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Accessibility is a key factor in the ordinary life of cities and regions, but it becomes even more so in cases of emergencies and disasters. In the latter it is essential to keep transportation networks in service so as to provide assistance to those in need and to carry equipments and materials for search and rescue activities. Natural hazards may be an important threat for roads and railways, but they are barely considered in the design of future infrastructures. Instead, it is critical to be able to forecast how a given corridor may interact with existing hazards on the one hand and on the other to anticipate what would be the major obstacles in already existing networks. In this article a method to assess the vulnerability of lifelines to seismic risk will be illustrated. The latter was developed in the frame of a project funded by the Lombardia regional government in the years 1999-2001. This research linked the analysis of lifelines to other urban and regional systems, addressing the many induced and indirect damages which are the inevitable consequence of public utilities interruption. The project provided two outputs: a vulnerability assessment of lifelines crossing the most seismic areas in the region and an event scenario. In both cases the work has been split in two steps: first suitable models have been developed, and then applied to the study area. The need for creating new models derives from the recognition that it is rather difficult to find systemic approaches in the current literature. The goal for this research, instead, was to start from the inter and intra dependency links connecting lifelines one to the other and to the many urban and regional systems which depend on them for their function. Therefore, it was decided to enlarge the scope of the project both spatially and systemically. With respect to the first issue, a larger area than that covered by the seismic municipalities of the region has been considered, so as to detect the spatial influence of localized damage. Regarding systemic factors, the degree of dependence on lifelines of other urban systems has been assessed for emergency situations and for the reconstruction phase. In the first case, hospitals, civil protection centres, fire departments were analysed so as to understand to which point and for how long they could still provide service without essential lifelines or being disconnected from major transportation routes. Referring to the reconstruction, not only the cost of repairs has been evaluated, but also the economic and social costs borne by economic sectors and by the population as a consequence of lifelines interruption or malfunctioning. Coherently, the final event scenario resembles much more to a chain connecting physical damages to the induced and secondary damages occurring in systems dependent on lifelines than to a sum of individual losses. First results obtained in the Brescia province show promising paths for future research, while pointing out the many obstacles that still exist to implement real interdisciplinary approaches. ; Nell'articolo il rapporto tra sistemi di accessibilità (ferroviaria e stradale) e grandi rischi viene affrontato da due diverse prospettive. La prima vede tali sistemi come esposti e vulnerabili a diverse forme di pericolosità naturale; la seconda li considera invece quali potenziali fonti di pericolo, indagando in particolare il trasporto di sostanze pericolose. Per quanto riguarda la prima parte dell'articolo, ovvero l'analisi di vulnerabilità delle infrastrutture di trasporto a diversi agenti naturali, verranno esplicitati i fattori di vulnerabilità fisica, sistemica e organizzativa. A sostegno della modellazione proposta, si fa riferimento sia alla letteratura internazionale sia al metodo sviluppato presso il Politecnico di Milano, nei suoi ultimi sviluppi. Interessa infatti presentare un metodo relativamente semplice da utilizzare a scala vasta per poi scendere nel dettaglio necessario laddove le priorità individuata a grande scala ne indichino la necessità. Tra i fattori di vulnerabilità fisica si indicheranno gli elementi maggiormente critici per diversi tipi di sollecitazione (sismica, vulcanica, alluvionale, etc.); per quanto attiene ai fattori di vulnerabilità sistemica si considerano le interdipendenze tra reti e sistemi (inclusi gli altri servizi a rete); per quanto attiene alla vulnerabilità organizzativa si indicheranno le difficoltà nel produrre un sistema integrato di allertamento, che consenta ad esempio di chiudere tratti di strada quando questi vengano segnalati come imminentemente interessati da un dato evento estremo. Infine si indicheranno i danni che il sistema di accessibilità può subire e le ripercussioni di questi sul territorio di interesse. Nella seconda parte viene trattato un particolare tipo di trasporto, quello delle sostanze pericolose, differenziando opportunamente tra ferroviario e stradale. Il ribaltamento del punto di vista comporta la necessità di identificare in modo puntuale i fattori di vulnerabilità questa volta territoriali rispetto alla fonte di rischio. Quest'ultima si presenta come particolarmente insidiosa, in quanto può colpire in qualsiasi punto della rete, benché vi siano alcuni studi che dimostrano l'esistenza di cluster di incidentalità. In entrambi i casi, quello delle reti minacciate da eventi naturali e quello delle reti come potenziale fonte di pericolo esse stesse, si mostra come le indagini di vulnerabilità consentano di identificare alcune misure di mitigazione e prevenzione del rischio, sia nel lungo termine, quindi con influenza sulla pianificazione territoriale, sia nel breve termine, con maggiori riflessi sui piani di emergenza e la gestione di eventuali crisi.

Nell'articolo il rapporto tra sistemi di accessibilità (ferroviaria e stradale) e grandi rischi viene affrontato da due diverse prospettive. La prima vede tali sistemi come esposti e vulnerabili a diverse forme di pericolosità naturale; la seconda li considera invece quali potenziali fonti di pericolo, indagando in particolare il trasporto di sostanze pericolose. Per quanto riguarda la prima parte dell'articolo, ovvero l'analisi di vulnerabilità delle infrastrutture di trasporto a diversi agenti naturali, verranno esplicitati i fattori di vulnerabilità fisica, sistemica e organizzativa. A sostegno della modellazione proposta, si fa riferimento sia alla letteratura internazionale sia al metodo sviluppato presso il Politecnico di Milano, nei suoi ultimi sviluppi. Interessa infatti presentare un metodo relativamente semplice da utilizzare a scala vasta per poi scendere nel dettaglio necessario laddove le priorità individuata a grande scala ne indichino la necessità. Tra i fattori di vulnerabilità fisica si indicheranno gli elementi maggiormente critici per diversi tipi di sollecitazione (sismica, vulcanica, alluvionale, etc.); per quanto attiene ai fattori di vulnerabilità sistemica si considerano le interdipendenze tra reti e sistemi (inclusi gli altri servizi a rete); per quanto attiene alla vulnerabilità organizzativa si indicheranno le difficoltà nel produrre un sistema integrato di allertamento, che consenta ad esempio di chiudere tratti di strada quando questi vengano segnalati come imminentemente interessati da un dato evento estremo. Infine si indicheranno i danni che il sistema di accessibilità può subire e le ripercussioni di questi sul territorio di interesse. Nella seconda parte viene trattato un particolare tipo di trasporto, quello delle sostanze pericolose, differenziando opportunamente tra ferroviario e stradale. Il ribaltamento del punto di vista comporta la necessità di identificare in modo puntuale i fattori di vulnerabilità questa volta territoriali rispetto alla fonte di rischio. Quest'ultima si presenta come particolarmente insidiosa, in quanto può colpire in qualsiasi punto della rete, benché vi siano alcuni studi che dimostrano l'esistenza di cluster di incidentalità. In entrambi i casi, quello delle reti minacciate da eventi naturali e quello delle reti come potenziale fonte di pericolo esse stesse, si mostra come le indagini di vulnerabilità consentano di identificare alcune misure di mitigazione e prevenzione del rischio, sia nel lungo termine, quindi con influenza sulla pianificazione territoriale, sia nel breve termine, con maggiori riflessi sui piani di emergenza e la gestione di eventuali crisi. ; Accessibility is a key factor in the ordinary life of cities and regions, but it becomes even more so in cases of emergencies and disasters. In the latter it is essential to keep transportation networks in service so as to provide assistance to those in need and to carry equipments and materials for search and rescue activities. Natural hazards may be an important threat for roads and railways, but they are barely considered in the design of future infrastructures. Instead, it is critical to be able to forecast how a given corridor may interact with existing hazards on the one hand and on the other to anticipate what would be the major obstacles in already existing networks. In this article a method to assess the vulnerability of lifelines to seismic risk will be illustrated. The latter was developed in the frame of a project funded by the Lombardia regional government in the years 1999-2001. This research linked the analysis of lifelines to other urban and regional systems, addressing the many induced and indirect damages which are the inevitable consequence of public utilities interruption. The project provided two outputs: a vulnerability assessment of lifelines crossing the most seismic areas in the region and an event scenario. In both cases the work has been split in two steps: first suitable models have been developed, and then applied to the study area. The need for creating new models derives from the recognition that it is rather difficult to find systemic approaches in the current literature. The goal for this research, instead, was to start from the inter and intra dependency links connecting lifelines one to the other and to the many urban and regional systems which depend on them for their function. Therefore, it was decided to enlarge the scope of the project both spatially and systemically. With respect to the first issue, a larger area than that covered by the seismic municipalities of the region has been considered, so as to detect the spatial influence of localized damage. Regarding systemic factors, the degree of dependence on lifelines of other urban systems has been assessed for emergency situations and for the reconstruction phase. In the first case, hospitals, civil protection centres, fire departments were analysed so as to understand to which point and for how long they could still provide service without essential lifelines or being disconnected from major transportation routes. Referring to the reconstruction, not only the cost of repairs has been evaluated, but also the economic and social costs borne by economic sectors and by the population as a consequence of lifelines interruption or malfunctioning. Coherently, the final event scenario resembles much more to a chain connecting physical damages to the induced and secondary damages occurring in systems dependent on lifelines than to a sum of individual losses. First results obtained in the Brescia province show promising paths for future research, while pointing out the many obstacles that still exist to implement real interdisciplinary approaches.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the results of a research mandated by the regional government of Lombardia, Italy. The results identify the criteria used to decide in what situations the relocation from areas subject to high levels of hydrogeological hazards is a viable preventive strategy. Design/methodology/approach – In the first part, the state‐of‐the‐art regarding voluntary relocation from hazardous areas supported by governmental funding and incentives has been described, showing that very few examples are available for reference. Therefore, lessons learned from involuntary relocation have been considered – especially regarding specific strategies that must be designed to address societal needs. In the second part of the article, the criteria developed, to help decision makers decide when and if relocation may be considered a preventive option, are described in detail. Finally, it shows what results have been obtained by applying the criteria to the case of the Lombardia region. Findings – Four sets of criteria were proposed, shaped according to different geographical scales and to different demands, recognizing that relocation is a rather extreme solution that must be carefully evaluated and proposed to interested parties and citizens. Those criteria have been applied to assess some specific cases in the Lombardia region, and to identify potential candidates for relocation in the whole region, by querying a complex database that was prepared – integrating layers representing hydrogeological hazards on one side, and exposed settlements on the other. Practical implications – Until now, most of the laws to prevent risks have imposed limitations to building and development in hazardous areas, while rarely focusing on existing settlements. The experience described in this article concerns a region that has decided to design a specific law to promote preventive relocation in the most critical situations, where structural measures have failed a number of times, and losses are frequent and large. Originality/value – The criteria proposed in this paper provide a method and a tool for deciding in what cases and circumstances relocation can be considered a viable preventive option to lessen the risk in particularly critical zones, exposed to high hydrogeological hazards. In doing so, it shows that relocation can be considered not as an "emergency" and episodic measure, but rather as a part of a more comprehensive policy, in which candidates for relocation can be determined on a regional scale respecting basic social, political and economic conditions.

Shows a framework to assess urban and regional vulnerability. Starting from the first attempts to measure the vulnerability component of risk (the latter given as the combination of hazard and vulnerability) which have been carried out in Italy but which considered only single buildings, the method used until now is broadened to take into account also the vulnerability of the subsystems which are part of regional systems as well as social and economic vulnerabilities. Some important parameters have been identified to evaluate these vulnerabilities, and put in a framework which aids the assessment of overall regional and urban vulnerability. According to the authors' opinion such a framework can be very useful in addressing planners' and public administrators' decisions both on preventive strategies and during the preparation of reconstruction plans. This framework has been applied to a small seismic settlement in Lombardy, Toscolano Maderno.

"Several scholars across the globe identified the present lack of high quality damage data as the main constraint to efficient risk mitigation. The need for a systematic collection of damage data in the aftermath of flood events come into light, thus the aim being the creation of complete and reliable databases. Flood damage data collected in the aftermath of a disastrous event can support a variety of actions, which include: (i) the identification of priorities for intervention during emergencies, (ii) the creation of complete event scenarios on the basis of which understanding the fragilities of the flooded areas and tailoring risk mitigation strategies, (iii) the definition of victims compensation schemes, and (iv) the validation/definition of damage models to feed cost-benefit analysis of structural and non-structural mitigation actions (including insurance schemes). Volume highlights include: A good compilation of real world case studies elaborating on the survey experiences and best practices associated with flood damage data collection, storage and analysis, that can help strategize flood risk mitigation in an efficient manner; Valuable contributions covering different flooding phenomena such as riverine and mountain floods, different spatial level of analysis from local to global scales, and different stakeholders perspectives, e.g. public decision makers, researchers, private companies; and contributions from leading experts in the field, researchers and practitioners, including civil protection actors working at different spatial and administrative level, insurers and professionals working in the field of natural hazards mitigation. Flood Damage Survey and Assessment: New Insights from Research and Practice will be a valuable resource to all earth scientists, hydrologists, meteorologists, geologists, geographers, civil engineers, insurers and policy decision makers"--Publisher's website, November 8, 2017

This book explores the nexus among food, energy and water in peri-urban areas, demonstrating how relevant this nexus is for environmental sustainability. In particular it examines the effective management of the nexus in the face of the risks and trade-offs of mitigation policies, and as a mean to create resilience to climate change. The book delineates strategies and actions necessary to develop and protect our natural resources and improve the functionality of the nexus, such as: integrated management of the major resources that characterize the metabolism of a city, stronger coordination among stakeholders who often weight differently the services that are relevant to their individual concerns, integration of efforts towards environmental protection, adaptation to and prevention of climate change and disaster risks mitigation.

"Several scholars across the globe identified the present lack of high quality damage data as the main constraint to efficient risk mitigation. The need for a systematic collection of damage data in the aftermath of flood events come into light, thus the aim being the creation of complete and reliable databases. Flood damage data collected in the aftermath of a disastrous event can support a variety of actions, which include: (i) the identification of priorities for intervention during emergencies, (ii) the creation of complete event scenarios on the basis of which understanding the fragilities of the flooded areas and tailoring risk mitigation strategies, (iii) the definition of victims compensation schemes, and (iv) the validation/definition of damage models to feed cost-benefit analysis of structural and non-structural mitigation actions (including insurance schemes). Volume highlights include: A good compilation of real world case studies elaborating on the survey experiences and best practices associated with flood damage data collection, storage and analysis, that can help strategize flood risk mitigation in an efficient manner; Valuable contributions covering different flooding phenomena such as riverine and mountain floods, different spatial level of analysis from local to global scales, and different stakeholders perspectives, e.g. public decision makers, researchers, private companies; and contributions from leading experts in the field, researchers and practitioners, including civil protection actors working at different spatial and administrative level, insurers and professionals working in the field of natural hazards mitigation. Flood Damage Survey and Assessment: New Insights from Research and Practice will be a valuable resource to all earth scientists, hydrologists, meteorologists, geologists, geographers, civil engineers, insurers and policy decision makers"--Publisher's website, November 8, 2017.

Risks challenging publics, scientists and governments: An introduction Organization; S. MenoniEmergency Preparedness: From Contingency Plans to Crisis ManagementOrganization and structure of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) special firemen units in Italy; A. PuglianoNEDIES: A European portal for the generation and dissemination of lessons learned from disasters; E. Krausmann, M. Christou, S. Scheer, S. Mara, J. Hervas and M. DelavalMulti-criteria decision aid for nuclear emergency management: Problem structuring based on a stakeholders survey; C.O. Turcanu, B. Carlé and F

Union Civil Protection Mechanism Decision No 1313/2013/EU requires EU Member States and UCPM participating states to report to the Commission on their disaster risk management activities to support formulating an EU risk management policy that would complement and enhance the national ones. The aim of this report is to support the use of the new "Reporting Guidelines on Disaster Risk Management, Art. 6(1)d of Decision No.1313/2013/EU," (2019/C 428/07) by relevant national authorities. This report is the second in the series of reports "Recommendations for National Risk Assessment for Disaster Risk Management". The aim of this series of reports is to build-up a network of experts involved in the different aspects of the national risk assessment process. The European Commission Joint Research Centre joins national, regional and global efforts to acquire better risk governance structure through evidences, science and knowledge management. Risk governance facilitates policy cycle for the implementation of integrated disaster risk management. Risk Assessment is positioned at the heart of the policy cycle and provides evidence for DRM planning and the implementation of prevention and preparedness measures. This report explains the purpose and objective of each step of the reporting to give meaning and motivation to demanding risk governance processes. It collects the contributions of fourteen expert teams that prepared short step by step description of disaster risk assessment approaches specific for the chosen hazard/asset usable in the context of a national risk assessment exercise and addressed national risk assessment capability to be further developed in order to bring the evidence to next level A special focus is dedicated to capability needed to tackle climate change. The risks covered are of natural, anthropogenic and socio-natural origin: floods, droughts, wildfires, biodiversity loss, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, biological disasters, Natech accidents, chemical accidents, nuclear accidents, terrorist attacks, critical infrastructure disruptions, cybersecurity and hybrid threats.

AbstractThis essay examines basic functions of crisis decision‐making—cognition, communication, coordination, and control—in response to COVID‐19. This crisis decision‐making framework is applied to cases from South Korea, Italy, and the United States as public officials grapple with how to recognize, respond, and recover from this deadly, invisible threat. The authors acknowledge the harsh trade‐off between the compelling need to limit transmission of the virus to protect public health and the consequent economic losses of halting social interaction. They draw implications from this crisis for better decision‐making and investment in a global information infrastructure system to manage large‐scale, multidisciplinary threats to the health, economy, and sustainability of the world's community of nations. The essay concludes that collective cognition, amplified by timely, valid communication and supported by sound planning, trained personnel, appropriate technology, and bold leadership, enables coordinated action needed to bring a large‐scale global crisis under control.Evidence for Practice

Invest in information technology to manage systematic data collection, analysis, and modeling.
Provide timely, informed updates on community status to constituents.
Maintain a knowledge base of resources, vulnerabilities, and plans.

Floods are among the most costly natural hazards that affect Europe and Germany, demanding a continuous adaptation of flood risk management. While social and economic development in recent years altered the flood risk patterns mainly with regard to an increase in flood exposure, different flood events are further expected to increase in frequency and severity in certain European regions due to climate change. As a result of recent major flood events in Germany, the German flood risk management shifted to more integrated approaches that include private precaution and preparation to reduce the damage on exposed assets. Yet, detailed insights into the preparedness decisions of flood-prone households remain scarce, especially in connection to mental impacts and individual coping strategies after being affected by different flood types. This thesis aims to gain insights into flash floods as a costly hazard in certain German regions and compares the damage driving factors to the damage driving factors of river floods. Furthermore,…