StEER - Hurricane Dorian: Field Assessment Structural Team (FAST-1) Early Access Reconnaissance Report (EARR)

This Early Access Reconnaissance Report (EARR) is StEER’s second product from this event and provides an overview of Hurricane Dorian, StEER’s event response, and preliminary findings based on the data and observations generated by its first Field Assessment Structural Team (FAST-1). FAST-1 was led by structural engineer Justin Marshall (Auburn University), wind engineer Daniel Smith, (James Cook University/University of Florida), and operations engineer Andrew Lyda (University of Washington NHERI RAPID facility). Steve Pece of Pece of Mind Environmental, Inc. provided personal mission logistics to rapidly access to the islands. The FAST-1 deployed between 24-26 September 2019, utilizing Door-to-Door assessments and Applied StreetView imaging across Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay, on Great Abaco Island, to document structural performance of buildings and other structures. This report affirms the widespread damage across all building typologies, but also documents a wide range of building performance that contradicted the narrative of near-universal destruction being reported in the international media.