| Project Detail |
Critical infrastructure — such as electricity, telecommunications, transportation, and water supply —plays a key role in determining a society’s vulnerability to natural hazards. This project analyses interdependencies between essential pillars of critical infrastructure supply. It goes beyond critical infrastructure management to determine what levels of critical services societies need to survive and thrive in the aftermath of natural hazard events. A particular focus is on understanding variances in the minimum supply requirements of different social groups and other infrastructure elements (e.g., hospitals and fire stations).
In addition to developing minimum supply goals, the project also aims to:
mainstream minimum supply concepts into risk and crisis management principles;
assess dependencies and vulnerabilities regarding power and water supply;
assess the effectiveness of preventive measures for risk management and risk reduction in technical and socio-cultural terms;
establish an evaluation system for dealing with infrastructure failures based on “best and worst practices”.
To do so, the project will conduct household surveys in three case study areas, with six target groups, including students and apprentices, families, single-member households, senior citizens with and without special needs for care and assistance, as well as refugees.
The results will inform the development of minimum supply standards, designed in collaboration with partners from the University of Applied Sciences in Köln, the University of Stuttgart, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), and associated partners. With financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the project’s empirical pilot areas are two municipalities in Germany: the city of Cologne and the municipality of Rhein-Erft.
|
