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Suggested Citation:"Glossary of Key Terms ." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Post-Extreme Event Damage Assessment and Response for Highway Bridges. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/24647.
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Page 54
Suggested Citation:"Glossary of Key Terms ." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Post-Extreme Event Damage Assessment and Response for Highway Bridges. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/24647.
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Page 54

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53 Critical Infrastructure Critical infrastructure includes distributed networks, varied organizational structures and operating models (including multi-national ownership), interdependent functions and sys- tems in both the physical space and cyberspace, and governance constructs that involve multi-level authorities, responsibilities, and regulations [PPD-21]. Disaster “A disaster is . . . an event associated with the impact of a natural hazard, which leads to increased mortality, illness and/or injury, and destroys or disrupts livelihoods, affect- ing the people or an area such that they (and/or outsiders) perceive it as being exceptional and requiring external assis- tance for recovery” [Cannon 1994]. “A disaster is an emergency considered severe enough by local government to warrant the response and dedication of resources beyond the normal scope of a single jurisdiction or branch of local government” [Carroll 2001]. “. . . a disaster is a singular event that results in widespread losses to people, infrastructure, or the environment. Disas- ters originate from many sources, just as hazards do (natu- ral systems, social systems, technology failures)” [Cutter 2001]. Extreme Events Large intensity events with a lower probability of occurrence that could push a structure beyond the expected response for which it was designed. These may be of geological origin (e.g., earthquakes and tsunamis), of hydro meteorological origin (e.g., hurricanes and floods), or man-made hazards with intentional sources (e.g., terrorist attacks) or accidental sources (e.g., vehicle and vessel collisions). Health Monitoring The process of observing a structural system over time using periodically or continuously sampled dynamic response mea- surements from an array of sensors, the extraction of a dam- aged location, and the statistical analysis of these damages to determine the current state of the structure health. Mitigation “Activities designed to reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property or to lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident. Mitigation measures may be implemented prior to, during, or after an incident. Mitigation measures are often developed in accordance with lessons learned from prior incidents. Mitigation involves ongoing actions to reduce exposure to, probability of, or potential loss from hazards. Measures may include zoning and build- ing codes, floodplain buyouts, and analysis of hazard-related data to determine where it is safe to build or locate temporary facilities. Mitigation can include efforts to educate govern- ments, businesses, and the public on measures they can take to reduce loss and injury” [DHS, NIPP 2006]. Rapidity The capacity to meet priorities and achieve goals in a timely manner in order to contain losses, recover functionality, and avoid future disruption [Bruneau and Reinhorn 2006]. Recovery “The development, coordination, and execution of service- and site-restoration plans for impacted communities and the recon- stitution of government operations and services through indi- vidual, private sector, nongovernmental, and public assistance programs that identify needs and define resources; provide housing and promote restoration; address long-term care and treatment of affected persons; implement additional measures and techniques, as feasible; evaluate the incident to identify lessons learned; and develop initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents” [DHS, NIPP 2006]. Redundancy The extent to which elements, systems, or other measures of analysis exist that are substitutable; that is, capable of satisfying functional requirements in the event of disrup- tion, degradation, or loss of functionality [Bruneau and Reinhorn 2006]. Remote Sensing The science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, typically from aircraft or satellites. Resilience Resilience is the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events. Enhanced resilience allows better anticipation of disasters and better planning to reduce disaster losses—rather than waiting for an event to occur and paying for it afterwards [National Academies]. Resourcefulness The capacity to identify problems, establish priorities, and mobilize resources when conditions exist that threatens to disrupt some element, system, or other measures of analysis. Resourcefulness can be further conceptualized as consisting of the ability to apply material (i.e., monetary, physical, techno- GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

54 logical, and informational) and human resources in the process of recovery to meet established priorities and achieve goals [Bruneau and Reinhorn 2006]. Response “Activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident, including immediate actions to save lives, pro- tect property, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of emergency operations plans and incident mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and other unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activi- ties include applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident; increased security operations; continuing investigations into the nature and source of the threat; ongoing surveillance and test- ing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehend- ing actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice” [DHS, NIPP 2006]. Risk “Risk is generally defined as the combination of the frequency of occurrence, vulnerability, and the consequence of a speci- fied hazardous event.” And, “A measure of potential harm that encompasses threat, vulnerability, and consequence. In the context of the NIPP, risk is the expected magnitude of loss due to a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other incident, along with the likelihood of such an event occurring and causing that loss” [DHS, NIPP 2006]. Robustness Strength, or the ability of elements, systems, and other mea- sures of analysis to withstand a given level of stress or demand without suffering degradation or loss of function [Bruneau and Reinhorn 2006]. Vulnerability The extent to which a community, structure, service, or geo- graphic area is likely to be damaged or disrupted by the impact of a particular disaster hazard, on account of their nature, con- struction, and proximity to hazardous terrain or a disaster-prone area. For engineering purposes, vulnerability is a mathematical function defined as the degree of loss to a given element at risk, or set of such elements, expected to result from the impact of a disaster hazard of a given magnitude. It is specific to a particu- lar type of structure, and expressed on a scale of 0 (no damage) to 1 (total damage). For more general socio-economic pur- poses and macro-level analyses, vulnerability is a less-strictly defined concept. It incorporates considerations of both the intrinsic value of the elements concerned and their functional value in contributing to communal well-being in general and to emergency response and post-disaster recovery in particular. In many cases, it is necessary (and sufficient) to settle for a qualitative classification in terms of “high,” “medium,” and “low,” or explicit statements concerning the disruption likely to be suffered [Simeon Institute 1998].

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TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 497: Post-Extreme Event Damage Assessment and Response for Highway Bridges reviews the procedures that state departments of transportation and two local authorities, New York City and Los Angeles County, use to assess the damage in bridges in response to extreme events and conduct emergency response activities. Extreme events include those with geological sources (such as earthquakes and landslides), from hydro-meteorological sources (such as hurricanes and floods), or those of man-made origin, either accidental (such as truck crashes) or malicious (such as terrorist attacks).

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