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Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 30983

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jaime Santos-Reyes

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Guest Editor

Systems Engineering Department, SEPI-ESIME, Zac., National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City 07738, Mexico
Interests: natural and technological risk perception; hazard awareness; natural and technological hazard management systems; emergency response systems; earthquake early warning; human behavior during a seismic emergency
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions represent a significant risk to communities living under such threats. Having a better understanding, among others, of the physics of these events, monitoring, risk assessment and prediction, preparedness (public awareness), and disaster management systems, may help to mitigate the impact of disasters. The aim of this Special issue is to create a forum for discussion on these issues from a multidisciplinary point of view. It is hoped that this interchange of experiences, approaches, and new ideas will help to advance to the challenge of reducing disaster risk. Effectively, achieving this will make vulnerable communities’ development sustainable.

The Special issue aims to cover, without being limited to, the following areas:

Earthquake prediction
Performance assessment of buildings
Vulnerability assessment
Emergency response systems
Early warning systems
Human response to emergencies
Risk assessment
Risk perception
Lessons learned from past disasters
Evacuation drills (or exercises)
Critical infrastructure failure due to disasters
Cascading failure due to disasters
Community resilience
Social media and disasters
Disaster management systems

References

Peduzzi, The Disaster Risk, Global Change, and Sustainability Nexus. Sustainability 2019, 11, 957. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11040957
Ludovico, D.; D’Ovidio, G.; Santilli, D. Post-earthquake reconstruction as an opportunity for a sustainable reorganization of transport of urban areas. Cities 2020, 96, 102447. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.102447
Turner II, L.; Kasperson, Roger; Matson, Pamela; Mccarthy, James; Corell, Robert; Christensen, Lindsey; Selin, Noelle; Kasperson, Jeanne; Luers, Amy; Martello, Marybeth; et al. A framework for vulnerability analysis in sustainability science. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2003, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1231335100
Cao, ; Li, C.; Yang, Q.; Liu, Y.; Qu, T. A novel multi-objective programming model of relief distribution for sustainable disaster supply chain in large-scale natural disasters. J. Clean. Prod. 2018, 174, 1422-1435.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030. Available online: https://www.preventionweb.net/sendai-framework/sendai-framework-for-drr (accessed on 13 August 2020)

Dr. Jaime Santos-Reyes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Risk
Disaster
Resilience
Vulnerability
Early warning
Emergency response
Sustainability

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1493 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Using a Choice Experiment to Understand Preferences for Disaster Risk Reduction with Uncertainty: A Case Study in Japan

by Takahiro Tsuge, Yasushi Shoji, Koichi Kuriyama and Ayumi Onuma

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4753; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084753 - 15 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1863

Abstract

With the increase in disasters due to climate change, there has been a growing interest in green infrastructures that utilize nature for disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, green infrastructures cannot completely protect against hazards. Therefore, this study investigates the public preference in Japan for DRR and its uncertainty using a survey-based choice experiment. The results showed that benefits were obtained from the increase in “success probability”, “reduction in human damage”, “reduction in property damage”, and “reduction in indirect damage”; however, the benefits obtained from additional improvements diminished. Moreover, the results of our analyses revealed that preferences for DRR and its uncertainty were heterogeneous among respondents, and the population segment that includes more women, older people, and more people who live in areas that may be directly affected by floods had higher ratings for “success probability” and relatively slightly lower ratings for “reduction in indirect damage”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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16 pages, 2676 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Resilience of Social-Infrastructural Systems: Functional Interdependencies Analysis

by Zhuyu Yang, Maria Fabrizia Clemente, Katia Laffréchine, Charlotte Heinzlef, Damien Serre and Bruno Barroca

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020606 - 6 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3255

Abstract

Critical infrastructures serve human activities and play an essential role in societies. Infrastructural systems are not isolated but are interdependent with regard to social systems, including those of public health and economic and sustainable development. In recent years, both social and infrastructural systems have frequently been in dysfunction due to increasing natural or human-made disasters and due to the internal and external dependencies between system components. The interconnectedness between social-infrastructural systems (socio-economic systems and technical-infrastructural systems), implies that the damage to one single system can extend beyond its scope. For that reason, cascading dysfunction can occur and increase system vulnerability. This article aims to study the functional interdependencies between social-infrastructural systems and to propose a methodology to analyse and improve the resilience of these systems. Combining Actor Network Theory and the Functional Models approach, the social-infrastructural Interdependence Resilience (SIIR) framework was proposed. To assess the applicability of the approach, the framework was applied to study the interdependence of a social-infrastructural system in the Nantes Metropolis. The studied system was composed of the local Highway Infrastructure (an infrastructural system) and the Emergency Medical Service (a social system). The results (1) show the feasibility of SIIR for investigating the interdependencies of two urban systems, and (2) provide a guideline for decision-makers to improve the functional interdependencies of urban systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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19 pages, 558 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Lightning in Bangladesh

by Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Irtifa Alam Nabila, Mohammed Sadman Sakib, Nusrat Jahan Silvia, Muhammad Abdullahil Galib, Ifta Alam Shobuj, Lamia Hasan, Musabber Ali Chisty, Farzana Rahman, Edris Alam and Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010448 - 1 Jan 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3983

Abstract

Despite the significant number of fatalities and injuries, there is currently a lack of data on public knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding lightning in Bangladesh. This study aims to assess the public’s knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards lightning in the country. A total of 1641 individuals participated in an online KAP survey. Where appropriate, the Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s rank correlation, and logistic regression models were performed. About 65% of the survey population reported frequent lightning; most (72.64%) did not receive any warning messages, and small proportions (22.12%) had lightning safety precautions. Individuals with numerous lightning experiences perceived considerably unsafe places against lightning compared to infrequent lightning experiences (p < 0.05). Respondents reported good knowledge (56.06%), positive attitudes (82.27%), and good preventive practices (72.33%). The logistic regression demonstrated that having good knowledge and positive attitudes can help people practice lightning safety. Females demonstrated better lightning attitudes and practices compared to males. In comparison to urban residents, rural residents had poor practices. In addition, individuals’ educational levels might also play a crucial role in preparing them for lightning. Overall, extensive lightning campaign activities combined with effective education are required for the behavioral changes in this lightning-vulnerable society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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15 pages, 5431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of the Coastal Hazard Wheel for Coastal Multi-Hazard Assessment and Management in the Guang-Dong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Area

by Qianxin Su, Zhiqiang Li, Gaocong Li, Daoheng Zhu and Pengpeng Hu

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12623; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212623 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2738

Abstract

The coasts of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) are facing threats and challenges from rising sea levels, frequent extreme events and human intervention. In this study, the Coastal Hazard Wheel (CHW) was used to classify the coasts of GBA, assess its hazard change from 2010 to 2020, identify hazards hotspots and explore available coastal management options. The results show that the coastal types of GBA in 2010 and 2020 are consistent, with delta/low estuary island and hard rock slope as the main types. GBA is vulnerable to ecosystem disruption, saltwater intrusion, gradual inundation and flooding hazards. Compared with 2010, the high risk proportion of each hazard in 2020 decreased significantly, but the high risk of flooding increased slightly. All kinds of hazards are interdependent and influenced by each other. The Pearl River Estuary, the east bank of Yamen Waterway, the west bank of Huangmao Sea and Dapeng Bay show very high hazard vulnerability, and the flooding risk is the highest. Soft measures such as coastal zoning, tsunami warning systems, wetland restoration and hazard simulation are most widely used in coastal management. CHW is applicable to GBA’s coastal hazard vulnerability assessment, which provides a case study for coastal risk assessment of GBA and has certain reference significance for hazard management and sustainable development for the Bay Area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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24 pages, 4280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smallholder Farmers’ Perceived Climate-Related Risk, Impact, and Their Choices of Sustainable Adaptation Strategies

by Abdullah Al Mamun, Susmita Roy, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam, G. M. Monirul Alam, Edris Alam, Subodh Chandra Pal, Md. Abdus Sattar and Javed Mallick

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11922; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111922 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3536

Abstract

Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries on the globe. The country is frequently affected by numerous climatic events including floods, droughts, cyclones, etc., which damages the farm household’s livelihood and socio-economic condition. Therefore, this work intends to appraise the smallholder farmers’ perceived climate-related risk, impact, and the factors that influence their choices of adaptation strategies to cope with the adverse impact of the climatic extreme events in northern Bangladesh. Survey data were collected from 300 respondents from two drought-prone districts of northern Bangladesh in January–February 2020. The climate-related risk perception index (CRRPI) was constructed to assess the farmers’ perceived risk. The multinominal logit (MNL) model was employed to explore the factors influencing farmers’ choices of adaptation strategies. Farmers’ perceptions of climate change risk were found to be consistent with meteorological data in the research area. Results of the CRRPI revealed that flood, drought, riverbank erosion, and heat waves were the critical risks perceived by the farmers. Farmers used a variety of adaptation measures to deal with these climatic threats, including agricultural diversification, changes in fertilizer and insecticides, and crop and seed changes. The MNL model results showed that the factors that influenced a farmer’s choices of adaptation strategies were age, education level, family members, income level, year of farming experience, and the farmer’s information on climate change. This study also demonstrated that water scarcity in the dry period and the frequency of crop diseases were the major limiting factors experienced by the farmers whilst undertaking adaptation strategies. Thus, awareness and capacity building through training and support to adopt the adaptation strategies are essential to enhance the resilience of the farmers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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16 pages, 2347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influencing Factors on the Usefulness of an Earthquake Early Warning System during the 2017 Mexico City Earthquakes

by Jaime Santos-Reyes

Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11499; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011499 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1644

Abstract

The paper presents the results of an ongoing research project on the performance of the SASMEX system following the two earthquakes that hit Mexico City in 2017, (a) the 7 September, and (b) the 19 September. In an earlier work, some preliminary findings on the perceived usefulness of the system have been reported. The aim of the present study is the identification of the precursors leading to the outcome variable (‘Usefulness of the SASMEX system’). An ordinal logistic regression analysis has been conducted. The influential factors leading to (a) are the following: the 1985 earthquake experience, drills participation, current knowledge, knowledge on what to do, fear during the tremors, education level, earthquake severity impact. The identified influential factors leading to (b) are the following: knowledge vs. drills, fear of building collapsing, and warning time. The main conclusion of the study is that the outcome is warning time dependent following an event. When there is ‘enough time’ to take protective actions, such as in (a), the probability of the system being considered Useful is higher than otherwise. Conversely, if there is not enough warning time, such as in (b), the probability of the system being considered Not useful is higher than otherwise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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17 pages, 4208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lost but Not Forgotten: Identifying Unmapped and Unlisted Environmental Hazards including Abandoned Mines

by Kieran P. Young, Brad R. Murray, Leigh J. Martin and Megan L. Murray

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 11011; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911011 - 4 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2586

Abstract

Environmental databases play an essential role in the management of land and communities, including mapping and monitoring environmental hazards over time (i.e., abandoned mines). Over the last century, mines have closed for many reasons, but there has been no comprehensive database of the locations of closed and abandoned mine sites kept for many regions of the world. As such, the locations of many mines have been lost from public knowledge, with no way for managers to assess the risks of land and water contamination, as well as subsidence. To address this knowledge gap, we present an integrated framework for identifying abandoned mine sites using a combination of satellite imagery, historical records, geographic evidence, and local knowledge. We tested this framework within the Newcastle, Illawarra, and Lithgow regions of NSW, Australia. We identified 61 abandoned coal mines which are currently unaccounted for in mine registries, with 56% of all mines in the Newcastle region being unmarked (N = 32), 36% in the Illawarra region (N = 22), and 20% in the Lithgow region (N = 7). These findings demonstrate that our framework has promising utility in identifying historic and unmarked environmental hazards in both national and international contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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14 pages, 589 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Brief Literature Review and Classification System of Reliability Methods for Evaluating the Stability of Earth Slopes

by Jarosław Przewłócki

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9090; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169090 - 13 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2231

Abstract

The issue of slope stability is one of the most important and yet most difficult geotechnical problems. Assessing slope stability is particularly difficult because of the many uncertainties involved in the process. To take these uncertainties into account, probabilistic methods are used, and the reliability approach is adopted. There are many methods for reliability assessment of earth slope stability. However, there is no system that would organize all of these methods in an unambiguous way. In fact, these methods can be classified in different ways: by assignment to a deterministic classification of methods, by description of uncertainties of soil parameters, by level of reliability according to the theory of reliability, etc. The huge number of articles summarizing the research in this field, but in various “disordered” directions, certainly do not facilitate the understanding or ultimately the practical application of the reliability approach by the engineer. The paper proposes a universal classification system of reliability methods for evaluating the stability of earth slopes. This proposal is preceded by a brief literature review of both historical background and contemporary research on reliability analysis of earth slope stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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27 pages, 6863 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Izabela-Maria Apostu, Maria Lazar and Florin Faur

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6919; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126919 - 19 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2206

Abstract

Some valuable minerals, such as lignite, are extracted through open-pit mining works. After the cessation of mining activity, large-scale gaps result in the landscape. These gaps, also called “remaining gaps”, represent some of the roughest types of environmental impacts. After the cessation of mining activity, recovery and ecological restoration works are required. However, it is first necessary to carry out risk assessment studies considering the possible future influences on the final slopes. For this study, flooding of the remaining lignite open-pits gaps was considered as the ecological restoration option. The study was based on extensive research, including sampling, laboratory tests, statistical-mathematical processing, hypothesis formulation, evaluations, interpretations, and field observations, regarding the rock behavior and occurrence of negative geotechnical phenomena (geotechnical phenomena that have a negative impact and a risk on the integrity of the environment and local communities, such as landslides, rockfalls, liquefaction, suffosis) during the flooding process. This paper’s originality consists of combining the methods and methodologies developed with the help of classic methods (Fellenius, Janbu, and Bishop methods) and probabilistic ones (Rosenblueth method) existing in the specialized literature for solving the proposed problem and structuring the information similar to a guide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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19 pages, 4711 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Chatbot System to Support Mine Safety Procedures during Natural Disasters

by Meng-Han Tsai, Hao-Yung Chan, Yi-Lin Chan, Heng-Kuang Shen, Pei-Yi Lin and Ching-Wen Hsu

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 654; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020654 - 12 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5471

Abstract

This study developed a chatbot to improve the efficiency of government activation of mine safety procedures during natural disasters. Taiwan has a comprehensive governmental system dedicated to responding to frequent natural disasters, and the Bureau of Mines has instituted clear procedures to ensure the delivery of disaster alarms and damage reports. However, the labor- and time-consumption procedures are inefficient. In this study, we propose a system framework for disaster-related information retrieval and immediate notifications to support the execution of mine safety procedures. The framework utilizes instant messaging (IM) applications as the user interface to look up information and send messages to announce the occurrence of disaster events. We evaluated the efficiency of the procedures before and after adopting the system and achieved a time-cost reduction of 55.8 min among three types of disaster events. The study has proven the feasibility of adopting novel techniques for decision-making and assures the improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the procedure activation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster)

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