Ann Arbor Times

The University of Michigan is at the forefront of a collaborative effort to improve forecasting of cascading hazards triggered by natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes. These events can set off a chain reaction of subsequent hazards that are interconnected, as explained by Marin Clark, a professor at the university. "These hazards don’t exist as single, isolated phenomena," Clark stated.

The collaboration aims to enhance understanding and prediction of these linked hazards, documented in a new report in the journal Science. Clark is also leading the Center for Land Surface Hazards Catalyst (CLaSH), supported by the National Science Foundation. The project seeks to advance research on surface hazards and their impacts.

"Reducing the impacts of surface hazards is a national priority," Clark noted, highlighting the need for academic research focused on basic disaster-related studies. The initiative strives to bridge gaps in understanding these complex hazard chains.

Brian Yanites from Indiana University emphasized challenges faced during events like Hurricane Helene: "We started monitoring it Tuesday night... but we don’t really have the scientific tools to go and say, ‘How many landslides? Where are they going to be?’" The CLaSH team is working towards developing tools and techniques for better prediction and resilience building.

Josh West from USC pointed out long-term consequences of such events: "The flooding risk in these areas can remain elevated for years." The center aims to raise awareness about linked hazards so communities can prepare effectively.

Dimitrios Zekkos from UC Berkeley discussed challenges posed by different scales of hazards: "Being safe in my own building isn’t enough. The community resilience isn’t there." Technological advances like drones and satellites aid researchers in addressing cascading hazards more comprehensively.

Josh Roering from the University of Oregon highlighted work with Indigenous communities facing debris flows due to changing environmental conditions. Collaborations through CLaSH aim to ramp up preparedness efforts.

Overall, CLaSH brings together experts across disciplines to address cascading hazard challenges efficiently. "This isn’t something that one researcher is going to be able to do," Clark concluded.