Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research

Projects and courses undertaken by the Institute:

• Collaborated with the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) to determine perspectives from the business community on recovery of the Puget Sound economy after a major disaster. This workshop resulted in the development of a paper called "Just-in-time" Inventories and Other Modern Disaster Management Challenges.
• Collaborated with CREW and the University of Oregon to hold workshops in both Oregon and Washington for planners, geologists, and engineers to discuss opportunities and barriers to implementing loss-reduction measures in local communities. The workshop was an effort to determine where there are gaps in the current policies, framework and governmental structure and to begin to develop strategies for solving the problems to foster better disaster preparedness and damage reduction through better planning in both Oregon and Washington.
• Prepared a Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment for Whitman County, Washington to fulfill state and federal requirements. This included a profile of each hazard, an assessment of vulnerability and coordination of public outreach.
• Prepared a Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment and Hazard Mitigation Plan for the City of Everett, Washington that meet or exceed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requirements for a jurisdictional plan. This included a profile of each hazard, an assessment of vulnerability, development of mitigation projects and coordination of public outreach and involvement.
• Prepared a Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment for Sultan, Washington to fulfill state and federal requirements. This included a profile of each hazard, an assessment of vulnerability and coordination of public outreach.
• The Institute prepared a Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment for Snohomish County, Washington to fulfill state and federal requirements. This included a profile of each hazard, an assessment of vulnerability and coordination of public outreach.
• The Institute prepared a natural hazards mitigation plan for the City of Shoreline, Washington that meet or exceed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requirements for a jurisdictional plan. This included a profile of each hazard, an assessment of vulnerability, development of mitigation projects and coordination of public outreach and involvement.
• "Visions for Kimball Creek" -- an unexplored opportunity for the City of Snoqualmie was the product of the Winter Quarter of 2002, 508 Floodplain Management Studio. Ideally, this document and the vision within it will serve as a starting point for a broad, community-based planning process focusing on the corridor as an asset. (Report) (Maps) (Power Point Presentation)
• NASA, the Washington Emergency Management Division, the Institute for Hazards Mitigation and Marine Sciences has partnered in the developmental and operational integration for the continuous use of an adaptive classified land cover product and the monthly generation of hazard specific forecasts to aid the decision making process for all phases of emergency management. http://www.spurs-em.org
• Presented Study on the Market Impacts of Retrofitting Homes in Floodplains (Report) at the 2002 Association of State Floodplain Managers Conference 2002. (Ron Throupe, Bob Freitag and Rhonda Montgomery).
• Prepared Hazards Mitigation Plan for Redmond Washington (Appendices) – Studio Project Spring of 2002 (Power Point Presentation)
• Prepared Hazard Inventory and Vulnerability Assessment for Redmond Washington – Studio project Winter of 2001
• Conducted two community based hazards mitigation workshops in Honduras, 2001-2002 (Hilda Blanco, Bob Freitag and Pilar Gimenez (Planificacion, Caso de Estudio, Conceptos, Elaboracion de Mapas, Evaluacion de Dannos)
• Assessed Seattle Project Impact Home Retrofitting Program. – Assessed Factors relating to Seattle homeowners reducing earthquake risks through home retrofitting. (1999-2000) Rob Willis' Thesis.
• Piloted a Hazards Mitigation and Sustainability course. (Fall 1999)
• Piloted an Introductory Hazards Management course. (Spring 1999)
• Provided FEMA with remote sensing information to aid in post disaster flood related infrastructure rehabilitation. (1997)
• Facilitated an effort with the Washington Department of Fisheries in providing FEMA with fisheries information helpful in the building of structures in streams following a major disaster declaration. (1997)
• Was contracted to write a paper for the State Division of Emergency Management on opportunities for mitigation planning through the Growth Management Act. (1990) The research resulted in an optional element being created. (1998)

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