Water Demand and Human Behavior during Compounding Disasters: The Case of Winter Storm Uri and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Engineered systems are designed for a specific operating context based on assumptions about the population served. In turn, management of these systems can be stressed during population shifts (and corresponding demand shifts), such as those seen during both discrete (e.g., hurricanes) and protracted (e.g., pandemics) events. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic changes in society, consequentially changing spatial and temporal water use as people worked from home. In another example, Winter Storm Uri led to utility service disruptions throughout Texas, causing people without power and water to seek shelter, leading to spatial changes in water use in conjunction with physical damage. This sheltering occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to increased uncertainty in demand and challenges to shelter while ensuring social distancing. Researchers have studied disaster scenarios independently, but there is a gap surrounding compounding disasters as human-infrastructure interactions are likely altered. Here, we assess water demand changes during Winter Storm Uri (which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic) at the building level. We performed k-means clustering on demand data from four buildings at the University of Texas, Austin. Three buildings showed different daily demand profiles during the storm compared to the spring semester. Interestingly, there were demand increases in buildings not being used as warming centers, perhaps indicating increased occupancy. This trend reveals that people do not necessarily choose to shelter in places that are formally organized. In a museum, water use decreased compared to the already reduced demand during the pandemic, possibly leading to water stagnation and quality concerns. © ASCE.