From event analysis to global lessons: disaster forensics for building resilience

Abstract

Abstract. With unprecedented growth in disaster risk, there is an urgent need for enhanced learning and understanding of disasters, particularly in relation to the trends in drivers of increasing risk. Building on the disaster forensics field, we introduce the post-event review capability (PERC) methodology for systematically and holistically analysing disaster events, and identifying actionable recommendations. PERC responds to a need for learning about the successes and failures in disaster risk management and resilience, and uncovers the underlying drivers of increasing risk. We draw generalisable insights identified from seven applications of the methodology to date, where we find that across the globe policy makers and practitioners in disaster risk management face strikingly similar challenges despite variations in context, indicating encouraging potential for mutual learning. These lessons highlight the importance of integrated risk reduction strategies. We invite others to utilise the freely available PERC approach and contribute to building a repository of learning on disaster risk management and resilience.

Insurance, Public Assistance, and Household Flood Risk Reduction: A Comparative Study of Austria, England, and Romania

“…highlight how the levee effect may result from the public provision of flood protection infrastructure without considering human, social, and environmental dynamics: the main purpose of a levee is to protect against flooding, and at the same time it may create a false sense of security, increasing development and thus exposure of people and assets in its catchment. When the levee fails, the disaster will be much bigger as more is at stake and people are less prepared . This has been documented in Germany and Austria as contributing to the extent of losses in the 2013 floods…”

Forensic analysis of flash flood response

“…Such methodology, which provides information and knowledge for events where no direct systematic hydrometeorological data and observations are available, is termed here "flash flood forensic analysis" (Bronstert et al, 2018;Keating, Venkateswaran, Szoenyi, MacClune, & Mechler, 2016). This analysis borrows the term "forensics" from the field of criminal investigation, because it denotes a consistent approach to develop a full analysis of an event and its root causes (Keating et al, 2016). While enabling a systematic approach, flash flood forensic analysis provides a consistent approach which facilitates cross-event learning.…”

“…While enabling a systematic approach, flash flood forensic analysis provides a consistent approach which facilitates cross-event learning. In recent years, forensic analysis of flash floods has been extended to include analysis of social response (Scolobig, De Marchi, & Borga, 2012, among others), economic impacts (Laudan, Rözer, Sieg, Vogel, & Thieken, 2017 and references therein) and disaster risk management (Keating et al, 2016). In this context, a group of authors (Creutin et al, 2013;Lutoff, Creutin, Ruin, & Borga, 2016;Papagiannaki, Kotroni, Lagouvardos, Ruin, & Bezes, 2017;Ruin et al, 2014) advanced the integrated post-flood survey of behavioral response to floods.…”

Coupling early warning services, crowdsourcing, and modelling for improved decision support and wildfire emergency management

“…Burned area maps are also important to feed-back into the wildfire nowcast and forecast maps. Furthermore, to prepare and mitigate for the future it is necessary to learn from past events in order to understand drivers and risks and to identify actionable recommendations to enhance disaster resilience [12]. Remote sensing is the standard tool used to delineate the affected burnt area.…”