The WMO RA VI Research to Operations eXchange Webinar Series – Managing the Systemic Risk of Complex Disasters
How can research help decision-makers prepare for disasters involving multiple, interconnected hazards? This question was at the centre of today's WMO Regional Association VI (RA VI) Scientific Lecture, “Managing the Systemic Risk of Complex Disasters: From Research to Operational Preparedness.”
The lecture brought together perspectives on how scientific research, multi-hazard risk assessment and scenario development can support preparedness and help reduce the cascading impacts of complex disasters.
Professor Cees van Westen and Associate Professor Funda Atun, from the University of Twente, presented insights from the European Union Horizon Europe PARATUS project (Promoting Disaster Preparedness and Resilience by Co-developing Stakeholder Support Tools for Managing the Systemic Risk of Compounding Disasters).
Complex disasters can affect multiple sectors simultaneously, with consequences extending across transport networks, infrastructure, essential services and communities. Understanding these interdependencies is essential to anticipating how risks may develop and identifying opportunities to reduce impacts before disasters occur.
The lecture explored how approaches such as multi-hazard risk assessment, scenario development, impact chains and stakeholder-oriented decision-support tools can help authorities examine potential disaster situations and strengthen operational preparedness. Experiences from different geographical and societal contexts also highlighted the importance of connecting scientific methods with the needs of practitioners and decision-makers.
Giannis Skiaderesis, from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), contributed as discussant. The session was moderated by Jutta Thielen-del Pozo and Sezel Karayusufoglu Uysal.
The lecture formed part of the WMO RA VI Scientific Lectures and Research to Operations eXchange (ROX), which promotes dialogue between researchers, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, operational experts and decision-makers.
By bringing research and operational perspectives together, the series aims to strengthen the translation of scientific advances into practical approaches that support disaster risk management, preparedness and resilience.
About PARATUS
PARATUS is an EU-funded Horizon Europe project focused on improving disaster preparedness and resilience through approaches and tools for managing the systemic risks associated with compounding disasters.
Watch the recording: RA VI Scientific Lecture Managing the systemic risk of complex disasters better
Related Resources
- Disaster Risk Stakeholder Hub (DRS-Hub) — Tools and resources for disaster risk stakeholders.
- RiskChanges — Multi-hazard risk assessment and decision support.
- FastFlood — Rapid flood-modelling tools.
- Multi-Hazard Risk course – Geoversity — Learning resources on multi-hazard risk.
- PARATUS project results — Tools and findings for managing systemic disaster risk.