Book Description

This technical report describes a computer-based model of urban disaster recovery. The model simulates the recovery dynamics of households, businesses, neighborhoods, and the community as a whole following a disaster. The model was applied to the City of Los Angeles for the 1994 Northridge earthquake, using detailed data on the conditions and effects of the earthquake for testing and calibrating purposes. Results indicated favorable performance in certain aspects of the model and identified areas where further refinements are needed. The report concludes with a discussion of potential applications, advances, limitations, and priorities for further research.