The purpose of this Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) project is to collect a benchmark post-disaster dataset perishable wildfire damage signatures and vulnerability factors, in order to support research investigating: (1) the efficacy of wildfire mitigation strategies; and (2) methods for measuring, monitoring and evaluating characteristics of post-wildfire recovery. Most research on wildfires has focused on modeling wildfire in natural settings rather than the urban environment. Research is urgently needed to better understand the importance of environmental mitigation factors such as fire breaks and planned intervention strategies including "shelter in place" for enhancing the resilience of fire-prone communities. The recent California wildfires present a unique opportunity to investigate and quantify elements that influence recovery patterns and resilience. Advanced technologies, internet resources and responder interviews will be used to develop time-critical post-disaster datasets, documenting damage characteristics and potential factors affecting urban and structural vulnerability. These data will be used to investigate how the performance of urban areas, neighborhoods and individual structures varies within the wildfire zones, the influence of mitigation factors on vulnerability of urban areas and structures to wildfire devastation and the integration of mitigation practices into the recovery process. This research employs a novel spatially-tiered approach to compile and archive perishable data characterizing wildfire damage and vulnerability factors, employing a unique methodology involving underutilized advanced technologies.
The technology-driven methods that will be investigated through this SGER, together with the findings from subsequent research activities, have immense potential for improving the resilience of fire-prone communities. Enhancing the knowledge of how the performance of urban areas, neighborhoods and individual structures varies within wildfire zones and the factors that affect their long term resilience to wildfire devastation, will bring many practical societal benefits. Governments, policy makers, and local organizations can apply findings to examine existing wildfire mitigation strategies, refine plans for and actions supporting future response efforts, improve their decisions during events, and plan recovery strategies. Further, by augmenting existing understanding of wildfire vulnerability, the project will advance the state-of-the-art in wildfire studies.
