File:U.S. chemical warfare stockpile vulnerability effects to local infrastructure from a chemical-agent release (IA uschemicalwarfar109453515).pdf

This thesis develops methods to identify certain infrastructure vulnerabilities from the accidental or intentional release of a chemical agent from a U.S. Chemical Warfare Stockpile and Facility (CF). For the region surrounding any CF, a \"ultiinfrastructure network operations model\" (MINO) is created from various infrastructure datasets: MINO covers the local population, road network, and emergency-response systems. Standard software generates a chemical-agent-release scenario that requires the evacuation of part of the region, and that blocks emergency responders from using certain roads. Using shortest-path methods, one version of MINO then identifies evacuation routes that the local population will likely use, showing where traffic congestion may slow evacuation. Another version computes and compares emergency-response distances, pre-release and postrelease, for areas outside the contaminated region. Two or three scenarios are examined for each of six CFs. The areas surrounding Newport, Indiana, and Pueblo, Colorado, CFs show low evacuation numbers and low traffic intensities. For the Anniston, Alabama; Blue Grass, Kentucky; and Umatilla, Oregon CFs, several roads exhibit high traffic intensities that may slow evacuations. Several of these scenarios, along with one Pueblo incident, also show significant travel-distance increases for emergency-responders. Software limitations prohibit analysis of the CF at Tooele, Utah.