Risk assessment of emergency route damage induced by soil liquefaction

Abstract

Soil liquefaction occurring in urban areas may result in road subsidence, settlement and tilt of buildings, and manhole uplifting displacement after a heavy earthquake. The limitation of using the soil liquefaction potential map shows that it cannot provide quantitative information about the above-mentioned disasters. Using an appropriate risk assessment of failure modes may serve as a better reference for decision-making agencies, instead of relying solely on a soil liquefaction hazard map. This paper aims to focus on the types of damage that can occur on road infrastructure with the goal of developing a risk assessment strategy for emergency routes. Based on different levels of road damage, we determine the vulnerability level by considering the degree of impact on rescue operations when a disaster occurs. Furthermore, the hazard level was evaluated by taking into account both the liquefaction potential index and the groundwater level. Vulnerability and hazard levels were combined into a risk matrix to determine risk level. As an example, we will use a segment of emergency routes in order to explain how the road damage risk level affects the rescue response in the event of a disaster. The proposed risk assessment demonstrates promising potential as an intermediate tool for emergency response in practical cases.