Disaster Recovery and Resiliency

Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing

Prakriti Sardana — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:48:05 +0000

Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing Prakriti Sardana Wed, 09/18/2024 - 13:48 Ilham Siddiq , Amy Javernick-Will

Providing in-situ housing after a disaster is thought to prevent issues resulting in housing inoccupancy. In-situ housing, or housing built at the original site, aims to retain beneficiary connection to people, place, and livelihoods, addressing many noted challenges of building at relocated sites. However, beneficiaries have left thousands of aid-provided in-situ houses in post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. This research conducted and analyzed questionnaires administered to beneficiaries that both stayed and left their provided in-situ housing almost two decades post-tsunami, exploring the reasons for their decisions. Results show that while place- and community-based reasons can be reasons to remain in in-situ housing, these can also cause beneficiaries to leave their housing due to place-based trauma and disrupted social capital due to loss. In addition, economic and personal conditions influence decisions to stay or leave. Economic conditions, including opportunities for education and more formal livelihoods, particularly for those that were younger, were stated as reasons beneficiaries left, whereas older beneficiaries with less education, more intact social capital, and livelihoods tied to the land, such as farming and fishing, tended to remain. These findings reinforce the importance of aligning post-disaster housing strategies with the lived dynamics of the affected individuals, emphasizing the need for solutions that not only address immediate housing concerns but also foster social and economic resilience to enable long-term housing occupancy.

Siddiq, I., & Javernick-Will, A. (2024). Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 106, 104454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104454

Siddiq, I., & Javernick-Will, A. (2024). Should I stay or should I go?: Reasons beneficiaries decide to stay or leave aid-provided in-situ housing. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 106, 104454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104454

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Post-Fire Jurisdictional Decision-Making for Resiliency and Sustainability Outcomes

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Post-Fire Jurisdictional Decision-Making for Resiliency and Sustainability Outcomes Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/25/2023 - 18:00 Megan Ellery , Amy Javernick-Will

The increasing frequency and size of wildfires across the U.S. motivates the growing need to identify how affected communities can rebuild sustainably and resiliently. This study examines the jurisdictional decision-making process surrounding one important class of sustainability and resiliency decisions, focusing on energy and wildfire building codes for housing reconstruction. Through 22 interviews with staff and elected officials in three jurisdictions impacted by Colorado's Marshall Fire, we identify factors influencing decisions. Code decisions varied across jurisdictions and, in some cases, building codes were relaxed, while in other cases, increased resiliency and sustainability standards were adopted after the fire. Jurisdictions with more experience had more certainty regarding code costs and effectiveness, leading to more stringent code adoption. Thus, findings encourage jurisdictions to create rebuilding plans pre-disaster to reduce the impact of uncertainty in post-disaster decision-making. The data also indicate that while local jurisdictions are well-suited to work cooperatively with homeowners impacted by disasters to return to the community, the state can play a role by informing or mandating disaster plans or establishing minimum code requirements.

Ellery, M., Javernick-Will, A., Liel, A., and K. Dickinson (2023). “Post-Fire Jurisdictional Decision-Making for Resiliency and Sustainability Outcomes”. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. 10.1088/2634-4505/ad02b8.

Ellery, M., Javernick-Will, A., Liel, A., and K. Dickinson (2023). Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. 10.1088/2634-4505/ad02b8.

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Capacity-Building to Support Safer Housing through Appropriate Hurricane Strap Use

Anonymous — Wed, 31 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Capacity-Building to Support Safer Housing through Appropriate Hurricane Strap Use Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/30/2023 - 18:00 Briar Goldwyn , Amy Javernick-Will

Amid rising global disaster risks, governmental and nongovernmental organizations have called for increased technical assistance to build capacity within communities to build safer housing. However, limited research has evaluated these approaches to building technical construction capacity. This study discusses the process of collaboratively designing an approach to build construction capacity for safer housing, evaluating this process through measures of builders’ self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy. The capacity-building focuses particularly on the appropriate use of hurricane straps in wood roof construction in Puerto Rico, which was identified as an area where engineering recommendations did not align with many builders’ perceptions of safety. Three phases were used to design, implement, and assess this capacity-building approach. First, we interviewed staff in local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to identify propositions for building technical construction capacity in Puerto Rico. We then used these propositions as a framework to design the capacity-building approach. Finally, we piloted and evaluated this approach with existing trainers and community members who are building and repairing housing in Puerto Rico, interviewing them after implementation to analyze shifts in self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy. The results reveal interviewees’ increased perceived self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy following capacity-building, leading them to express increased willingness to mitigate hurricane risks to housing with appropriately installed hurricane straps. Overall, this study provides evidence that centering people’s perspectives is needed in technical construction capacity-building to influence builders’ self-efficacy and knowledge of mitigation measure efficacy and promote safer housing construction and suggests an approach that can be used to center these perspectives.

Goldwyn, B., Velasquez, C., Liel, A., Javernick-Will, A., and M. Koschmann (2023). “Capacity-Building to Support Safer Housing through Appropriate Hurricane Strap Use” Natural Hazards Review. 10.1061/NhrefO.NHENG-170.

Goldwyn, B., Velasquez, C., Liel, A., Javernick-Will, A., and M. Koschmann (2023). Natural Hazards Review. 10.1061/NhrefO.NHENG-1708

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Seismic safety of informally-constructed reinforced concrete houses in Puerto Rico

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Seismic safety of informally-constructed reinforced concrete houses in Puerto Rico Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/21/2022 - 18:00 Briar Goldwyn , Amy Javernick-Will

More than 1.6 billion people worldwide live in informally constructed houses, many of which are reinforced with concrete. Patterns of past earthquake damage suggest that these homes have significant seismic vulnerabilities, endangering their occupants. The characteristics of these houses vary widely with local building practices. In addition, these vulnerabilities are potentially exacerbated by incremental construction practices and building practices that address wind/flood risk in multi-hazard environments. Yet, despite the ubiquity of this type of construction, there have not been efforts to systematically assess the seismic risks to support risk-reducing design and construction strategies. In this study, we developed a method to assess the seismic collapse capacity of informally constructed housing that accounts for local building practices and materials, quantifying the effect of building characteristics on collapse risk. We exercise the method to assess seismic performance of housing in the US. Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico, which has high seismic hazard and experiences frequent hurricanes. This analysis showed that heavy construction, often due to the addition of a second story, and the presence of an open ground story leads to a high collapse risk. Severely corroded steel bars could also worsen performance. Although houses with infill performed better than those with an open ground story, confined masonry construction techniques produced a major reduction in collapse risk when compared to infilled or open-frame construction. Infill construction with partial height walls performed very poorly. Well-built reinforced concrete column jackets and the addition of infill in open first-story bays can reduce the greater risks of open-ground-story houses. These findings, which are quantified in the results portion of this article, are intended to support the development of design and construction recommendations for safer housing.

Murray, P., Feliciano, D., Goldwyn, B., Liel, A., Arroyo, O., and A. Javernick-Will. (2022). “Seismic safety of informally-constructed reinforced concrete houses in Puerto Rico". Earthquake Spectra. 10.1177/87552930221123085

Murray, P., Feliciano, D., Goldwyn, B., Liel, A., Arroyo, O., and A. Javernick-Will. (2022). Earthquake Spectra. 10.1177/87552930221123085

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Identifying misalignments between the informal construction sector's perceptions and engineering assessments of housing safety in future disasters for capacity development.

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 22:53:23 +0000

Identifying misalignments between the informal construction sector's perceptions and engineering assessments of housing safety in future disasters for capacity development. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/09/2022 - 16:53 Briar Goldwyn , Yarelis González Vega , Amy Javernick-Will , Abbie Liel

This study investigates areas where perceptions of those working in Puerto Rico's informal construction sector and engineering assessments of housing safety in future disasters misalign, identifying areas for construction capacity development to reduce hurricane and earthquake risk. We compared survey results from 345 individuals building and advising in the informal construction sector to the recommendations from our prior work assessing wind and seismic performance of informally constructed housing configurations. The study found four misalignments between perceptions and engineering assessments, where survey respondents did not agree with the recommendations. For wood-frame housing, our findings reveal builders and residents may not be prioritizing hurricane straps to strengthen key connections and avoid catastrophic failures because they do not view hurricane straps as efficacious. For reinforced concrete/masonry housing, we found builders and residents are associating heaviness with safety; building confined, rather than infill masonry; and building open-ground-story housing with weak columns, presenting seismic risks. Each of these misalignments was based on local expert insight about unsafe practices that are due to technical construction capacity rather than solely resource constraints. This study contributes to literature on the housing safety perceptions driving informal construction, provides an approach for comparison of local and scientific knowledge, and supports capacity development for disaster risk reduction.

Goldwyn, B., Vega, Y. G., Javernick-Will, A., & Liel, A. B. (2022). Identifying misalignments between the informal construction sector's perceptions and engineering assessments of housing safety in future disasters for capacity development. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 103105.

Goldwyn, B., Vega, Y. G., Javernick-Will, A., & Liel, A. B. (2022). International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 103105.

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Factors influencing public beliefs regarding the cause of induced earthquakes

Anonymous — Wed, 18 May 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Factors influencing public beliefs regarding the cause of induced earthquakes Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/18/2022 - 00:00 Andrew Tracy , Amy Javernick-Will , Abbie Liel

The central USA has experienced an increase in the frequency and magnitude of humaninduced
earthquakes. The earthquakes are caused by the deep-well injection of water produced
from oil and gas development. However, the novelty of these earthquakes and the
politicized nature of oil and gas have resulted in competing explanations for their causes,
leading to public uncertainty. To determine public beliefs about the causes of the earthquakes
and the factors that influence these beliefs, we administered and analyzed a household
survey. We found that the more individuals experienced the adverse effects of the
earthquakes, the more they agreed that they were caused by the injection of wastewater
from oil and gas production. Further, individuals with more positive perceptions of oil
and gas industry activity more strongly believed that the earthquakes are caused by nature.
These findings show that beliefs around technological, energy-related hazards are shaped
by hazard exposure and views about the human activity causing the hazard. Understanding
what the public believes to be the cause of the earthquakes is important, as it can impact
policy and personal interventions taken to mitigate risk.

Tracy, A., Javernick-Will, A., & Liel, A. (2022). Factors influencing public beliefs regarding the cause of induced earthquakes. Natural Hazards, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05386-9

Tracy, A., Javernick-Will, A., & Liel, A. (2022). Natural Hazards, 1-22.

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Multi-hazard housing safety perceptions of those involved with housing construction in Puerto Rico

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 23:04:59 +0000

Multi-hazard housing safety perceptions of those involved with housing construction in Puerto Rico Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/23/2022 - 17:04 Briar Goldwyn , Amy Javernick-Will , Abbie Liel

Globally, hazards are increasingly threatening housing each year, and housing constructed outside the formal sector may be particularly vulnerable. Yet, limited studies have investigated the perceptions of those responsible for designing and building this housing. These safety perceptions motivate the informal housing construction practices that ultimately determine housing safety. Thus, this study investigates the multi-hazard housing safety perceptions of individuals involved with housing construction in Puerto Rico. We surveyed 345 builders and hardware store employees across Puerto Rico to understand their perceptions of expected housing damage in hurricanes and earthquakes, important mitigation measures, and barriers to safer housing construction. Our results reveal that prior hazard experience did not influence perceptions of expected housing damage, but previous housing construction experience did. Respondents viewed wood and concrete housing as less safe in hurricanes and earthquakes, respectively. Yet, respondents appeared uncertain about the importance of mitigation measures for concrete houses in earthquakes, likely due to a combination of limited earthquake experience and “hidden” reinforcement detailing in a reinforced concrete house. Interestingly, our results also show that respondents perceive technical construction capacity as a major barrier to safer informal housing construction rather than resource constraints alone. These findings suggest areas for technical construction capacity development for Puerto Rico’s informal construction sector.

Goldwyn, B., Javernick-Will, A., & Liel, A. B. (2022). Multi-hazard housing safety perceptions of those involved with housing construction in Puerto Rico. Sustainability, 14(7), 3802.

Goldwyn, B., Javernick-Will, A., & Liel, A. B. (2022). Sustainability, 14(7), 3802.

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Assessment of hurricane wind performance and potential design modifications for informally constructed housing in Puerto Rico

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 22:47:21 +0000

Assessment of hurricane wind performance and potential design modifications for informally constructed housing in Puerto Rico Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/13/2022 - 15:47 Meredith Lochhead , Briar Goldwyn , Casie Venable , Abbie Liel , Amy Javernick-Will

This study assesses the wind performance of various housing typologies representing informal construction practices in Puerto Rico to suggest modifications to enhance housing resilience in hurricanes. Based on fieldwork and interviews, the study defined four base housing typologies and possible variations in design and construction details. Each house was assessed using performance-based static wind analysis of potentially critical components. The results show that the initial governing failure mode in all base house typologies considered is roof panel loss due to tear-through at the fasteners, with subsequent governing failures being panel loss due to failures at the purlin-to-truss connections and failures of the truss-to-wall connections. In-plane wall failures and masonry uplift failures were both found to occur at much higher wind speeds than roof failures. To improve the hurricane performance, several feasible modifications are suggested, including installing hurricane straps at both the truss-to-wall and the purlin-to-truss connections, as well as improving the panel-fastener interface. In the construction of new roofs, this study found that using reduced spacing between roof members, hip roofs instead of gable roofs, and higher roof slopes leads to improved performance. These recommendations can make houses built through informal construction processes safer and more resilient to hurricanes as a form of climate adaptation.

Lochhead, M., Goldwyn, B., Venable, C., Liel, A. B., & Javernick-Will, A. (2022). Assessment of hurricane wind performance and potential design modifications for informally constructed housing in Puerto Rico. Natural Hazards, 1-25.

Lochhead, M., Goldwyn, B., Venable, C., Liel, A. B., & Javernick-Will, A. (2022). Natural Hazards, 1-25.

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Questioning the effectiveness of risk reduction via post-disaster relocation

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 23:01:41 +0000

Questioning the effectiveness of risk reduction via post-disaster relocation Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/02/2022 - 16:01 Shaye Palagi , Andrew Tracy , Amy Javernick-Will

Post-disaster relocation permanently moves households out of areas highly exposed to hazards, yet risk remains. Communities relocated after a disaster may continue to be exposed and ill-prepared to respond to hazards. To investigate the efficacy of relocation, we studied exposure and preparedness at relocation sites in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. We evaluated selected elements of risk reduction, such as the establishment of a community disaster warning system, at relocation sites and compare these to households’ locations before the typhoon. Results revealed that decision making for post-disaster relocation needs to better consider multi-hazard risks. Although relocated community members were less exposed to storm surge, nearly all had increased exposure to flooding, with several households forced to evacuate during a flood event. Furthermore, preparedness decreased, as relocated communities were less likely to have a response plan, warning system, or leaders ready to meet the challenges hazards present. The frequency of flooding at relocation sites coupled with low community-level capacity illustrate a need for improved planning and development of post-disaster relocation sites. By demonstrating that relocation is not always effective at creating a wholly safer environment for households, the findings indicate the need for considering additional risks within the decision-making process around relocation as a method of disaster recovery and risk reduction.

Bodine, S. P., Tracy, A., & Javernick-Will, A. (2022). Questioning the effectiveness of risk reduction via post-disaster relocation. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 71, 102834.

Bodine, S. P., Tracy, A., & Javernick-Will, A. (2022). International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 71, 102834.

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¿Cómo construir casas de maderas para resistir los huracanes futuros?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 18:50:05 +0000

¿Cómo construir casas de maderas para resistir los huracanes futuros? Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/19/2021 - 11:50

Escrito por: Briar Goldwyn, Cole Velasquez, Yarelis Gonzales, and Meredith Lochhead

En Puerto Rico, isla localizada en el caribe vulnerable a los huracanes y los terremotos, se estima que más de la mitad de la construcción comercial y residencial está construida de manera informal.1 Mientras que la vivienda informalmente construida provee acceso para individuos de bajo ingreso, no les garantiza la tenencia de tierras. De igual forma, los mismos carecen de la oportunidad o el interés a participar en el proceso de la construcción formal. Este tipo de viviendas puede presentar altos riesgos de seguridad, especialmente en regiones propensas a desastres naturales, como el Caribe.2 Para entender este contexto, nuestro estudio examina y prioriza las modificaciones según los recursos disponibles para reducir la probabilidad del daño y la destrucción de viviendas con estructuras de madera durante futuros vientos huracanados en Puerto Rico.

Llevamos a cabo distintas entrevistas a ingenieros, arquitectos, constructores, y propietarios de casas alrededor de Puerto Rico para crear una lista de las características en el diseño de viviendas y representar las variaciones en el área de la construcción informal en la isla. Empezamos por crear cuatro tipos de casas comunes: tres casas con estructura de madera, incluyendo una de un solo piso con techo a cuatro aguas, otra con techo a dos aguas y una de dos pisos con techo a dos aguas; finalmente una casa de concreto armado con techo a dos aguas. Asumimos que cada techo consiste de cerchas de madera y paneles de metal acanalados, reflejando las prácticas comunes en la construcción. Estudiamos el efecto de cada modificación en el calibre y el tipo de paneles de metal; la distancia entre los tornillos que los sujetan; uniones de correas (alfajías), cerchas, y paredes; la distancia entre las alfajías y las cerchas; el deterioro del material; el refuerzo en las paredes de madera, y el refuerzo en las casa de concreto armado y albañilería.

Imagen: Techo con estructura de madera

Luego, para cada tipo de casa, calculamos la velocidad del viento en la que fallaba el techo. La velocidad del viento es cuantificada usando la misma por un periodo de tres segundos donde se representa la velocidad de viento en que ocurre un fallo en un 50% del tiempo, tomando en consideración el grado de duda en la carga del viento y la capacidad del techo. También, este análisis demuestra cuáles componentes en el techo y en las paredes fallarían primero. Algunos modos de falla causan consecuencias más serias para la estructura y los ocupantes. Por ejemplo, la falla entre la unión de las cerchas y las paredes resulta en la pérdida total del techo, mientras que la falla en los clavos y tornillos de los paneles de metal solo resulta en la pérdida de los paneles.

Nuestros hallazgos revelaron las modificaciones necesarias para techos de madera ya existentes y las recomendaciones para estructuras nuevas en madera. Según los resultados, dimos prioridad a las recomendaciones para reducir fallas severas como ya antes vistas en cada tipo de casa.

Basado en el estudio, primero, recomendamos reforzar las uniones entre las cerchas y las paredes para evitar una falla que resulte en la pérdida del sistema del techo y paredes. Nuestro análisis demuestra que los constructores deben usar anclajes en cada unión entre las cerchas y las paredes, evitar clavar los clavos/tornillos de manera entrecruzada para conectar los mismos, y por último evitar construir la estructura del techo sin conectarla apropiadamente a las paredes, más común en las casas de mampostería.

Segundo, los constructores deben reforzar las uniones entre las correas (alfajías) y las cerchas utilizando anclajes en cada unión, ya que la unión débil entre correas y cerchas fue el primer componente a fallar en estructuras de madera. Si los anclajes no están disponibles, los constructores pueden usar una “abrazadera de madera” (o conexión de “cleat”, con clavos, con un diámetro de 0.2 pulgados, reforzando la unión.

Imagen: "Abrazadera de madera” (conexión de “cleat”)

Por último, los constructores deben reforzar la conexión entre los paneles de metal y el techo, el cual era el modo más predominante en las fallas, pero no es una falla tan seria como la falla de las uniones entre las cerchas y las paredes o entre las correas y las cerchas. La conexión entre los paneles y clavos/tornillos puede ser reforzada al clavarlos con un espacio no más de seis pulgadas en cada correa, al interior y exterior, lo cual mejora el desempeño con cualquier tamaño o tipo de clavo; instalar calibre 26 de paneles de hierro galvanizado acanalados o más gruesos, como calibre 24 si disponible; instalar paneles trapezoidales en vez de paneles acanalados; usar los clavos de paraguas para conectar los paneles a las correas; y remplazar paneles oxidados o pintar los paneles con pintura resistente al óxido. Nuestro análisis dio a luz a recomendaciones para la reconstrucción o construcción de techos nuevos. Los constructores deben reducir el espacio de las correas a 2 pies (0.6 metros) o menos y el espacio de las cerchas a 4 pies (1.2 metros) para mejorar el desempeño del techo. Nuestros resultados indicaron que la carga de viento reducida en un techo a cuatro aguas lleva a una reducción de las cargas totales y mejora el desempeño; constructores deben construir los techos a cuatro aguas en vez de a dos aguas si es posible, aunque reconocemos que los constructores están acostumbrados a la construcción de los techos a dos aguas. Finalmente, el deterioro de la madera reduce el desempeño y, por tanto, cuando sea posible, los propietarios deben reemplazar la madera deteriorada por madera tratada.

Imagen: Techos a dos aguas y a cuatro aguas

Idealmente, todos estos cambios y recomendaciones se realizan para incrementar la seguridad del hogar, pero cada cambio por sí mismo es una mejora. El cambio más fácil a realizar es reducir el espacio entre los clavos/tornillos, ya que solo requiere la instalación de más clavos sin quitar o reemplazar materiales.

En general, basado en las variaciones en la construcción de hogares y los materiales disponibles en las ferreterías en Puerto Rico, los resultados del estudio fueron utilizados para crear recomendaciones viables para modificar las casas y mejorar la seguridad. Hemos estimado que los materiales incluidos en las recomendaciones cuestan desde un mínimo de $5, para disminuir el espacio entre los clavos en los paneles, hasta el máximo de $400-$500 para reemplazar todos los paneles del techo. Esperamos compartir la lista de las recomendaciones priorizadas a las organizaciones comunitarias, los propietarios, y los constructores alrededor de Puerto Rico para así cambiar las percepciones de las prácticas en la construcción segura de hogares, y finalmente, mejorar la seguridad de las viviendas en caso de huracanes.

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