applied Technology Council (ATC) to develop two FEMA Recovery Advisories related to: (1) masonry fireplace chimneys, and (2) cripple walls in residential structures. Although these Recovery Advisories were developed following the 2014 South Napa earthquake, the technical content is not specific to this earthquake: the Recovery Advisories may be used to aid the recovery process after future earthquakes and for pre-earthquake hazard mitigation.

These two FEMA South Napa Earthquake Recovery Advisories are also included in the appendices of FEMA P-1024, Performance of Buildings and Nonstructural Components in the 2014 South Napa Earthquake. FEMA P-1024 provides an assessment of the performance of a select number of buildings impacted by the earthquake and corresponding recommendations to further improve mitigation.

Repair of Earthquake-Damaged Masonry Fireplace Chimneys

This FEMA Recovery Advisory recommends best practices for the reconstruction of earthquake-damaged masonry chimneys in one- or two-family dwellings to minimize risk of damage in future earthquakes. The best practices detailed in this advisory are also recommended for retrofit of masonry chimneys. The information included in the Recovery Advisory is intended to be used by homeowners to compare and contrast the various options for reconstruction and retrofit, as well as by contractors to understand details and applicable building code requirements associated with the implementation of these options. Readers should note that this Recovery Advisory does not fully detail construction requirements; a homeowner or contractor will still need to obtain a building permit to perform the work described in this advisory.

Earthquake Strengthening of Cripple Walls in Wood-Frame Dwellings

The South Napa earthquake damaged many cripple walls in residential structures, and many of the damaged cripple walls were taller than four feet. This FEMA Recovery Advisory addresses the earthquake strengthening of cripple walls and foundation anchorage in one- or two- family residential structures, supported by elevated concrete foundation systems and cripple walls not taller than approximately seven feet. In its first part, the Recovery Advisory describes the issue of earthquake strengthening of cripple walls and foundation anchorage for a typical homeowner. The second part is an accompanying Plan Set, which provides a pre-engineered retrofit solution and step-by-step instructions for use by knowledgeable contractors or skilled homeowners in customizing the work for the conditions in a specific dwelling. The contractor or homeowner must still obtain a building permit to perform the work described in this advisory.

ATC-20-1 Bhutan Field Manual

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Title: Development of Field Manual: Postearthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings, Bhutan Edition (ATC-20-1 Bhutan)

Funding Provided By: World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Applied Technology Council Endowment Fund

Developed By: the Applied Technology Council (ATC), GeoHazards International (GHI), and the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Department of Engineering Services (DES) and Department of Disaster Management (DDM)

Status: This document was completed in January 2015

Participants: To see a list of project participants, click here.

Final Product:

This document represents adaptations to the U.S. version of the ATC-20-1 Field Manual  to account for Bhutan’s vernacular buildings, as well as Bhutan’s cultural and governmental context. During the development, a number of improvements were made to the presentation of material in the ATC-20-1 Field Manual, including a graphical format with numerous images to help engineers evaluate damaged buildings more accurately. Also, the procedures incorporate recent lessons learned during postearthquake safety evaluations following the Chile (2010) and New Zealand (2010-2011) earthquakes.

Sample pages from Chapter 6, Stone Masonry Buildings, showing the graphical format of the document. Table 6.1 is 13 pages long and presents damage conditions with photographs or illustrations.

An electronic copy of the document is not available online. To view the cover, title page, and table of contents, click here.  If you wish to purchase a hard-copy version of the document, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

An overview of the project that developed the Field Manual was presented at the 10^th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Anchorage, Alaska in July 2015, and may be viewed here.

In accordance with the ATC-20 Methodology, forms for recording safety evaluation results for Rapid and Detailed Evaluations were developed for buildings in Bhutan. These forms are provided in A4 size in PDF format here.

After undergoing safety evaluation, buildings are posted with one of three placards: INSPECTED, RESTRICTED USE, or UNSAFE. These forms are provided in A4 size in PDF format here.

ATC-20-1 Bhutan Field Manual also presents interim procedures for advisory placarding of single-family homes. When this document was developed, Bhutan had limited resources for response and recovery. The Department of Disaster Management determined that the results of postearthquake safety evaluations should be provided as safety advisories for occupants of single-family homes. The Department is working to enhance response capacity and intends that the provisions in this appendix serve as an interim measure. The technical developers of this document, including the U.S.-Bhutan Project Engineering Panel, ATC, GeoHazards International, and Department of Engineering Services, believe that mandatory placarding, in which directives on placards are legally binding and enforceable, is essential for public safety. The technical developers strongly support efforts to move to mandatory placarding for all buildings as soon as possible. The procedures are presented in Appendix F of the document. The advisory placards for INSPECTED, RESTRICTED USE, and UNSAFE are provided in A4 size in PDF format here.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Title: 15th U.S.-Japan Workshop on the Improvement of Structural Engineering and Resiliency

Project Status: This Workshop was conducted on December 3-5, 2014

Sponsors: Applied Technology Council (ATC) and Japan Structural Consultants Association (JSCA)

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Purpose of the Workshop was to develop policy recommendations for improved community resilience based on the current state-of-practice, innovative engineering solutions, and new and emerging technologies. A special focus of the Workshop was on the means to build resiliency, reduce economic losses, and speed recovery and reconstruction following typhoons or hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

The Workshop is the 15th in a series started in 1984, and repeated every two-to-three years. Previous workshops have been held in California (San Diego and San Francisco), Hawaii (Honolulu, Kauai, Kona, Kohala Coast, and Maui), Japan (Kobe and Tokyo), and Victoria, British Columbia.

Workshop Participants.  The Workshop Participants included those with a background in building performance and other structures in severe earthquakes, including the effects of tsunami, and response and recovery.

Workshop Program.  The Workshop Program was designed for practicing structural engineers and researchers, and included technical presentations, and working group breakout sessions and discussions. Papers and presentations were as follows:

*Presenting Author.