Simulation of successive events for multi-hazard community resilience analysis

Abstract

This dissertation, entitled "Simulation of Successive Events for Multi-hazard Community Resilience Analysis," aims to present an integrated framework for enhancing community resilience against natural hazards, with a specific focus on earthquakes and their associated impacts, such as aftershocks and tsunamis. These natural hazards pose significant threats to both coastal and non-coastal communities, leading to loss of life, injuries, and substantial socio-economic damage. A key approach to mitigating these risks is through community resilience analysis, which involves modeling the vulnerability of community infrastructure to combined source earthquake and its subsequent risks—aftershocks or tsunamis in coastal zones. In contrast to using separate fragility curves, this study develops combined earthquake-tsunami and mainshock-aftershock fragility models for a basic portfolio of reinforced concrete (RC) and woodframe structures. Governing parameters for 2D and 3D fragility functions tailored to these prototype buildings are presented, providing accessible tools for informed decision-making and mitigation strategies in community-level studies. The primary objectives are to model infrastructure vulnerability to successive seismic events and provide insights for resilience-informed decision-making. By identifying key vulnerabilities and assessing risk-based damage, dislocation, and functional recovery, the research significantly contributes to multi-hazard engineering. The proposed methodology and fragility models aim to enhance resilience-informed decision-making, allowing for strategies to improve community resilience.