Assessing impacts to Tennessee State Park infrastructure caused by extreme weather events

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra Abkowitz Brooks ◽  
James Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Event Type ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infrastructure Systems ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Financial Decision ◽  
Heat Events

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a risk-based methodology developed to identify the severity of impacts to various types of infrastructure located within the Tennessee State Park system when exposed to extreme weather events. Infrastructure systems, composed of various assets, are central to the economic, environmental and cultural functioning of the society. Understanding the potential impacts to these assets from various threats is fundamental to prudent strategic, operational and financial decision-making. Among infrastructure, systems of interest are those managed and operated by park services. Such systems are particularly exposed to extreme weather, given the recreational activities that they provide. Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes a risk-based methodology developed to identify the severity of impacts to various types of infrastructure located within the Tennessee State Park system when exposed to extreme weather events. It consists of the following steps: identifying extreme weather event types experienced in Tennessee; assessing damage to various types of park system infrastructure caused by these events; and deriving an overall impact score associated with specific types of park system infrastructure when exposed to certain types of extreme weather scenarios. Findings – In applying this methodology, tornadic events were found to be most impactful, whereas drought and heat events had the least effect on park infrastructure. Dining and lodging infrastructure were found to incur the most damage, regardless of the weather event type. Originality/value – The approach as described in this paper is transferable to other park systems as well as public sector assets in general.

Does extreme rainfall lead to heavy losses in the food industry?

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-266
Author(s):  
Edimilson Costa Lucas ◽  
Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva ◽  
Gustavo Silva Araujo
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Extreme Rainfall Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Managing the risks associated to world food production is an important challenge for governments. A range of factors, among them extreme weather events, has threatened food production in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of extreme rainfall events on the food industry in Brazil, a prominent player in this industry. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the AR-GARCH-GPD hybrid methodology to identify whether extreme rainfall affects the stock price of food companies. To do so, the authors collected the daily closing price of the 16 food industry companies listed on the Brazilian stock exchange (B3), in January 2015. Findings The results indicate that these events have a significant impact on stock returns: on more than half of the days immediately following the heavy rain that fell between 28 February 2005 and 30 December 2014, returns were significantly low, leading to average daily losses of 1.97 per cent. These results point to the relevance of the need for instruments to hedge against weather risk, particularly in the food industry. Originality/value Given that extreme weather events have been occurring more and more frequently, financial literature has documented attempts at assessing the economic impacts of weather changes. There is little research, however, into assessing the impacts of these events at corporate level.

Prospects for agriculture in 2017

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Weather Phenomenon ◽  
Global Agriculture ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Subject Prospects for agriculture in 2017. Significance The El Nino weather phenomenon, the heating of the Pacific Ocean, experienced through 2015 and 2016 was one of the strongest recorded, causing extreme weather events and decreasing global agriculture production. Next year promises a departure.

Prospects for agriculture in 2016

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Food Demand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events

Subject Prospects for agriculture in 2016. Significance The agricultural sector in 2016 will be influenced by extreme weather events, especially El Nino, as well as by domestic responses to geopolitical developments, especially in Russia, and rising food demand in major emerging economies such as China.

Extreme Weather and Climate

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Otto
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Events ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Global Mean Temperature ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Global Mean

Natural disasters and extreme weather events have been of great societal importance throughout history and often brought everyday life to a catastrophic halt, in a way sometimes comparable to wars and epidemics, only without the lead time. Extreme weather events with large impacts serve as an anchor point of the collective memory of the population in the affected area. Every northern German of the right age remembers the storm surge of 1962 and where they were at the time and has friends or family effected by the event. The “dust bowl” of the 1930s with extensive droughts and heat waves shaped the life of a generation in the United States, and the Sahel droughts in the 1960s and 1970s led to famine and dislocation of population on a massive scale the region arguably never quite recovered from. Hurricane Hyian in 2013 is said to have directly influenced the outcome of the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) United Nation Framework Convention for Climate Change Negotiations in Warsaw, leading to the inclusion of a mechanism to deal with loss and damage from climate-related disasters. Though earthquakes are still fairly unpredictable on short timescales, this is not the case for weather events. Weather forecasts today are so good that we normally know the time and location of the landfall of a hurricane within a 100-mile radius days in advance. Improvements in the prediction of slow-onset events such as droughts (which depend on the rainfall over a large region and whole season) are less striking but have still improved dramatically in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. One of the major reasons for the large increase in the accuracy of weather forecasts is the exponential increase in computing power, which allows scientists to predict and study extreme weather events using complex computer models, simulating possible weather events under certain conditions to understand the statistics of and physical mechanisms behind extreme events. Extreme events are by definition rare and thus impossible to understand from historical records of weather observation alone. Despite the progress on our understanding of and ability to predict extreme weather events, substantial uncertainties remain. Two aspects are of particular importance. Firstly, we know that the climate is changing, having observed almost a one-degree increase in global mean temperature. However, global mean temperature doesn’t kill anyone, extreme weather events do. Their frequency and intensity is changing and will continue to change, but the extent of these changes depends on a host of both global and local factors. Secondly, whether or not a rare weather event leads to extreme impacts depends largely on the vulnerability and exposure of the affected societies. If these are high, even a perfectly forecasted weather event leads to disaster.

Business may drive climate change efforts in Chile

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Carbon Budgets ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Agricultural Potential

Significance As well as responding to extreme weather events internationally, this reflects increasing awareness of Chile’s own vulnerability, particularly as regards water availability. Mounting public concern about climate change is mirrored in a number of bills before Congress. Impacts Chile’s drought conditions look increasingly like a permanent change in climate. By shifting to the Andean Plateau and possibly the far south, rain would be concentrated in areas with limited agricultural potential. Industries anticipate that sector-specific carbon budgets may be introduced as early as 2022.

Transit Information Utilization during an Extreme Weather Event: An Analysis of Smartphone App Data

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coline Remy ◽  
Candace Brakewood ◽  
Niloofar Ghahramani ◽  
Eun Jin Kwak ◽  
Jonathan Peters
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Extreme Weather Event ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Information Utilization ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Shared Mobility

Extreme weather events such as heavy snow can severely disrupt urban transportation systems. When this occurs, travelers often seek information about the status of transportation services. This study aims to assess information utilization during an extreme weather event by analyzing data from a smartphone application (“app”) called Transit, which provides real-time transit and shared mobility information in many cities. This research focuses on a snowstorm that hit the northeastern United States in January 2016 and severely disrupted transit and shared mobility services. An analysis of Transit app data is conducted in four parts for New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. First, hourly app utilization during the snowstorm was compared with mean hourly app utilization prior to the storm. Second, the rate of app usage was calculated by dividing hourly utilization during the storm by the mean hourly volume before the storm. Third, an ordinary least squares regression model of hourly app usage was estimated for each city. Last, a feature within the app used to request Uber vehicles was examined. The results of the first three analyses reveal that overall app usage decreased during the snowstorm in all three cities; after the storm, New York experienced a significant increase in overall app use during the first Monday commuting period. The analysis of Uber data reveals that app users continued to search for ridehailing services during the snowstorm, despite travel bans. These findings are important for transportation operators and app developers to understand how travelers use information during extreme weather events.

Hospital disaster management’s understanding of built environment impacts on healthcare services during extreme weather events

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anumitra Mirti Chand ◽  
Martin Loosemore
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Weather Events

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which hospital disaster planners and managers understand the role of built infrastructure in delivering effective healthcare services during extreme weather events (EWEs). There is substantial evidence to indicate that many hospitals are vulnerable to EWEs. This is alarming given community reliance on hospitals during times of natural disaster and the predicted increase in the frequency and intensity of EWEs. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, resilience and learning theories are combined to produce a new conceptual model which illustrates how hospital disaster managers learn about the relationship between health outcomes and built infrastructure during EWEs to build future hospital resilience. In this paper, the first part of the conceptual model, concerning the development of disaster management plans is explored and refined using a thematic content analysis of 14 Australian hospitals’ disaster plans and supplementary plans. Findings – The findings indicate high variability of understanding about the role of built facilities in health outcomes during an EWE. There appears to be a widespread and highly questionable assumption in the health disaster planning community that hospital built infrastructure is highly resilient to EWEs. This means that many hospitals will not be unaware of the risks that their buildings pose in the delivery of healthcare services to the community during an EWE and how to manage those risks effectively. Research limitations/implications – The theoretical framework presented in this paper provides new insights which will enable hospital infrastructure resilience to be better integrated into health service disaster risk planning and preparedness. The findings can help hospital disaster managers learn about and adapt their built environment to changing healthcare needs during EWEs. Originality/value – By integrating learning and resilience theories in a built environment context, this paper provides new insights, both theoretical and practical, into the important role of hospital infrastructure in planning for EWEs.

Assessment of climatic risks for real estate

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 494-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Hirsch ◽  
Thomas Braun ◽  
Sven Bienert
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Real Estate Industry ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Federal Institute ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Risk Situation ◽  
Climatic Risks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the functionality and main results of the ImmoRisk tool. The aim of the project of the Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS), in corporation with the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), was to develop a user-friendly tool that provides a sound basis with respect to the risk situation caused by extreme weather events. Design/methodology/approach – The tool calculates the annual expected losses (AEL) for different types of extreme weather hazard and the damage rate as the proportion of AEL on building value, based on a trinomial approach: natural hazard, vulnerability and the value of the property. Findings – The paper provides property-specific risk profiles of both the present and future risk situation caused by various extreme weather events. Research limitations/implications – The approach described in the paper can serve as a model for the realization of subsequent tools in further countries bound with other climatic risks. Practical implications – The real estate industry is affected by a significant rise in monetary damages caused by extreme weather events. Accordingly, the approach is suitable for implementation in the companies’ real estate risk management systems. Social implications – The tool offers homeowners a profound basis for investment decisions with regard to adaptation measures. Originality/value – The approach pioneers fourfold: first, by meeting the needs of the housing and real estate industry based on a trinomial approach; second, by using a property-specific bottom-up approach; third, by offering both a comprehensive risk assessment of the hazards storms, flood and hailstorm and finally, by providing results with respect to the future climatic risk situation.

The Extreme Weather Event Real-time Attribution Machine (EWERAM) – An Overview

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordis Tradowsky ◽  
Greg Bodeker ◽  
Leroy Bird ◽  
Stefanie Kremser ◽  
Peter Kreft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Event ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Business Innovation ◽  
Weather Events

<p>As greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in Earth’s atmosphere, the nature of extreme weather events (EWEs) has been changing and is expected to change in the future. EWEs have contributions from anthropogenic climate change as well as from natural variability, which complicates attribution statements. EWERAM is a project that has been funded through the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Smart Ideas programme to develop the capability to provide, within days of an EWE having occurred over New Zealand, and while public interest is still high, scientifically defensible statements about the role of climate change in both the severity and frequency of that event. This is expected to raise public awareness and understanding of the effects of climate change on EWEs.</p><p>A team of researchers from five institutions across New Zealand are participating in EWERAM. EWE attribution is a multi-faceted problem and different approaches are required to address different research aims. Although robustly assessing the contribution of changes in the thermodynamic state to an observed event can be more tractable than including changes in the dynamics of weather systems, for New Zealand, changes in dynamics have had a large impact on the frequency and location of EWEs. As such, we have initiated several lines of research to deliver metrics on EWE attribution, tailored to meet the needs of various stakeholders, that encompass the effects of both dynamical and thermodynamical changes in the atmosphere. This presentation will give an overview of EWERAM and present the methodologies and tools used in the project.</p>

Extreme weather events will hit insurance industry

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Causal Connection ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events

Subject The political and economic implications of greater scientific understanding of extreme weather events. Significance Preparatory talks for the UN climate summit in Paris have seen representatives from developing countries ask the United States and EU for greater compensation for damages caused by extreme weather. The link between climate change and more extreme weather events is clear -- energy from higher temperature levels can be translated into kinetic energy and disrupts usual weather patterns -- but distinguishing the extent of a causal connection, especially for specific events, has until recently been difficult. Impacts Extreme weather events will affect the insurance industry, agriculture, tourism, and food and beverage sectors. In the United States, the South-east will see the highest risks of coastal property losses due to climate change impacts. Hurricanes and other coastal storms combined with rising sea levels are likely to cause growing annual storm losses in the Caribbean. Infrastructure will grow in cost as it must be proofed against new extremes in weather stress.

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