Conclusions

Clutter and others (1983) defines risk in the statement: "the inability to estimate future cash flows with certainty is the basic cause of risk in an investment." At play in this analysis are other issues that effect the probability of acquiring an expected return. Examples include rotation lengths (with which MIFI type information may be of further use), intermediate weather conditions, (i.e., droughts, floods, etc.), and market fluctuations. Whereas this study is not a risk assessment in totality, it does place a foundation, albeit not a large one, for development in this direction.

The implications developed in this work with regard to variable creation and the data types utilized are promising for future meaningful region-level continuous damage assessment model creation. The thrust will continue to locate additional ancillary data that may serve to further supplant the advantages of poststorm imagery incorporation in the development of these models. Field data will soon replace the photo-interpreted data so heavily relied upon here, and with it a new set of obstacles are expected. In all, however, it does appear possible to create a meaningful damage model that will aid in both economic recovery and assessment of risk associated with storms similar to Hurricane Katrina, possible before said storms occur.