Regional Disaster Risk: Assessment and Mitigation Concepts in an All-Hazards Context

Accidents, terrorist acts and natural disasters occurring worldwide are heightening society’s concern for the risks affecting our lives. It has also led to the realization that a more systematic and holistic approach to risk management is needed. In earlier work, the authors began to address this issue by initiating development of an all-hazards risk management (AHRM) approach, taking multiple disaster risks into consideration. A proof-of-concept application was presented, focused on truck transportation of hazardous materials and earthquakes as two risks threatening a government jurisdiction. The AHRM methodology has since been extended to include terrorist acts. This paper describes the overall methodological development and presents its application in a case study region in the United States. Beyond demonstrating how disaster risks compare in the region, the paper discusses how a risk manager can use these results to establish risk priorities and develop mitigation strategies that offer the greatest return on investment.