Natural hazards rarely occur in isolation. A single event—like an earthquake or a storm—often sets off a complex chain reaction, triggering secondary disasters that can be far more devastating than the initial shock. In disaster risk reduction (DRR) literature, we call these "cascading effects" or "multi-hazard interactions."
For researchers and practitioners, understanding these connections is vital. However, navigating complex interaction matrices in static PDF reports can be cumbersome.
Today, I am excited to share a web-based interactive tool developed to simplify this process. This tool digitizes the extensive research of Gill & Malamud (2014), allowing you to instantly visualize how one hazard triggers or increases the probability of another.
The Science Behind the Tool
This application is built upon the seminal paper: "Reviewing and visualizing the interactions of natural hazards" published in Reviews of Geophysics. In this study, the authors identified 90 distinct interaction relationships across 21 different natural hazards, grouped into families like Geophysical, Hydrological, and Atmospheric.
The matrix distinguishes between two critical types of interactions:
- Triggering: Where a primary hazard directly causes a secondary one (e.g., an Earthquake triggering a Tsunami)
- Increased Probability: Where a primary hazard alters environmental conditions, making a secondary hazard more likely (e.g., a Wildfire destroying vegetation, thereby increasing the probability of Landslides during future storms).
The Interactive Analyzer
I have developed this lightweight, client-side application to make these academic insights accessible to everyone—from students to senior risk analysts. It requires no installation and runs directly in your browser.
How to use it:
- Select a Primary Hazard from the dropdown menu.
- Click Analyze.
- Explore the potential Secondary Hazards, color-coded by their hazard group (Green for Geophysical, Red for Atmospheric, etc.).
Multi-Hazard Interaction Analysis
Based on the interaction matrix by Gill & Malamud (2014). Select a primary hazard below to visualize potential cascading effects, triggered events, and probability shifts.
Why This Matters?
Moving from a "single-hazard" approach to a "multi-hazard" perspective is one of the biggest challenges in modern disaster management. Tools like this help us visualize the non-linear nature of risk.
For example, by selecting "Storm", you can see how it not only triggers Floods but can also act as a catalyst for Landslides and even Ground Collapse events. This holistic view is essential for better spatial planning and mitigation strategies.
Technical Note
This tool was built using Bootstrap 5 for a responsive, mobile-friendly design and vanilla JavaScript for data processing. It operates entirely on the client-side, meaning no data is sent to external servers, ensuring speed and privacy.
Reference: Gill, J. C., & Malamud, B. D. (2014). Reviewing and visualizing the interactions of natural hazards. Reviews of Geophysics, 52, 680-722.
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