Storm Damage Assessment Protocol: Overview

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Storm Damage Assessment Protocol Overview
Process

• Developed by
• USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area
• Urban Community Forestry
• In cooperation with
• Davey Resource Group
• USDA Forest Service Northeastern Center for UCF
• USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station

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Why Prepare?
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Hurricane Katrina 2005
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Katrina 2005
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Katrina 2005
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Katrina 2005
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Hurricane Isabel 2003
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Isabel A Storm of Trees
Isabel wreaked havoc on the forest of urban and
suburban trees Many of them are so big that,
when blown over by tropical storm-force winds,
theyre likely to find a power line that was once
thought safely distant. - Pat Michaels
Virginia State Climatologist
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1998 Northeast Ice Storm
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FEMA Disaster Aid
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Tree Damage
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Utility Damage

• Transmission tower outside Montreal

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Urban CoreImpacts

• Downtown Montréal

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Landscape Scale Damage
Central Vermont - January 1998
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Tornados
Thunderstorms Wind
Snow
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On the ground response and action
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On the ground response and action
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Standardizing the Assessment

• Easy and accurate method to estimate
• Tree storm damage
• Costs for recovery
• Data quality and integrity
• Simple method for end user
• Quick reporting mechanism

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Overview

• Development
• Sampling Method
• Estimating Engine
• Report Means
• Personal Digital Assistants
• Future
• Resources

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Development - Stage I

• University of Massachusetts
• Dennis Ryan, Professor of Urban Forestry
• Dave Bloniarz, Project Coordinator, USDA
  Northeastern Area Center for Urban and Community
  Forestry
• Started work in 1997
• Wildly varying estimates of storm damage
• Tree work
• Debris
• Community need for speedy method
• Emergency officials need for credibility

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• Pre-Storm Sample Survey

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• Pre-Storm Sample Survey

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• Post-Storm Survey

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Development - Stage II

• Davey Resource Group Cooperative Agreement
• Chris J. Luley
• Jerry Bond
• Completed protocol (2000-2001)
• Estimation of debris generation based on
  information from professionals
• Tom Rankin (Asplundh), then with DRC (Mobile, AL)
  supplied debris numbers

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Development - Stage II

• Developed spreadsheet template
• Significant interest among communities

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Development Stage III

• Modifications to protocol and software
  enhancements
• Standardized sampling protocol
• Improved estimation techniques
• Facilitated access and setup
• Publicized protocol
• Work completed Winter of 2004-05

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Why Protocol?

• Protocol implies
• Rigor
• Uniformity
• Adherence
• Three replicable components
• Sampling method
• Estimating engine
• Reporting means

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Storm Damage Assessment Protocol Data Collection