Interactive On-Site and Remote Damage Assessment for Urban Search and Rescue

Extraction of victims entrapped in collapsed structures is the objective of urban search and rescue (USAR) operations. Assessing the potential for live victims and the stability of partially or totally collapsed structures are critical aspects of such operations. This paper outlines relevant activities of the first USAR team arriving in Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake and the supporting actions of their home-base team. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the different aspects of damage assessment and discuss how those aspects relate to overall USAR field operations. Guidelines developed for USAR teams are used to shed additional light on the concept of USAR-related damage assessment. Three broad types of considerations are found to constitute damage assessment, requiring varying levels of detail in damage descriptions: area reconnaissance, exterior structural evaluation, and interior structural-member evaluation. Using available information and communication technology, a home-base team can become an active player in area reconnaissance by providing pre- and post-impact information about the affected area to the USAR team.