Development of Wind and Flood Vulnerability Index for Residential Buildings

Abstract

Building vulnerability assessment is an important technique for managing disaster, performing hazard mitigation, and managing disaster reduction practices. In the engineering field, vulnerability is mainly assessed based on the quantitative approach, which is a simulation-based technique that provides information regarding the potential loss or damage rather than accounting for indicators influencing building vulnerability. Identifying indicators that significantly contribute to building vulnerability is a key element to develop vulnerability index, which is a tool for understanding performance of building subjected to hurricane hazards and helping decision-makers to prioritize evacuation. This study qualitatively assesses residential building vulnerability through the development of Wind and Flood Building Vulnerability Index (WFBVI). WFBVI is categorized as a three-level (low-moderate-high) index using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). A dataset of single-family homes damaged by 2005 Hurricane Katrina is used to demonstrate implementation of the WFBVI. The application leads to valuable results on how hurricane building vulnerability can be reflected by quantifiable wind and flood index across spatial scales. Overall, the results provide engineers with insights on the actual performance of residential structures in areas subject to severe wind and flood hurricane hazards and provide qualitative information for developing effective strategies to mitigate future risk and improve decision-making processes.