FEMA’s Hazus Team has released new and updated Hazus Technical and User Guidance Manuals. Hazus is a nationally standardized risk modeling methodology. It identifies areas with high risk for natural hazards and estimates physical, economic, and social impacts of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis.

The updated manuals provide detailed information on FEMA’s Hazus Loss Estimation Methodologies for four modeled hazards – earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis. The Hazus User Manuals are designed to support model functionality, while the Hazus Technical Manuals offer detailed information about how the models operate and how to generate loss estimates. According to FEMA, “Mitigation planners can use quantitative risk information from Hazus to evaluate mitigation actions, identify cost-effective projects, and communicate risk to community stakeholders.” Additionally, Hazus can be used in conjunction with FEMA’s other risk modeling tools, such as the National Risk Index application. Read more about and access the Hazus tools at FEMA.