Citation

De Silva DG, Kruse JB, Wang Y. Nat. Hazards Rev. 2006; 7(1): 19-25.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Society of Civil Engineers)

DOI

10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2006)7:1(19)

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study examines the destruction caused by the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma City tornado and the rebuilding process using panel data techniques. The results indicate that, within , the average property value of the damaged cohort exceeded the undamaged group. We use a unique data set that includes individual Fujita-scale damage assessments from Texas Tech University in conjunction with estimates of market value provided by the Oklahoma County Tax Assessor. We estimate the relationship between the Fujita-scale damage assessment and the monetary loss in market value. Our results suggest that the greatest opportunity to reduce monetary losses from tornado damage is for low-intensity tornadoes. Further, at damage ratings of F1 and higher, research should be directed toward life safety measures.