FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Hazus

Latest Release: Hazus 7.1

Hazus 7.1 represents an upgrade to the first ArcGIS Pro-based release of Hazus 7.0. Hazus 7.1 is the second version of the Hazus software compatible with ArcGIS Pro (v3.4), offering a modern platform for natural hazard risk assessments. Below are key features available in this release:

• Upgrade in Place: Users will not have to uninstall, risk losing data or start over with the latest release. Hazus 7.1 is available as a patch on top of Hazus 7.0.
• User Supplied Hurricane Scenarios: Following National Hurricane Center data import functionality in Hazus 7.0, users can now import custom windspeed data.
• Results Export: Users can export analysis results right from the Hazus workflow, streamlining a process that was previously only available as an open-source Hazus Export tool.
• Hurricane Fixes: Updates to hurricane damage functions, Specific Building Type (SBT) damage state building counts, and a repackaging of hurricane state data are available.

reCAPTCHA must be completed before you can download Hazus in ArcPro

Download Hazus 7.0

1. Download Hazus 7.0: Download and extract the "HazusPro_App" media and save it to a known file location.
2. Review Release Guides: Open and read the "Hazus 7.0 Getting Started Guide" to install and run Hazus. The "Hazus 7.0 Release Notes" are available for more detailed information.

With Hazus 7.0, we’ve made it easier to get started by taking care of all the back-end database setup. All you need to do is open Hazus and begin using the software. There is no longer a need for users to manually download and extract Hazus databases, like in previous releases.

For users interested in exploring Hazus inventory data without running the software, the Hazus Inventory National Database is available. This dataset compiles all baseline inventory data for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and United States territories into a single, easily accessible file. Download the data here.

Download Hazus 7.1

1. Ensure system meets the minimum system and software requirements. Users must have ArcGIS Pro and Hazus 7.0 installed first.
2. Download Hazus 7.1: Download and extract the "Hazus_7_1_patch" media and save it to a known file location.
3. Review Release Guides: Open and read the "Hazus 7-1 Getting Started Guide" to install and run Hazus. The "Hazus 7-1 Release Notes" are available for more detailed information.

What’s the Difference between Hazus in ArcPro and Hazus 6.1?

While some features from Hazus 6.1 on ArcMap may not be available, but the team is actively working to integrate key functionalities into future releases. The Hazus program is committed to providing the risk assessment community with accessible, reliable tools that meet ever-evolving needs. Join us to deliver the best possible risk assessment software. Stay informed about the latest developments by signing up for email updates.

Hazus 6.1 was built as an extension of ArcMap (v10.8.2), which is in Mature Support and may no longer be available solution for users. More information can be found here.

Hazus 7.1 is built as an extension of ArcGIS Pro (v3.4). See Table below covering the general functionality available in both. For detailed information about what is available in Hazus 6.1 and Hazus 7.1, please refer to the respective Release Notes available with each Hazus application download.

General Functionality Available in Hazus 6.1 and Hazus in ArcPro

Feature	Hazus 6.1	Hazus in ArcPro
Software Compatibility	ArcMap Desktop v10.8.2	ArcGIS Pro v3.4
Hurricane Analysis	Available; Requires the Hazus open-source Hurricane Hazard Import Tool (HHIT) for National Hurricane Center data analysis	Available for National Hurricane Center data. User Supplied analysis built into the software is now available in 7.1
Flood Analysis	Available to users with or without hazards data	Available to users with hazard data (i.e., flood inundation depth grids)
Average Annualized Loss (AAL)	Available for earthquake, flood, and hurricane models	Available only for the flood model, specifically for users with hazard data (i.e., any 3 or more multi-return period depth grids)
Probabilistic Analysis	Available for earthquake, flood, and hurricane models	Available only for the flood model, specifically for users with hazard data (i.e., depth grids representing flood probability intervals)
Earthquake Analysis	Available	Not yet available
Tsunami Analysis	Available	Not yet available
Flood Depth Grid Creation	Available	Not yet available
Reports	Available	Not yet available

Comparison in ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro

This resource offers Hazus users a side-by-side comparison of the differences between the latest versions of Hazus on two Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms, ArcGIS Desktop (known as ArcMap) and ArcGIS Pro. As FEMA’s Hazus Program transitions all Hazus features from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro, we encourage users to reference this side-by-side contrast to determine which version will best meet their hazard modeling needs.

General Features

Feature	ArcMap	ArcGIS Pro
Esri Software	ArcMap Desktop v10.8.2	ArcGIS Pro v3.4
System Recommended Requirements	Computer speed: 2.4 GHz RAM: 8 GB Disk Space: 100 GB Operating System: Windows 10 or 11. 64-bit Extensions: ESRI’s Spatial Analyst required for Flood and Tsunami analysis. Frameworks: Windows 4.8 .NET Framework	Computer speed: 4 CPU cores (or higher) & GPU RAM: 16 GB or more Disk Space: 100 GB Operating System: Latest version of Microsoft Windows v11. Extensions: ESRI’s Spatial Analyst required for Flood analysis. Frameworks: Windows .NET 8 Framework
Installation	Users must have ArcMap installed prior to installation of Hazus.	Both newer ArcGIS Pro versions and older ArcMap versions can exist on the same machine. Streamlined installation process accommodates users of all technical levels. Users must have ArcGIS Pro installed prior to installation of Hazus. Installation will install SQL Server Express 2022.
Update Process	Users must delete their previous versions of Hazus, download the newest version, and follow the normal installation process.	Future versions (7.1 and above) can be downloaded and updated in place without having to delete previous versions. Users must have Hazus 7.0 installed prior to 7.1. Version 7.1 is an update patch to 7.0.
Improved User Interface	Dropdown Menus: Users must go through dropdown windows to progress through an analysis. User Messaging: Error messages are displayed after attempting a step if an issue is found. Inventory and Results: Users must add inventory or results manually to view attributes.	Ribbon Interface: Gives a structured step-by-step workflow. Improved User Messaging: Progress and error messages have been refined to give clear and helpful information through your process. Attribute Table Integration: Now allows users to view inventory and results directly in attribute tables. Map Symbology: Enhanced auto-loaded symbology. Tooltips: Users can hover over tools or icons to view brief descriptions and guidance, eliminating the need to consult the technical manual.
State Data Inventory	Users must download Hazus datasets by state, extract them, and place them in the correct folder location.	Users no longer need to manually search for, download, extract, and place state datasets in the correct file locations. Hazus now handles this entire process, streamlining data preparation and enabling fast project setup. New versioning system prevents users from inadvertently using outdated or incompatible state databases.
Comprehensive Data Management System (CDMS)	Comprehensive Data Management System is available: Users can view, query, and edit the default inventory that is referenced in hazard models. Users can import their own datasets to run region-specific analyses. Building-specific data can be imported to provide more accurate building characteristics for a more detailed analysis.	Comprehensive Data Management System is not available: At this time, users cannot import region-specific datasets for their analyses. Users cannot export default inventories for use in analysis outside of Hazus.
Study Region (6.1)/Study Area (7.0)	You must select and create your study region before opening your Hazus project. You must determine the necessary hazards before selecting the study region. You select study regions through a list at multiple scales including State, County, Census Tract, Census Block, NFIP Community, or Watershed.	You create the study area within Hazus upon startup of a new project. You can interactively select your study area through exploring the default map and manually selecting your area of interest. Study areas can be created at multiple scales including State, County, Census Tract, NFIP Community, or Watershed.
Report Generation	Results can be exported into many different report summaries. Pre-existing reports include global summary reports and individual reports to summarize specific details of the hazard model. Specific reports range in options from damage summaries for Essential Facilities, User Defined Facilities, Debris Generation, Shelter Requirements, and many more.	Report generation is now built into the software for Hurricane only, starting in Hazus 7.1.
Results Export	Users can use the Hazus- export tool, as a stand-alone open-source tool designed to give users an easy way to access, analyze, and share risk assessment results.	Hazus export tool is incorporated into Hazus 7.1. Users no longer have to download the open-source export tool, and can export results directly from Hazus including losses, reports, draft emails, and thumbnails.
Limitations	Data inventories will not be updated any longer. If users are relying on the most up-to-date data, they are encouraged to move to Hazus 7.0.	ArcGIS Pro Basic License Limitations: includes difficulties with file geodatabase rasters in flood models and challenges importing shared project files. Low-End Systems: Users may experience slower performance on machines that only meet minimum requirements. Windows Only: Cannot run on Macintosh or Linux. Maximum 10GB limit on study area Database size. Help pages will not open if usernames contain a space in the name.

Flood Hazard Features

Feature	ArcMap	ArcGIS Pro
Depth Grid Import	Users can import specific depth grids. If they do not have one, they can create a depth grid within Hazus running through default steps. If projection issues exist when the depth grid is imported, users will be notified with an error message after Hazus attempts to import.	Depth grids are required to run a flood model. If users do not have a depth grid, they cannot run a flood analysis. Users must be able to create depth grids on their own or obtain a depth grid from an outside source. If projection issues exist when the depth grid is imported, users will be notified before they attempt to import it.
Depth Grid Generation	If users do not have a depth grid to import for their study region, Hazus will guide the user through the steps of creating a depth grid within the software.	Users do not have the ability to create depth grids within Hazus.
Average Annualized Loss (AAL) Calculation	Users can run AAL with standard return periods; 10-year, 25-year, 50-year, 100-year, and 500-year return periods.	Users can run AAL with a minimum of three return periods, but users can now input any combination of return periods. This can be important for areas with unique hydrological characteristics, resulting in better risk prioritization and planning.
Debris Generation	Users can analyze, view and map building debris results by census blocks.	Not available at this time. The Hazus development team uncovered latent issues in the previous methodology that they are resolving for future releases. To ensure there are no methodology issues, flood debris analysis has been disabled in Hazus 7.1.
Coastal	Users could run models for a single return period or a full suite of return periods. Users must identify the start and end of shorelines for analysis as well as other specific information, such as stillwater elevations, and optionally wave setup, and wave heights.	A depth grid is required to run a coastal flood model. Improvements were made to coastal Depth Damage Functions, which now have more precise methods of automatically assigning damage functions in A Zones and V Zones using depth-limited approach. Hazus can now differentiate between coastal depths and wave heights for A and VE zones.
Study Region (6.1)/Study Area (7.0)	Users can create a study region down to the census block level.	Users are not able to define study areas at the census block level, but can aggregate at the census tract level.

Hurricane Hazard Features

Feature	ArcMap	ArcGIS Pro
Scenarios	Probabilistic This scenario considers the impacts of thousands of potential storms. Deterministic Users can select from preloaded historic storms or hypothetical hurricane tracks.	Probabilistic Not available. Deterministic Users can select scenario data from the National Hurricane Center. Users can directly access and import windspeed data within Hazus when creating a scenario. There is no longer a need for the open-source tool to import.
Storm Tracks	Users can select historic storm events and storm tracks. Users can manually define a storm track. Users can import storm tracks and hurricane wind data. Users can edit storm track and wind data per each track.	Users can select historic storm events and storm tracks from 2005 or later. (Only HVX files are compatible.) Users cannot yet manually edit storm track data. This feature is expected for future releases.
National Hurricane Center	Users need to download the Hurricane Hazard Import Tool to import National Hurricane Center data. Users can set up an account and follow multiple steps to import data.	The ability to incorporate National Hurricane Center hurricane data has been incorporated into Hazus. Users no longer need to go through the process of obtaining and running the Hurricane Hazard Import Tool. Users can search through National Hurricane Center hurricane scenario data by using filters for basin, year, or storm type, but also through a keyword search bar.
Model Limitations	Whole state aggregation fails with insufficient memory resources. This is addressed by reverting the hurricane mapping schemes to the previous before the update, v6.0.	Hazus 7.1 addresses prior issues with incorrect damage state functions for certain multi-family residential buildings and incorrect specific building type damage state calculations. Reverts mapping schemes to those used in 6.0 to alleviate memory issues when building large study areas. This reduces the run time when performing a loss analysis.

Earthquake Hazard Features

Feature	ArcMap	ArcGIS Pro
Scenarios	Historical Events Users can select historical epicenters, which will come with pre-loaded details such as magnitude, fault type, fault depth and width, rupture details and more. Arbitrary Event Users can select any point location within their study region and provide their own details to run the model as if the earthquake would originate from that point. Probabilistic Users can specify the desired return period and magnitude. Alternatively, users can select the Annualized Loss option to estimate average annualized loss. Fault Source Event Users can select a scenario from the USGS supplied fault database USGS ShakeMap This is the primary recommended source. Available for both real events and scenarios. Users can select a real event or a scenario that comes with preloaded hazard data inputs. User-Supplied Hazard Requires users to supply digitized data inputs for this option.	Not available at this time.

Tsunami Hazard Features

Feature	ArcMap	ArcGIS Pro
Hazard Type	Runup Only-Mean Sea Level Requires Maximum Runup Height grid in raster format and DEM raster. Quick Look-Single Maximum Runup Requires DEM raster and single maximum runup value. Depth Above Ground Level and Velocity Requires Maximum Depth grid and Velocity grid in raster format, OR Maximum Depth and Velocity NetCDF NOAA SIFT files. Depth AGL and Momentum Flux Requires Median Depth grid in raster format, AND Median Momentum Flux grid in raster format.	Not available at this time.

Hazus Program Open Source Tools

The Hazus Program also offers open-source risk assessment tools. Our available tools aim to leverage the best available public data, open-source technology, and transparent methodologies to make data-driven risk reduction more accessible to communities across the U.S.

Hazus Flood Assessment Structure Tool (FAST): Rapidly analyze structure-specific flood losses using open-source Python - no mapping or coding skills required! FAST operates independently of Esri and Hazus software, making it easily accessible for anyone. Users can also perform an Average Annualized Loss (AAL) analysis with FAST. Download the tool and read more about it here.

Flood Hazard Import Tool (FHIT): Allows Hazus users to rapidly access and incorporate publicly available flood hazard data from ADCIRC into a Hazus 6.1 flood analysis. Download the tool and read more about it here.

Hazus Hurricane Hazard Import Tool (HHIT): Allows Hazus users to rapidly access and incorporate authoritative hurricane hazard data from the National Hurricane Center into a Hazus 6.1 hurricane analysis. Download the tool and read more about it here.

Hazus Export Tool: Extracts and summarizes Hazus 6.1 risk assessment results in a handful of spreadsheets, shapefiles, and a visual report using open source Python. Download the tool and read more about it here.