In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Virginia Tech’s environmental security expert, Manoochehr Shirzaei, highlights the critical factors contributing to disasters like this. Shirzaei discusses the impact of climate change, aging infrastructure, and human settlement patterns on disaster preparedness and community resilience. The compounding effects of these factors amplify the destructive potential of extreme weather events like Hurricane Helene. It’s essential to address these issues to mitigate future disasters. Climate Change and aging infrastructure play pivotal roles in disaster risk management.
Impact of Climate Change
Climate change makes more extreme weather patterns like higher precipitation and stronger, less frequent storms such as Hurricane Helene. Action is needed, in adaptation, to absorb increasing weather extremes. Projections of increasing frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events are based on observational data, as well as on climate models. Global disaster resilience: Strategies to combat climate change.
- Climate change intensifies extreme weather events
- Increased precipitation linked to warming atmosphere
- Need for adaptive strategies to mitigate impacts
Role of Aging Infrastructure
Disasters like Hurricane Helene have a greater impact when they hit aging infrastructure. Levees, dams, and roads that were designed generations ago aren’t built to withstand challenges from climate change, especially with how strong hurricanes are becoming. These systems are aging and disappearing — and the risk of catastrophic failure during a natural disaster is rising. Disaster risk reduction starts with tackling aging infrastructure.
- Aging infrastructure increases the vulnerability
- Legacy systems are not built to endure severe weather
- Need for infrastructure upgrades to reduce disaster risk
Human Settlement Patterns
The risks are made worse by the presence of humans in flood-prone areas, and human population expansion also leads to potential catastrophic events like Hurricane Helene. This increases the risk of flooding dramatically, especially in floodplains, river valleys and downstream of dams. The global trend of locating communities in high-risk zones makes localities susceptible to heavy flooding and catastrophic damage. Notwithstanding the disaster response, it is essential that patterns of human settlement be reviewed
- Expansion of human populations into flood-prone areas
- Vulnerable communities located in high-risk zones
- Need for strategic planning to reduce settlement risks
