Natural Hazards and the Built Environment
Course Description      The main course objective is to provide students with a basic knowledge of effects of natural hazards on buildings and other structures, and mitigation measures available to reduce their destructive impacts.  The specific student outcome objectives are:
To have a basic understanding of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural hazards, including their causes, probabilities of occurrence, and geographic distribution. To have a basic understanding of the interaction of these hazards with the built environment, including damage mechanisms. To have a basic understanding of structural (i.e., specific building design features) and nonstructural (e.g., codes, zoning, floodplain management, insurance) mitigation options. To be able make an estimate of likely damage to a building, given information on building construction and the specific hazard. To be able to identify appropriate hazard mitigation possibilities for both individual buildings and communities, given information on the building/community and the specific hazard.
Information for Instructors
Course Content and Objectives