Overview
The project 'Impacts of man-made and extreme weather events on infrastructure, public and individuals." is a 14-year project (2011-2025) related to events in the Nord-Trøndelag county which constitutes the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It covers the time frame 2011-2013 and the aftermath events in those dates. The project will be operated in close collaboration with several institutions and various end-users.
The general goal is to contribute to a safer society with more robust infrastructure, safer transport and reliable avalanche / landslide and flood warnings.
The essential objectives are to generate new knowledge and develop good, effective and forward-looking solutions for handling different natural hazards and other unfortunate / unwanted events through collaboration across areas of responsibility.
Frequent extreme weather events and maintenance accumulation combined with man-made engagement in catchment areas are several of the primary causes of flood and landslide or avalanche-related damage to infrastructure. This presents a hazard to civil protection and traffic flow on railways and roads.
The damage and disruption to infrastructure caused by natural hazards has given rise to protests from many transportation companies which have suffered losses. This is further augmented by the impact on the tourist industry which varies in nature and magnitude.
A natural disaster event is, in any case, a particularly difficult period for the tourist industry, which is reeling from the economic crisis. Therefore the project will study the effects of these unusual phenomena on the transport and tourist industries.
Results
- The mapping of hazards and related outcome provides a foundation for risk classification.
- The obligation for hazard and risk mapping is divided between various organisations and different knowledge is used to collect and evaluate data. There is also a demand to improve access to the gathered data and demonstrate the mapping outcome.
- The project has discovered that there are differences in the level of detail to which the agencies map landslide / avalanche hazards in steep catchments (avalanches, slush flows, rock falls, debris slides and debris flows).
- The Norwegian National Rail Administration and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration use maps but have various acceptance criteria for landslides / avalanches in steep catchments.
- There is a specific demand to accomplish better cooperation regarding the use of climate data, how risk-reducing measures and forests are to be included in hazard mapping, and how simulations of landslide/avalanche events can be improved.
- The agencies have co-ordinated their hazard mapping. This particularly applies to the use of source data, analysis and modelling tools, as well as common understanding and competence-building.