Unfolding Cascading Disasters: Navigating Complex Risks and Systemic Vulnerabilities for Coordinated Disaster Response

Cascading disasters are multiple events that follow an ordered sequence that increases the occurrence rates of various events. These combined events compound the effects of single risks; consequently, priority is given to a multi-hazard system-oriented approach to mitigation, prevention, and management. Cascading disasters represent a significant challenge to conventional approaches to disaster risk management. As a result, there is a growing need for a unified view of risk. These events require a systemic cohesive and interconnected understanding. Therefore, this research seeks to offer a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the current literature on cascading disasters from a theoretical and empirical perspective. It aims to outline a critical understanding of how and why cascading events unfold and how the impacts of these events can be managed through a systematic coordinated approach to disaster response. This study recognizes that systematic risk analysis, integrated disaster response techniques, and multi-sector coordination are fundamental components of an integrated disaster management framework in dealing with complicated, interconnected disasters across a range of settings. The research also identifies critical gaps in current disaster management policies and offers policy recommendations based on lessons learned from domestic and international case studies and best practices.