HomeMy WebLinkAboutMulti-Hazard Mitigation Plan: Glossary CIVIL DEFENSE AGENCY
COUNTY OF HAWAII
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22. Glossary
Chapter 22:Glossary
CHAPTER 22 - GLOSSARY
Adverse Consequences-Negative impacts that may result from failure. The primary
concerns are loss of human life, economic loss (including property damage),lifeline
disruption, and environmental impact.
Annualized Benefits and Costs- The value of benefits and costs based on the probability
the benefit or cost will be realized in a given year.
Assets-Lives,buildings,utilities and transportation systems, cultural, social. . .
Benefit-Any increase in utility or well-being to an individual, group or society associated
with an action or choice. Bounded from below by price. It is synonymous with value in
economic theory. Benefits and costs are complementary-a cost is a negative benefit, since
costs decrease well-being and benefits increase well-being.
Benefit/Cost Analysis - A systematic quantitative method of assessing the desirability of
government projects or policies when it is important to take a long view of future effects and
abroad view of possible side-effects. Benefit/cost analysis is recommended as the technique
to use in a formal economic analysis of government programs or projects. (From OMB A-94)
Consequences-Damages (full or partial), injuries, and losses of life,property, environment,
and business that can be quantified by some unit of measure, often in economic or financial
terms.
Cost-Any reduction in utility or well-being to an individual, group or society associated
with an action or choice. Generally it is not the same as price,which bounds cost from
above.
Cost Effective-The least cost alternative means for achieving the same stream of benefits or
a given objective. Cost-effectiveness analysis is less comprehensive than benefit/cost
analysis, but can be appropriate when the benefits from competing alternatives are the same
or where a policy decision has been made that the benefits must be provided. It can be used
to compare programs with identical costs but differing benefits. FEMA guidance has
defined cost-effective as the benefits equal to or exceeding the costs. (From OMB A-94)
Damage-Damage refers to physical destruction measured by physical indicators such as the
number of deaths and injuries or the number of buildings destroyed.
Disaster- The impact of a natural event upon a vulnerable community resulting in
disruption, damage, and casualties that cannot be relieved by the unaided capacity of locally-
mobilized resources.
Disaster Management-The efficient use of resources to coordinate the processes of relief,
recovery, and reconstruction.
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Chapter 22:Glossary
Disaster Response-Activities occurring in the aftermath of a disaster which assist disaster
victims and which rehabilitate or reconstruct damaged infrastructure.
Discount Rate-Discount rate is the interest rate used in calculating the present value of
expected yearly benefits and costs. Net present value represents the discounted value of
future benefits and costs. Discounting reflects the time value of money and the view that
benefits and costs are worth more when they are experienced sooner. OMB determines the
discount rate for analysis of federally funded projects.
Empirical-Relying on experience or observation, capable of being verified or disproved by
observation or experiment.
Exposure- The number,types, qualities, and monetary values of various types of property or
infrastructure and life that may be subject to an undesirable or injurious hazard event.
GIS- Geographic Information System. A computerized mapping system and tool that
enables the visual display of geography to various scales linked with information, often from
databases. For the purposes of hazard mitigation,the system allows planners to take
information about a specific area,to overlay a hazard to see areas that might be impacted,
and to develop actions to minimize the impacts.
Hazard-An event or physical condition that has the potential to cause fatalities, injuries,
property damage, infrastructure damage, agricultural loss, damage to the environment,
interruption of business, or other types of harm or loss.
Hazard Mapping-The process of establishing geographically where certain phenomena are
likely to pose a threat to human settlements.
Hazard Potential-Possible adverse consequences.
Hazard Potential Classification- A system that categorizes dams according to the degree
of adverse incremental consequences of a failure or mis-operation of a dam. The hazard
potential classification does not reflect in any way on the current condition of the dam (e.g.,
safety, structural integrity, flood routing capacity.)
Impacts- The impacts of a disaster include market-based and non market-based effects.
Market-based impacts include destruction of property and a reduction in income and sales.
Non-market effects include environmental consequences and psychological effects suffered
by persons involved in a disaster.
Incremental Consequences- Under the same conditions(e.g. flood, earthquake, or other
event),the difference in impacts that would occur due to failure or mis-operation of the dam
over those that would have occurred without failure or mis-operation of the dam and
appurtenances.
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Chapter 22:Glossary
Loss-Any reduction in value, or well-being to individuals, groups or society. A loss is a
cost. Losses avoided are benefits.
Direct Losses-Losses linked directly to a hazard event including all damages and
employment losses due directly to the closure of damaged facilities.
Indirect Losses -All losses other than direct losses. Indirect losses include economic
losses due to dislocations in undamaged factories or commercial ventures,banking,
and insurance as well as non financial losses such as loss of historical resources,pain,
and suffering.
Maximum Foreseeable Loss - An estimate of losses assuming the worst combination
damage and disruption to a business. This estimate allows consideration of the worst possible
consequences.
Mitigation-All actions taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property
from hazards and their effects. Mitigation activities contrast with short-term risk-reducing
actions such as preparedness,response and recovery measures and risk spreading measures
such as insurance.
Multiplier- The ratio between the direct effect on output or employment and the full effect
including the effects of second order rounds or spending. (From OMB A-94)
Natural Hazard- The probability of occurrence of a potentially damaging natural
phenomenon within a specific period of time. Some of these include tropical cyclones,
hurricanes, drought, earthquakes, floods, landslides,tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
Net Present Value- The discounted monetized value of expected net benefits (i.e., benefits
minus costs). This is the standard criterion for deciding whether a government program can
be justified on economic principles. Net present value is compute by assigning monetary
values to benefits and costs, discounting future benefits and costs using an appropriate
discount rate, and subtracting the sum total of discounted costs from the sum total of
discounted benefits. (From OMB A-94)
Opportunity Cost- The value of alternatives foregone to achieve the mitigation activity. It
can be thought of as the value of the good or service in its best alternative use.
Present Value-The value of a stream of benefits or costs when discounted back to the
present time.
Probable-Likely to occur; reasonably expected;realistic.
Probability and Frequency- A measure of how often an event is likely to occur.
Frequency can be expressed as the average time between occurrences or exceedances (non-
exceedances) of an event or the percent chance or probability of the event occurring or
being exceeded(not exceeded)in a given year or a longer time period.
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Chapter 22:Glossary
Process Mitigation-Indirect mitigation activities that lead to policies,practices and projects
that reduce risk. They include efforts to assess hazards,vulnerability and risk; conduct
planning to identify projects,policies and practices and set priorities; educate decision-
makers and build constituencies and political will; and to facilitate the selection, design,
funding and construction of projects.
Project Mitigation -Project mitigation includes measures to avoid or reduce damage
resulting from hazard events. They include projects to elevate, acquire and/or relocate
buildings, lifelines and structures threatened by floods, strengthen buildings to resist
earthquake or wind forces, and to improve drainage and land conditions.
Rehabilitation-Action undertaken in the weeks or months following a disaster to restore
basic services which enable life in the region to return to normality. However, it should be
recognized that normality also gave rise to a disaster. Therefore,the term can be equated with
vulnerability, and there is thus a need to advance from the status quo towards post-disaster
improvements.
Relief-Attention to immediate and basic needs of disaster survivors. These needs include
food, clothing, shelter, and medical or emotional care. In the case of fast-impact disasters
such as floods, earthquakes or cyclones,this process is directed at saving lives and alleviating
further suffering.
Risk-Potential losses associated with a hazard, defined in terms of expected probability and
frequency, exposure, and consequences. Risk is therefore the product of specific risk and
elements at risk;the convolution of the probability hazard,vulnerability(or fragility), and
asset exposure.
Risk Assessment-A process or method for evaluating risk associated with a specific hazard
and defined in terms of probability and frequency of occurrence,magnitude and severity,
exposure, and consequences.
Shadow Prices -If a market in a good is not perfectly competitive,then market prices will
not reflect the opportunity costs of that good. The price of the good, as corrected to equal its
opportunity cost, is termed its shadow price.
Vulnerability-The susceptibility to physical injury,harm, damage, or economic loss.
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