National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre

When two or more hazards collide, the impact can far exceed the sum of its parts.

Compound events – hazards occurring simultaneously or in close succession – are harder to predict and harder to manage – and are becoming increasingly common as the climate changes.

These three examples show the pattern:
🌡️ Australia, 2019 – Extreme heat was followed by flooding that killed more than 500,000 cattle and caused economic losses of more than US$1.2 billion.
🌊 Japan, 2018 – Severe flooding damaged homes and disrupted electricity networks, leaving communities far more exposed to the intense heatwave that followed.
🔥 Mediterranean, 2021 – Temperatures approaching 50°C and coastal flooding struck simultaneously, overwhelming infrastructure and emergency response.

Traditional risk assessments often evaluate hazards in isolation – this can lead to a major underestimation of risk

Reducing compound risk requires integrated responses: resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions, early warning systems, and risk-informed urban planning that accounts for combined – not just individual – hazard scenarios.

Explore further ➡️ https://ow.ly/ukfH50Z7TTs