9322386 Nigg This award is made under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program to conduct a twelve-month study of the economic consequences of flooding in the mid-central states that occurred during the summer of 1993. The investigation will focus on disruption of the economic sector of Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa due to the multiple failure of lifeline systems. Greater Des Moines was selected for intensive study because of the massive lifeline failures across the community, a condition which is likely to reflect the conditions arising from a large earthquake in a metropolitan area. The project is related to NSF's Civil Infrastructure Systems Research initiative. By investigating multiple infrastructural failures in one community due to a disaster, we will gain a perspective on the relative importance of these systems for the economic well-being of a community. A complementary project focusing on lifeline engineering will be carried out by the Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering. ***
