Page 4 - CCPS Monograph - Natural Hazards

1 GENERAL

Natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, Superstorm Sandy, and various river flood
events have made it clear to the upstream, refining and chemical industries that planning for such natural
hazards is very important. The likelihood of such natural disasters occurring seems to be increasing. The
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) references a study by Swiss Re, an
international insurer, covering the years 1970 to 2016, showing that North America has experienced
increasing insured losses from disaster events with the highest losses in 2016. Most of the losses
stemmed from hurricanes, hailstorms, thunderstorms, and severe flood events. (CSB 2018)

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) member
companies believe that sharing experiences and learnings is fundamental to reducing risk and improving
performance. This monograph addresses the assessment of and planning for natural disasters. It is
based on guidance provided by various government, insurance agencies, and CCPS, as well as lessons
learned by various CCPS member companies. It is also aligned with the CCPS Risk Based Process Safety
approaches of understanding hazards and managing risks. (CCPS 2007)

The reader is reminded that this monograph provides guidance and does not set a standard or
expectation for performance or actions. Ultimately it is the responsibility of each company and its
employees to act on their principles and available information to secure their site and protect their
employees, the community, and the environment from harm. Also, where local regulations provide
compliance requirements, those regulations should take precedent.

This monograph intends to provide basic information, an approach for assessing natural hazards, means
to address the hazards, and emergency planning guidance. It applies to both new and existing facilities.

2 INTRODUCTION

Natural hazards include all types of naturally occurring events that have the potential for negative impact.
These natural phenomena fall into two categories:

 Meteorological hazards are those that naturally occur due to the weather cycle or climactic cycles,
and include flooding, temperature extremes, snow/ice storms, wild fire, tornado, tropical cyclones,
hurricanes, storm surge, wind, lightning, hailstorms, drought, etc.
 Geological hazards are those occurring due to the movements of the earth and the internal earth
forces, and include seismic events, earthquakes, landslides, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, and dam
rupture.

3 IDENTIFY HAZARDS

The first step in preparing for a natural hazard event is to identify the natural hazards that could occur
at the facility. The list of meteorological and geological hazards above could be considered as a primary
screening list. When deciding if a natural hazard is relevant at a site, codes and standards, regulations,
insurance reports, and site experience may be useful. Although a site, or the analyst compiling the list of
hazards, may not have experienced a specific type of natural disaster, it is important not to discount its
potential. An example site screening for natural hazards document format is provided in Appendix A.

Assessment of and planning for natural hazards 1

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