Comparison of damage assessment methodologies for different natural hazards

Following a natural disaster engineers undertake structural assessments for many different purposes; for example for the assessment of structural safety, quantification of the severity of the event effects or for insurance loss calculation. These purposes are common irrespective of the hazard that may have caused the structural damage. This paper presents a critical review and comparison of existing methods for the post-event damage assessment of structures under different natural hazards. It aims to discover whether it may be possible in the future to develop a common assessment methodology that is hazard-independent, or if fundamental differences exist in the effects of the hazards that preclude a common approach. The natural hazards investigated are earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. The investigation is complicated by the fact that these hazards have different levels of development in terms of structural assessment methods and universal acceptance of these methods.