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This benefit-cost analysis (BCA) assesses the economic value of the implementation and operation of an earthquake early warning system (EEWS) over a 50-year period in the state of Washingto...

This paper examines opportunities for seismic risk mitigation decisions at U.S. maritime ports, with special reference to the role of stakeholders and the quality of the decision making processes used to inform seismic risk initiatives. The authors first present an overview of some of the major issues faced by port managers in thinking about how to respond to a potential earthquake event. Next, a representative decision aiding process that may assist managers in developing a defensible seismic risk management strategy is discussed. With this context in mind, the authors review their experience at a case study port that faces the possibility of a large earthquake and note--despite some recent progress in developing emergency response plans--the relatively low level of both port preparation for potential earthquakes and stakeholder participation in risk mitigation planning. It is concluded that increased attention to the quality of stakeholder input is likely to improve port seismic risk management decision processes. In a final section, several recommendations for ways to enhance the involvement of key port stakeholders and, in turn, the likely effectiveness of seismic risk management choices are provided.

Continuous functionality of critical infrastructure systems is essential to support the social and economic organization of productive sectors within a country. Electric power, potable water, natural gas, telecommunications, and transportation are examples of these critical systems, whose nature makes them suitable for network analysis. This study presents the topological characterization of two interdependent small-sized real networks. The same properties are calculated for ideal models of comparable size to the real networks. Selected topological properties are monitored for these interdependent systems when subjected to external or internal disruptions (e.g., deliberate attacks, malfunction due to aging, or lack of maintenance). This study introduces a simple rule to establish interdependencies among network elements based upon geographical proximity. The effect of the degree of coupling between networks is investigated with a tunable parameter that drives the networks from independence to complete interdependence. Network detrimental responses are observed to be larger when interdependencies are considered after disturbances. Effective mitigation actions could take advantage of the same network interconnectedness that facilitates cascading failures.