A systemic approach for dealing with chained damages triggered by natural hazards in complex human settlements

In the present article an approach is proposed grounded on two main pillars. On the one hand we aim to understand cascading events as resulting from the chain of different damages and failures that may occur either in association or triggered by one another. On the other hand we consider the complexity of different types of human settlements, showing the variation in types of settlements that can be equally prone to severe enchained affects. Based on literature and past projects, an interpretation of domino and cascading effects as a chain of subsequent damages and losses due to risk factors differentially associated with individual scenarios, is proposed in section 2. Then a typology of settlements and urban environments is discussed in section 3. Section 4 presents a methodology that has been developed in order to reconstruct the chained scenario of damage and losses in different types of urban environments making extensive use of empirical evidence extracted from post disaster reporting. The methodology is then applied to three case studies that are representative of distinct types of settlements in section 5. Section 6 summarizes the main results of the analysis and sets the stage for future research.