Probabilistic Modeling of Hurricane Wind-Induced Damage in Infrastructure Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a probabilistic modeling framework combining hurricane forecast uncertainties with damage estimation models to predict infrastructure damage and power outages caused by hurricanes.

Contribution

It develops a physically-based NHPP model integrated with FHLO hurricane forecasts to estimate spatial damage variability and quantify uncertainties in infrastructure failure predictions.

Findings

Significant correlation between outage rates and failure rates.

Model effectively captures spatial damage variability.

Approach applicable to predicting system loss-of-service.

Abstract

This paper presents a modeling approach for probabilistic estimation of hurricane wind-induced damage to infrastructural assets. In our approach, we employ a Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP) model for estimating spatially-varying probability distributions of damage as a function of hurricane wind field velocities. Specifically, we consider a physically-based, quadratic NHPP model for failures of overhead assets in electricity distribution systems. The wind field velocities are provided by Forecasts of Hurricanes using Large-Ensemble Outputs (FHLO), a framework for generating probabilistic hurricane forecasts. We use FHLO in conjunction with the NHPP model, such that the hurricane forecast uncertainties represented by FHLO are accounted for in estimating the probability distributions of damage. Furthermore, we evaluate the spatial variability and extent of hurricane damage under key wind field parameters (intensity, size, and asymmetries). By applying our approach to prediction of power outages (loss-of-service) in northwestern Florida due to Hurricane Michael (2018), we demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between outage rate and failure rate. Finally, we formulate parametric models that relate total damage and financial losses to the hurricane parameters of intensity and size. Overall, this paper's findings suggest that our approach is well-suited to jointly account for spatial variability and forecast uncertainty in the damage estimates, and is readily applicable to prediction of system loss-of-service due to the damage.