scholarly journals Drivers and barriers of adaptation initiatives – How societal transformation affects natural hazard management and risk mitigation in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 1073-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Thaler ◽  
Marie-Sophie Attems ◽  
Mathieu Bonnefond ◽  
Darren Clarke ◽  
Amandine Gatien-Tournat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Societal Transformation ◽  
Hazard Management

scholarly journals Review article: Assessing the costs of natural hazards – state of the art and knowledge gaps

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1351-1373 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Meyer ◽  
N. Becker ◽  
V. Markantonis ◽  
R. Schwarze ◽  
J. C. J. M. van den Bergh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Cost Assessment ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Risk Dynamics

Abstract. Efficiently reducing natural hazard risks requires a thorough understanding of the costs of natural hazards. Current methods to assess these costs employ a variety of terminologies and approaches for different types of natural hazards and different impacted sectors. This may impede efforts to ascertain comprehensive and comparable cost figures. In order to strengthen the role of cost assessments in the development of integrated natural hazard management, a review of existing cost assessment approaches was undertaken. This review considers droughts, floods, coastal and Alpine hazards, and examines different cost types, namely direct tangible damages, losses due to business interruption, indirect damages, intangible effects, and the costs of risk mitigation. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art cost assessment approaches and discusses key knowledge gaps. It shows that the application of cost assessments in practice is often incomplete and biased, as direct costs receive a relatively large amount of attention, while intangible and indirect effects are rarely considered. Furthermore, all parts of cost assessment entail considerable uncertainties due to insufficient or highly aggregated data sources, along with a lack of knowledge about the processes leading to damage and thus the appropriate models required. Recommendations are provided on how to reduce or handle these uncertainties by improving data sources and cost assessment methods. Further recommendations address how risk dynamics due to climate and socio-economic change can be better considered, how costs are distributed and risks transferred, and in what ways cost assessment can function as part of decision support.

The recalibration of our relationships with science (and nature) by natural hazard risk mitigation practitioners

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110198
Author(s):  
Jessica K Weir ◽  
Timothy Neale ◽  
Elizabeth A Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
Procedural Change ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Unrealistic Expectations

Unrealistic expectations in society about science reducing and even eliminating the risk of natural hazards contrasts with the chaotic forces of these events, but such expectations persist nonetheless. Risk mitigation practitioners must grapple with them, including in the cycles of blame and inquiry that follow natural hazard events. We present a synthesis of such practitioner experiences from three consequential bushfire and flood risk landscapes in Australia in which science was being used to change policy and/or practice. We show how they chose to work with, counter and recalibrate unrealistic expectations of science, as well as embrace socionatural complexity and a consequential nature. The mismatch between the challenges faced by the sector and the unrealistic expectations of science, generated more stressful work conditions, less effective risk mitigation, and less effective use of research monies. In response, we argue for structural and procedural change to address legacy pathways that automatically privilege science, especially in relation to nature, with broader relevance for other environmental issues. This is not to dismiss or debase science, but to better understand its use and utility, including how facts and values relate.

Lessons learned from the Big Floods, 1999–2013: The Bavarian Flood Action Programme 2020plus

Water Policy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (S1) ◽  
pp. 133-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Grambow ◽  
Erich Eichenseer ◽  
Gregor Overhoff ◽  
Tobias Hafner ◽  
Kerstin Staton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Design ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Flood Protection ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Protection Strategy ◽  
Extreme Flood ◽  
Action Programme

Flood protection is an integral part of society's development. Meeting a growing vulnerability in the context of geopolitical and global changes, existing systems of natural hazard management must be reviewed on a regular basis. This is illustrated well by Bavaria's recent history. The lessons from the big floods in the period of 1999–2013 led to a fundamental modification of Bavaria's integral flood protection strategy. The concepts of flood risk management, resilience and dealing with extreme flood events which exceed standard structural design limits came to the fore. Management of flash floods and other floods, handling of potential retention areas, the inclusion of insurance, resettlement, and the burden of maintenance are further challenges which are briefly addressed in this paper.

Rural Intelligent Transportation System Natural-Hazard Management on Low-Volume Roads

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-259
Author(s):  
Rand Decker ◽  
Robert Rice ◽  
Steve Putnam ◽  
Stanford Singer
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Intelligent Transportation System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Intelligent Transportation ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Road Closure

The growth of winter travel on alpine roads in the western United States has increased the risk to motorists and highway maintenance personnel owing to a variety of natural hazards. Hazards include snow and ice, avalanching snow, and blowing and drifting snow. The conditions call for attendant need for incident response. A substantial number of affected routes are low-volume rural winter roads. Configurations have been developed for rural intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology that can detect hazards and provide, autonomously and in real time, warnings to and traffic control actions for motorists, highway maintainers, and incident responders for roadway natural hazards. These warnings include on-site traffic control signing and road closure gates, in-vehicle audio alarms for agency maintenance and patrol vehicles, and notification to highway agency maintenance facilities or centralized multiagency dispatchers. These actions and notifications are initiated automatically from the remote rural sites and via manual intervention from off-site personnel, well removed from the rural roadway corridor itself. About 5 years of experience have been accumulated in using these rural ITS natural-hazard reduction systems, including snow avalanche detection and warning systems on Loveland Pass, Colorado; Hoback Canyon, Wyoming; and Banner Summit, Idaho. Automated road closure gates on the Teton Pass in Idaho and Wyoming now allow for remote road closure during heavy snow events. These cost-effective ITS natural-hazard systems are highly exportable for other processes that affect rural low-volume roadways, including landslide, flooding, high surf, high winds, loss of visibility, wildlife, and other natural hazards of this type.

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