FEMA Case Study Library

Browse case study reports and best practice articles from across FEMA's areas of expertise. You can search by title or keywords, select additional content filters, or jump to a collection.

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Evansville Acquisition

EVANSVILLE, IL - The village is a small community in southwestern Illinois along the Kaskaskia River, about 10 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi River.

Kramer Motors Earthquake Rebuild

SANTA MONICA, CA - Kramer Motors has been in business in Santa Monica for 40 years. The business originally had six facilities in the Santa Monica area. The Northridge earthquake that shook southern California early on the morning of January 17, 1994, damaged all six facilities.

Building Beyond Code Requirements in Charleston

CHARLESTON, SC - In the fall of 2002, a magnitude 4.32 earthquake was measured in the Charleston area. That earthquake pales in comparison to the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Charleston on August 31, 1886. Could a magnitude 7.7 earthquake strike again?

Solving the Mystery of the Magnitude 9 Earthquake

WASHINGTON - Lewis and Clark didn't reach the coast of Washington State until November 1805. So how do we know that a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred in the Seattle area on January 26, 1700?

GPS System Measures Earthquake Potential

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - The Chinese philosopher Chang Heng invented the first seismoscope in A.D. 132. The instrument was a large urn, on the outside of which were eight dragonheads facing the eight principal directions of the compass.

Light Fixtures, Earthquakes, and School Children

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is second in size only to the New York City School District. At present, the District is composed of over 900 schools, serving over 800,000 students, and employing 57,000 full-time and 24,000 parttime staff.

Business Increases its Involvement in Earthquake Mitigation

WASHINGTON - What do Starbucks Corporation, the Boeing Company, and the Friday Harbor Flower Shop have in common?

UCSF Medical Center Seismic Saw-Cut Mitigation Project

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center Parnassus serves as the main campus for UCSF’s medical program, as well as a Children’s Hospital, several research labs, and the center for the Dental and Nursing programs.

Gallatin County, Montana Completes HAZUS-Multi Hazard Earthquake Study

GALLATIN COUNTY, MT - Gallatin County, Montana recently completed a comprehensive, two-year study of the potential impacts of two scenario earthquakes: a maximum probable event and a maximum credible event.

New Era in Earthquake Monitoring Project TriNet

CALIFORNIA - Following the Northridge earthquake in 1994, FEMA provided funding to the California Institute of Technology, the California Division of Mines and Geology, and the USGS to upgrade earthquake monitoring in southern California.