Author(s)

S. A. Ardekani

Abstract

Lessons learned from post-disaster conditions after major urban earthquakes are used to develop roadway management strategies for other man-made or natural disasters. Events considered are those which cause major disruptions to the roadway network but would not necessarily require evacuation of the population. These include terrorist attacks, earthquakes, tornadoes, widespread flooding, etc. Events such as nuclear or chemical incidents or approaching hurricanes, which require evacuation of communities, are not considered. Key management functions of an Emergency Operations Center such as damage inventory and detour plans are addressed. The main objectives are to mitigate the impact of such disasters on the population while accelerating the return to normalcy. The findings are incorporated into a GIS decision tool which allows editing of the roadway network to reflect roadway closures and capacity reductions. The updated network information is then used to determine optimal traffic detour and diversion strategies to best utilize the remaining network capacity. Keywords: post-earthquake, post-disasters, urban transportation network, roadway network, traffic mitigation, emergency operations centers. 1 Introduction Earthquake hazard mitigation strategies have traditionally overlooked the importance of transportation in mitigation and post-earthquake recovery efforts. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake [1] clearly indicated that the planning and post-earthquake operational management of an urban transportation network must be an integral part of any urban earthquake preparedness plan. This was

Keywords

post-earthquake, post-disasters, urban transportation network, roadway network, traffic mitigation, emergency operations centers.