Impact of extreme weather on critical infrastructure: the EU-INTACT risk framework

Abstract

Abstract.Resilience of critical infrastructure (CI) to extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall, high temperatures and winter storms, is one of the most demanding challenges for governments and society. Recent experiences have highlighted the economic and societal reliance on a dependable and resilient infrastructure, and the far-reaching impacts that outages or malfunctions can have. Growing scientific evidence indicates that more severe and frequent extreme weather events are likely. The EU-funded INTACT project addresses these CI challenges and attempts to bring together cutting-edge knowledge and experience from across Europe to inform the development of best practice approaches in planning, crisis response and recovery capabilities. The project considers the options for mitigating the extreme weather impacts. A key component of the INTACT project is the development of a risk management structure to support decision-making in the case studies. This structure forms part of the overall INTACT Wiki: the main output of the project. It comprises a risk 'framework' that sets out how information and guidance can be accessed by CI owners and operators. Within this there is a step-wise risk assessment process based on best practice from the IEC. The risk framework and process presents: structures for models and data requirements for decision making; identifies tools and methods that support decision making; supports analysis of measures to protect CI through simulation; and indicates gaps in modelling and data availability. This paper outlines the components of the risk framework and process, and illustrates its use in a case study dealing with electricity supply and winter storms.

Tools and Methods for Supporting Regional Decision-Making in Relation to Climate Risks

“…It is recommended that the method is used in two stages: firstly, the risk analysis team specifies the generic event tree model including its main branches, and secondly, sector-specific experts are asked to complete it by providing probabilities for each alternative branch [30]. ETA was utilised for flood risk management [30] and electricity infrastructure adaptation to snow storm effects [56].…”

Tracking bridge tilt behaviour using sensor fusion techniques

“…However during periods of heavy rainfall, it is often a multihazard combination of flooding and scour which will ultimately lead to the failure of a bridge structure [5]. Numerous studies have been performed to monitor the resilience of the built environment against these multi-hazard events as a method of predicting how vulnerable the transport system is; including INFRARISK [6], INTACT [7] and RAIN [8] projects. A review of the fragility of the transport system can assist asset owners to determine the most vulnerable structures at risk on the transport network.…”