Earthquake Vulnerability of Transportation Systems in the Central United States

007319672000Reprint of September 1996 editionPDFTech ReportDOT-T-97-12Disaster preparednessDisasters and emergency operationsEarthquake engineeringEarthquakesRisk assessmentStructural analysisRecoveryVulnerabilityBridges and other structuresEnvironmentOperations and Traffic ManagementSafety and Human FactorsTransportation (General)United StatesCentral U.S. Earthquake ConsortiumCentral U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC)United States. Federal Transit AdministrationUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Research and Special ProgramsUS Transportation CollectionTransportation systems in the Central U.S. \u2013 including highways, bridges, railways, waterways, ports, and airports \u2013 are vulnerable to the effects of a damaging earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone. Furthermore, damages to transportation systems may extend to several states, which presents transportation officials in government and the private sector with unique problems and challenges. In an effort to increase awareness of the earthquake risk in the Central U.S., and specifically the vulnerability of transportation systems, The U.S. Department of Transportation collaborated with the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium to prepare this monograph. The Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) is a nonprofit organization, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, that is dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, damage to property and economic losses resulting from earthquakes occurring in the Central United States. Its members are the seven states that are most vulnerable to earthquakes in this region: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Emergency transportation planning is an important element in CUSEC\u2019s long-term plan to reduce the earthquake risk in the Central U.S. In this regard, the Consortium has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation on several projects and training activities that address the vulnerability of transportation systems to a New Madrid earthquake, and measures that can be taken to advance mitigation, response and recovery planning. This monograph is a contribution towards this basic effort.75