Cascading hazards and compound disasters
- Submission status
- Closed
- Submission deadline
This collection addresses the significance of adopting a broader systematic approach to understanding disaster risk, considering hazards, vulnerability, exposure, capacity, and cascading interactions. Implementing this approach can lead to informed decision-making to effectively reduce disaster risks. We welcome contributions that include but are not limited to cascading events, compound disasters, and systemic perspectives to understand and reduce disaster risk.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, resulting from the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, is a well-known example of cascading effects. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0, triggered the tsunami and was presumably amplified by a submarine landslide produced by the earthquake. To fully understand the complexity of such compound disasters, disaster risk drivers, including hazard dynamics and vulnerability and exposure factors, must be considered. A thorough investigation of hazards' direct and indirect connections and impacts is also crucial to identify and comprehend the risks of complex and cascading hazards.
Editors
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Irasema Alcántara-Ayala
Professor, Institute of Geography, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico
Irasema Alcántara-Ayala is a professor of Natural Hazards and Risk at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Her research on natural hazards, vulnerability, and disaster risks is crucial for promoting sustainable development and addressing societal needs. By involving various stakeholders in disaster risk reduction, she strives to foster integrated disaster risk research that encompasses social and political structures. Through collaboration with partners, she aims to enhance disaster risk management. One of her main goals is to bridge the gap between scientific research and policymaking.
