An Integrated Critical Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Concept in the Context of Extreme Weather Events and Global Change

2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (04) ◽  
pp. 1650015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Schwab ◽  
Claudia Berchtold ◽  
Anna Goris
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Set Up

A review of risk assessment research in the context of extreme weather events (EWE) reveals that conceptual approaches addressing the risk of critical infrastructures (CI) focus primarily on single components and factors of CI that are at risk. The objective of the paper is to introduce an integrative framework that considers the complex set-up of CI and links it to newer conceptualizations of risk management and adaptation. Drawing on existing risk and resilience approaches, this paper brings together aspects of the engineering community, which currently dominate CI-related research, and of disaster risk reduction research communities, resilience and adaptation research in the context of natural hazards. The paper thereby presents an adapted approach that particularly addresses interdependencies of infrastructures as well as future dynamics. The risk concept applied is based on the IPCC framework and considers the manifold impacts of CI failures upon society, economy and environment. Recommendations for risk management regimes are thereby formulated in the context of EWE. Based on a more holistic socio-ecological systems’ perspective, the approach covers the dynamic transformation of a system’s resilience state. The framework provides a tool and concept to improve the understanding of the multitude factors determining the risks of EWE for CI. Additional research is required for the further operationalization of the conceptual framework, such as the development of indicators, in order to enable the practical implementation for the support of risk management concepts.

scholarly journals Early warning system on extreme weather events for disaster risk reduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Jacipt Alexander Ramón-Valencia ◽  
Jordi Rafael Palacios-González ◽  
Germán Rircardo Santos-Granados ◽  
Jarol Derley Ramón-Valencia
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Events

The objective of this research was to propose a strategy based on the design and implementation of an early warning system (EWS) for extreme weather events. This project had the following phases: training for municipal and regional actors, preliminary technical diagnosis of the study areas, monitoring network, and the weather forecasts using numerical models WRF and GFS. This EWS is the result of the Macro-project EWS for Climate Events in the basins of the Pamplonita River and Zulia in the North of Santander (SATC), executed by the University of Pamplona and financed by the National Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) and the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ). The research concluded that the application of a disaster risk reduction strategy through an EWS for extreme weather events is an important tool and instrument for the planning of higher risk management because it helps anticipate disasters and consequently preserve lives.

Winter Storm Uri: A Test of Texas’ Water Infrastructure and Water Resource Resilience to Extreme Winter Weather Events

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael R. Glazer ◽  
Darrel M. Tremaine ◽  
Jay L. Banner ◽  
Margaret Cook ◽  
Robert E. Mace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Winter Storm ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Infrastructure Resilience

We synthesize the interconnected impacts of Texas’ water and energy resources and infrastructure including the cascading effects due to Winter Storm Uri. The government’s preparedness, communication, policies, and response as well as storm impacts on vulnerable communities are evaluated using available information and data. Where knowledge gaps exist, we propose potential research to elucidate health, environmental, policy, and economic impacts of the extreme weather event. We expect that recommendations made here — while specific to the situation and outcomes of Winter Storm Uri — will increase Texas’ resilience to other extreme weather events not discussed in this paper. We found that out of 14 million residents who were on boil water notices, those who were served by very small water systems went, on average, a minimum of three days longer without potable water. Available county-level data do not indicate vulnerable communities went longer periods of time without power or water during the event. More resolved data are required to understand who was most heavily impacted at the community or neighborhood level. Gaps in government communication, response, and policy are discussed, including issues with identifying — and securing power to — critical infrastructure and the fact that the state’s Emergency Alert System was not used consistently to update Texans during the crisis. Finally, research recommendations are made to bolster weaknesses discovered during and after the storm including (1) reliable communication strategies, (2) reducing disproportionate impacts to vulnerable communities, (3) human health impacts, (4) increasing water infrastructure resilience, and (5) how climate change could impact infrastructure resilience into the future.

Measuring Societal Vulnerability to Critical Infrastructure Failure due to Extreme Weather Events

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Maria Luskova ◽  
Bohus Leitner
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Global Risk ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The World ◽  
Security Property

Climate change and the associated more frequent and unpredictable occurrence of extreme weather events are according to the Global Risk Report (2020), published by the World Economic Forum, among the top five risks today. Although the effects of extreme weather vary around the world and in regions, their effects on social – economic and natural systems are becoming increasingly important and require an active solution. In this context, it is important to address the individual areas of human society vulnerability, as their assessment is the basic information necessary for improving risk reduction and preparedness to extreme weather events. The paper underlines the importance of critical infrastructure as an asset or system whose disruption or destruction could have a range of serious implications for the performance of economic and social functions of the state and thus on the inhabitants in terms of their life, health, security, property and environment protection. It provides selection of past cases of extreme weather events having impacts on critical infrastructure in sector energy and transportation throughout Europe and their impacts on society. Subsequently own approach to measuring societal vulnerability due to impact of extreme weather event on critical infrastructure is presented. In conclusion recommendations supporting the proactive approach to building resilient critical infrastructure which contributes to resilient society are presented.

Measuring Societal Vulnerability to Critical Infrastructure Failure Due to Extreme Weather Events

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Maria Luskova ◽  
Bohus Leitner
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Global Risk ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The World ◽  
Security Property

Climate change and the associated more frequent and unpredictable occurrence of extreme weather events are according to the Global Risk Report (2020), published by the World Economic Forum, among the top five risks today. Although the effects of extreme weather vary around the world and in regions, their effects on social – economic and natural systems are becoming increasingly important and require an active solution. In this context, it is important to address the individual areas of human society vulnerability, as their assessment is the basic information necessary for improving risk reduction and preparedness to extreme weather events. The paper underlines the importance of critical infrastructure as an asset or system whose disruption or destruction could have a range of serious implications for the performance of economic and social functions of the state and thus on the inhabitants in terms of their life, health, security, property and environment protection. It provides selection of past cases of extreme weather events having impacts on critical infrastructure in sector energy and transportation throughout Europe and their impacts on society. Subsequently own approach to measuring societal vulnerability due to impact of extreme weather event on critical infrastructure is presented. In conclusion recommendations supporting the proactive approach to building resilient critical infrastructure which contributes to resilient society are presented.

scholarly journals Farm households' levels of vulnerability to extreme weather events in South-Eastern Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 17450-17463
Author(s):  
JN Obi ◽  
◽  
AA Enete ◽  
JO Munonye ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Farm Households ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Farming Households

The impacts of climate change risks, risk management mechanisms, and the physical environment under which farm households operate play significant roles in poverty and hidden hunger dynamics in developing countries. Extreme weather events are most often triggers of changes in risk management, which also affect the capacity of households to absorb the resultant shocks. This paper based on primary data collected as part of a PhD dissertation in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, presents an analysis of farm households’ levels of vulnerability to extreme weather events in South-eastern Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used in the selection of 120male-and 120 female-headed farm households that constituted the sample for the study. Both structured interview schedule and focus group discussion guide were used to gather data from the respondents, which were analyzed using UNDP vulnerability index. Using household adaptive capacity approach, data were collected on human, economic and institutional capacity of farmers in coping with extreme weather events. Female-headed households were more vulnerable than their male-headed counterparts to the effect of extreme weather events with respect to some of the indicators such as farming income, years of formal education, farm size, land ownership status, number of extension contacts, access to weather information, access to remittance, membership of cooperative and assistance from National Emergency Management Agency in the area. Overall, using household adaptive capacity approach, the results of the gender-based vulnerability analysis showed male-headed farming households with a vulnerability index of 0.38 while the female-headed farming households, on the other hand, had vulnerability index of 0.68. Although female-headed farm households were more vulnerable than their male counterparts, the farmers were all generally highly vulnerable to the incidence of natural disasters because of low adaptive capacity. The study recommends that government and development partners with the responsibility of protecting the environment should be gender-sensitive and redirect more effort in mitigating the negative agricultural effects caused by extreme weather events, especially among female-headed farm households who are more vulnerable.

scholarly journals Flood Impacts on Critical Infrastructure in a Coastal Floodplain in Western Puerto Rico during Hurricane María

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Said A. Mejia Manrique ◽  
Eric W. Harmsen ◽  
Reza M. Khanbilvardi ◽  
Jorge E. González
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Coastal Flood ◽  
Flood Depth ◽  
Weather Events

Flooding during extreme weather events damages critical infrastructure, property, and threatens lives. Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico (PR) on 20 September 2017. Sixty-four deaths were directly attributable to the flooding. This paper describes the development of a hydrologic model using the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA), capable of simulating flood depth and extent for the Añasco coastal flood plain in Western PR. The purpose of the study was to develop a numerical model to simulate flooding from extreme weather events and to evaluate the impacts on critical infrastructure and communities; Hurricane María is used as a case study. GSSHA was calibrated for Irma, a Category 3 hurricane, which struck the northeastern corner of the island on 7 September 2017, two weeks before Hurricane María. The upper Añasco watershed was calibrated using United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream discharge data. The model was validated using a storm of similar magnitude on 11–13 December 2007. Owing to the damage sustained by PR’s WSR-88D weather radar during Hurricane María, rainfall was estimated in this study using the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model. Flooding in the coastal floodplain during Hurricane María was simulated using three methods: (1) Use of observed discharge hydrograph from the upper watershed as an inflow boundary condition for the coastal floodplain area, along with the WRF rainfall in the coastal flood plain; (2) Use of WRF rainfall to simulate runoff in the upper watershed and coastal flood plain; and (3) Similar to approach (2), except the use of bias-corrected WRF rainfall. Flooding results were compared with forty-two values of flood depth obtained during face-to-face interviews with residents of the affected communities. Impacts on critical infrastructure (water, electric, and public schools) were evaluated, assuming any structure exposed to 20 cm or more of flooding would sustain damage. Calibration equations were also used to improve flood depth estimates. Our model included the influence of storm surge, which we found to have a minimal effect on flood depths within the study area. Water infrastructure was more severely impacted by flooding than electrical infrastructure. From these findings, we conclude that the model developed in this study can be used with sufficient accuracy to identify infrastructure affected by future flooding events.

Strategic tourism management to address natural hazards in coastal areas: lessons from Buenos Aires, Argentina

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariadna Belen Tanana ◽  
Cecilia Alejandra Rodriguez ◽  
Verónica Gil
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Development Processes

Purpose The integral approach to risk is currently an important background for the local development processes within the sustaintability framework. Given the greater frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events in the period 2005-2015, whose inventory shows a total of 78 extreme climate events in the four thermal stations, the purpose of this paper is to analyze risk situations and their corresponding management in the tourist destinations (TD) of the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Design/methodology/approach Risk management in TDs has not been addressed in depth in the study area. Because of that, this study is exploratory and descriptive, and it was conducted by quantitative and qualitative methods. The occurrence of extreme weather events was the trigger of this study. Thereafter, the existence of risk situations was analyzed from the combination of natural hazards and material and human damage. The actions taken by the public sector were identified to make a diagnosis of the current management of coastal destinations in the province of Buenos Aires. Findings The result of this study shows that TDs do not apply integral models of risk management, as only 16% of the total registered events were attended by public management from reactive measures to the event. It is believed possible to replicate this study in other TDs, regardless of its main tourism modality, as the analysis carried out in the coastal destinations of Buenos Aires shows that it is necessary to plan and manage risk to avoid and/or mitigate material, social and economic damages of the resident and tourist population. Practical implications The main implication of the study, in practical terms, is associated with the incorporation of specific equipment for the detection of storms and other meteorological phenomena. In addition, it should start, from the management, with a process of awareness of the resident and tourist population about the risk and its consequences. Social implications Knowing the existence of natural hazards is a strategic resource for public management. From the identification of the hazards, exposure and vulnerability of the population, it is possible to begin to take measures to mitigate the risk and conduct awareness campaigns about the risk situations that may arise from the occurrence of meteorological phenomena. in beach areas. In this sense, the development of a culture of risk is very important. Originality/value The relationship between the occurrence of extreme weather events and tourism has not been addressed in depth in Argentina. Therefore, this work provides an interdisciplinary vision (from tourism and physical geography) about the hazards that extreme phenomena represent in TDs, the situations of risk that they detaches there and the weakness of public management in coastal destinations of Buenos Aires. This case study shows that the absence of planning and risk management has serious implications for the continuity of the development processes of the destinations.

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