How critical infrastructure orients international relief in cascading disasters

Critical infrastructure and facilities are central assets in modern societies, but their impact on international disaster relief remains mostly associated with logistics challenges. The emerging literature on cascading disasters suggests the need to integrate the non-linearity of events in the analyses. This article investigates three case studies: the 2002 floods in the Czech Republic, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima meltdown in Japan. We explore how the failure of critical infrastructure can orient international disaster relief by shifting its priorities during the response. We argue that critical infrastructure can influence aid request and delivery, changing needs to address the cascades and contain cascading technology-based events. The conclusions propose remaining challenges with applying our findings

Critical infrastructure, panarchies and the vulnerability paths of cascading disasters

Cascading effects and cascading disasters are emerging fields of scientific research. The widespread diffusion of functional networks increases the complexity of interdependent systems and their vulnerability to large-scale disruptions. Although in recent years studies of interconnections and chain effects have improved significantly, cascading phenomena are often associated with the ‘‘toppling domino metaphor’’, or with high-impact, low-probability events. This paper aimed to support a paradigm shift in the state of the art by proposing a new theoretical approach to cascading events in terms of their root causes and lack of predictability. By means of interdisciplinary theory building, we demonstrate how cascades reflect the ways in which panarchies collapse. We suggest that the vulnerability of critical infrastructure may orientate the progress of events in relation to society’s feedback loops, rather than merely being an effect of natural triggers. Our conclusions point to a paradigm shift in the preparedness phase that could include escalation points and social nodes, but that also reveals a brand new field of research for disaster scholars

Cascading Events, Technology and the Floods Directive: future challenges

Cascading events can be referred to multidimensional disasters, where a primary trigger generates a nonlinear series of secondary emergencies that escalate in time, becoming eventually the priority to tackle. In this process, critical infrastructure can be handled as roots of vulnerabilities, because they accumulate both physical attributes and functional nodes. When compromised, they produce widespread breakdowns of society, but also orient emergency responses and long-term recovery. Although floods have been widely associated to the failure of vulnerable equipments or to the disruption of strategic sectors such as energy, communication and transportation, their integration with the emerging concept of cascading has been limited. This open topic presents many challenges for scholars, researchers and practitioners, in particular when the implementation of the EU Floods Directive is considered. The paper presents an overview of the Floods Directive and its relation with the cascading events, using case studies and examples from the existing literature to point out missing links and gaps in the legislation. Conclusions argue that the Directive considers only local geographical scales and limited temporal horizons, which can be result inadequate to limit the escalation of events

Emergency infrastructure and facilities.

This edition of Critical Infrastructure presents a culmination of ongoing research and real-work experience, building upon previous editions

A Review of the Technical and Socio-Organizational Components of Earthquake Early Warning Systems

Every year, natural hazards affect millions of people around the world, causing significant economic and life losses. The rapid progress of technology and advances in understanding of the highly complex physical phenomena related to various natural hazards have promoted the development of new disaster-mitigation tools, such as earthquake early warning (EEW) systems. However, there is a general lack of integration between the multi- and cross-disciplinary elements of EEW, limiting its effectiveness and applications for end users. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art in EEW, exploring both the technical components (i.e., seismological and engineering) as well as the socio-organizational components (i.e., social science, policy, and management) of EEW systems. This includes a discussion of specific evidence from case studies of Italy, United States’ West Coast, Japan, and Mexico, where EEW systems have reached varying levels of maturity. Our aim is to highlight necessary improvements for increasing the effectiveness of the technical aspects of EEW in terms of their implications on operational, political/legal, social, behavioral, and organizational drivers. Our analysis suggests open areas for research, associated with: 1) the information that needs to be included in EEW alerts to implement successful mitigation actions at both individual and organizational levels; 2) the need for response training to the community by official bodies, such as civil protection; 3) existing gaps in the attribution of accountability and development of liability policies involving EEW implementation; 4) the potential for EEW to increase seismic resilience of critical infrastructure and lifelines; 5) the need for strong organizational links with first responders and official EEW bodies; and 6) the lack of engineering-related (i.e., risk and resilience) metrics currently used to support decision making related to the triggering of alerts by various end users

Understanding and mitigating cascading crises in the global interconnected system

Cascading crises and disasters in the global interconnected system are emerging topics in today's disaster risk reduction research. The primary objective is improving the capability of our societies to cope with such events and mitigate their detrimental consequences through an evolved understanding of their nature. Rather than being merely considered as an outcome of low-probability/high-impact processes, cascading events can be associated with the cross-scale accumulation of vulnerability paths constituted by events waiting to happen. In this context, instead of focusing solely on triggering events, it seems important to point out the interactions orienting the escalation of secondary emergencies through vulnerability paths. This special issue integrates those emerging aspects with an operational approach that considers cascades as the complex, non-linear escalation of secondary emergencies. Key topics addressed by the contributions include: cross-domain modelling of interdependent systems; decision support systems; economic impact assessment of critical events; and cascades in the built environment, in social domains, and in applied emergency management. Our conclusions support the work of academia, and of public and private stakeholders, by providing a comprehensive analysis of the topic for the improvement of theory, the assessment of resilience, the formulation of policies for managing crises, and operational planning for emergencies

Increasing resilience to cascading events: The M.OR.D.OR. scenario

The growing complexity of global interconnected risk suggests that a shift has occurred in the way emergency planners need to improve preparedness and response to cascading events. With reference to the literature from the physical, social and political sciences, this paper analyses extreme space weather events and cyberattacks. The goal of this work is to produce a replicable scenario-building process, based on cross-disciplinary understanding of vulnerability, that could be complementary to probabilistic hazard assessment. Our hypothesis is that the technological and human component of critical infrastructure could be the primary vector for the escalation of secondary emergencies. While not themselves having direct implications in terms of loss of life, elements that are common to different risks could provide particular challenges for disaster management. Our findings identify some vulnerable nodes, such as Global Navigation Satellite System technology and remote-control systems, that could act as paths for the escalations of events. We suggest that these paths may be common to various known and unknown threats. We propose two scenarios of Massive, OveRwhelming Disruption of OpeRations (M.OR.D.OR.) that could be used for testing emergency preparedness strategies, and increasing the response to highly complex, unknown events. The conclusions highlight the open challenges of seeking to increase societal resilience. The limitations of this work are described, as are the possible challenges for future research

Perceptions of cascading risk and interconnected failures in emergency planning: Implications for operational resilience and policy making

Cascading events and the disruption of interconnected critical infrastructure (CI) are a well-known challenge for emergency planning and management. Although new modelling and forecasting tools are increasing the availability of mitigation options, further work is needed to consolidate good policies and practices. This paper presents a case study on London, United Kingdom (UK). It develops an integrative research process with local stakeholders aimed at applying the theory of cascading disasters in London's response and preparedness strategies. A mixed method approach is adopted to explore the awareness of cascading risk, the perception of possible mitigation measures, and the current levels of training amongst the stakeholders of the London Resilience Partnerships. Specific items investigate the relation of cascades with cross- border crisis management, and climate change. The results propose new quantitative and qualitative evidence that highlights the divergence between risk awareness and its integration in policies and practices, discussing options for improving multi- agency coordination and organisational resilience. The conclusions define a list of actions that should be strategic priorities for policies and decision makers, such as the improvement of inter-modal coordination and the release of open access guidelines, proposing new open questions for scholars in the field