Scenario for a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Wasatch fault-Salt Lake city segment: hazards and loss estimates

The report uses results developed by the Utah Division of Emergency Management from their ongoing work with the HAZUS loss-estimation software. The scenario is for a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault. Estimated aggregated losses, for the 12 most northern Utah counties, illustrate the severity of this event. The human impact of the report focuses on the HAZUS results in terms of deaths, injuries, and sheltering needs.

The HAZUS results also emphasize the huge economic impact showing the loss from structural, nonstructural (i.e. walls, ceilings, cladding, and HVAC), building contents, and inventory damage in addition to the cost of lost wages, lost rental income, and relocation. The report lists the estimated lifeline losses and also provides time estimates for recovery for selected utilities.

In addition, the report presents estimates on the number of building inspectors that will be needed to perform building safety evaluations, and it estimates the amount of debris generated that must be hauled away. The scenario report concludes with a call to action, providing nine recommendations to the USSC.

These recommendations provide the Commission with a direction forward that includes consensus building of stakeholders, advocates for pre-disaster planning and mitigation, and encourages the ongoing study of geologic hazards along with the continued monitoring of seismic activity, and finishes with the need for disaster resiliency planning.