Complementing CAR’s expertise on risk assessment for natural hazards, we also offer a wide variety of services related to disaster mitigation and management. An understanding of risk and the performance of buildings is central to these projects, but the application is directed towards the agencies responsible for disaster management – national and international governments, civil protection, aid and development agencies, and their funding bodies.

Special expertise has been developed in relation to three types of disaster:

• Earthquake risk management
• Volcanic risk management
• Flood risk management

Working together with specialists in the earth or atmospheric sciences, CAR’s approach is to offer a comprehensive understanding of the potential losses from future major events, and to investigate and evaluate alternative strategies for risk reduction, identifying costs and benefits.

Client base

Clients for CAR’s expertise have included the European Commission, the Italian Government’s Department of Civil Protection, the New Zealand Accident Compensation Commission, the British Red Cross, and the Istanbul Municipal Authority.

Selected projects since 2000

• Cambridge Earthquake Impact Database In conjunction with the Martin Centre, University of Cambridge and Stride Design, damage and human casualty survey data from destructive earthquakes is compiled as a reference resource for use in vulnerability assessment and seismic risk analysis. Usage is free. [CEQID Web Site »]
• LessLoss In conjunction with the Martin Centre, University of Cambridge, an integrated research project to identify and evaluate earthquake and landslide risk reduction strategies for Europe’s major earthquake-risk cities: Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Lisbon. EU-funded, 2004-07. [LessLoss Web Site »]
• EXPLORIS In conjunction with the Martin Centre, a collaborative project examining threats to populations from Europe’s major volcanoes and developing mitigation strategies. EU-funded, 2002-06. [Read more »]
• Wellington Casualty Model Development of a computer model to look at the potential for casualties resulting from potential earthquakes affecting Wellington New Zealand. Client : Accident Compensation Commission, New Zealand Government, 2006.
• MEDEA The development of a multi-media tool to assist in the classification and recording of post-earthquake damage. Client: Department of Civil Protection, Italian Government, 2004-06. [Read more »]
• Estimating Industrial Losses Examining risks arising to the owners and employees from the continued use of industrial plant built before current codes were developed. Clients: Ove Arup and Partners, BAE Systems, 2002-06. [Read more »]
• Post-tsunami Housing Evaluation An evaluation of designs proposed for post-tsunami housing in Aceh Province of Indonesia for low-cost reconstruction following the December 2004 tsunami. Client: British Red Cross, 2006.

Recent publications

P. Baxter, P. Cole, R. Spence, A. Neri, G. Zuccaro, R. Boyle. “The impacts of pyroclastic surges on buildings at the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat”, Bulletin of Volcanology 67: 292-313, Springer-Verlag, 2005.

A. Coburn and R. Spence. Earthquake Protection (2nd edition), Wiley, 2002.

K. Saito, R. Spence, T. Foley. “Visual damage assessment using high-resolution satellite images following the 2003 Bam Iran earthquake”, Earthquake Spectra, Special Issue 1, Vol 21, 2005, pp. 309-318.

R. Spence. “Risk and regulation: can improved government action reduce the impacts of natural disasters?”, Building Research and Information, 32/5, pp. 391-402.

R. Spence and I. Kelman. “An overview of flood actions on buildings”, Engineering Geology, 73, 2004, pp. 297-309.

R. Spence, I. Kelman, E. Calogero, G. Toyos, P. Baxter, J-C. Komorowski. “Modelling expected physical impacts and human casualties from explosive volcanic eruptions”, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 5, 2005, pp. 1003-1015, European Geosciences Union.

R. Spence, I. Kelman, S. Petrazzuoli G. Zuccaro. “ Residential buildings and occupant vulnerability to tephra fall”, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 5, 2005, pp. 1-18, European Geosciences Union.

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