Conceptualising multiple hazards and cascading effects on critical infrastructures.

Area of Science:

• Disaster Risk Management
• Critical Infrastructure Studies
• Societal Resilience

Background:

• Ambiguity in terminology for 'multiple hazards' and 'cascading effects' persists despite increased research.
• Existing research often defines these concepts narrowly, focusing on technical parameters and direct physical impacts on infrastructure.
• There is a need to better understand the societal implications of cascading effects across various sectors.

Approach:

• Literature review to define 'multiple hazards' and 'cascading effects' in the context of critical infrastructures and societal functions.
• Investigation into the operationalization of these concepts within Swedish disaster risk management practices.
• Analysis of the gap between scientific methodologies and their practical application by local planners.

Key Points:

• Scientific methodologies for assessing multiple hazards and cascading effects are abundant but underutilized by local disaster risk management planners.
• Current research predominantly focuses on hazard severity and direct physical impacts, neglecting wider cross-sectoral effects.
• There's a gap in understanding how cascading effects translate into societal risk and impact different social groups.

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists between advanced scientific approaches to multiple hazards and cascading effects and their practical implementation in disaster risk management.
• Future research must broaden the scope beyond pre-existing social vulnerabilities to include how cascading infrastructure failures can create new social risks.
• A more holistic approach is needed to assess the full spectrum of societal risks arising from interconnected infrastructure failures.