Get Funding: Boost Earthquake Preparedness Tech

Natural hazards exist everywhere. Throughout its history, the United States (US) has experienced floods, wildfires, winter storms, landslides, windstorms, and earthquakes. But of all of these natural disasters, earthquakes pose one of the greatest threats to the lives, property, and economy, not only to communities within the western and central US, but indirectly to the Nation as a whole. Under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 2004 [Public Law (PL) 95-124, as amended by PL108-360], Congress established the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

In 2008, the NEHRP agencies engaged in the development of a strategic plan to guide the NEHRP Program over the 2009-2013 timeframe. The Strategic Plan for the NEHRP Program for Fiscal Years 2009-2013 dated October 2008 focuses on three overarching goals to develop, disseminate, and promote knowledge, tools, and practices for earthquake risk reduction: i) Improve the understanding of earthquake processes and impacts ii) Develop cost-effective measures to reduce earthquake impacts on individuals, the built environment, and society-at-large; iii) Improve the earthquake resilience of communities nationwide The Federal Emergency Management Agency proposes to enter into one (1) Cooperative Agreement for an estimated $330,000.00 with one (1) national, non-profit technical earthquake society (architects, engineers, planners, public officials, social scientists) composed of a membership from practicing professionals, educators, government officials, and building code regulators. This funding, through the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), supports the following activities: i) specific products to enhance seismic risk reduction (see SOW) and to make our communities safer from earthquakes (i.e. technical seminars, maintain EQ Mitigation Center, student participation in conferences, Oral Histories, Regional Chapter development, , graduate and professional development scholarships, undergraduate student design competition, scenario development workshop, etc) ii) a multidisciplinary effort of technology transfer for both seismic safety in general (structural, geological, behavioral, and social issues) and the building science related to earthquakes iii) Promotion of better building practices within the building design and construction industry iv) Access to a large audience of engineers, architects, and social scientists, presenting the largest component of the earthquake risk reduction community; v) Assisting with minimizing the suffering and disruption caused by disasters through the products produced and through access to the extensive and diverse expertise of the EERI membership.