Policy brief - Multi-risk analysis: What would happen if…?

Abstract

Hazards are rarely isolated. A storm can not only unroof houses, but also knock down trees or make roads impassable. Storms are often accompanied by heavy rainfall, which can cause landslides that can, for example, destroy buildings. The precipitation caused by storms can also lead to flooding and tidal waves in streams and rivers, which can lead to the failure of power supplies or cause technical malfunctions and breakdowns, e.g. in industrial plants. Such cascades of damage cause disasters to escalate. In the BMBF-funded RIESGOS project experts in Germany from various disciplines worked together with institutions from science and civil society as well as authorities in the partner countries Chile, Ecuador, and Peru to improve the information needed to proactively prepare for complex disasters. As a result, a demonstrator for a web-based multi-risk information system was developed with the involvement of users. The demonstrator tool allows the simulation and visualisation of possible interactions between natural hazards as well as cascading effects and their impacts. The most important project findings are summarized in a joint "Policy Brief" aimed at people working in the context of disaster risk management (DRM) and associated research. It addresses the challenges of multi-risk assessment as well as the opportunities and limitations of technological developments, especially in the tension between research and practice. The “Policy Brief” is available in English, Spanish and German.