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Abstract Extreme weather-related events are showing how infrastructure disruptions in hinterlands can affect cities. This paper explores the risks to city infrastructure services including transportation, electricity, communication, fuel supply, water distribution, stormwater drainage, and food supply from hinterland hazards of fire, precipitation, post-fire debris flow, smoke, and flooding. There is a large and growing body of research that describes the vulnerabilities of infrastructures to climate hazards, yet this work has not systematically acknowledged the relationships and cross-governance challenges of protecting cities from remote disruptions. An evidence base is developed through a structured literature review that identifies city infrastructure vulnerabilities to hinterland hazards. Findings highlight diverse pathways from the initial hazard to the final impact on an infrastructure, demonstrating that impacts to hinterland infrastructure assets from hazards can cascade to city infrastructure. Beyond the value of describing the impact of hinterland hazards on urban infrastructure, the identified pathways can assist in informing cross-governance mitigation strategies. It may be the case that to protect cities, local governments invest in mitigating hazards in their hinterlands and supply chains.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025
Examining spatial and socioeconomic disparities in internet resilience during extreme weather events: a case study of Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri
Abstract The resilience of internet service is crucial for ensuring consistent communication, situational awareness, facilitating emergency response in our digitally-dependent society. However, due to empirical data constraints, there has been limited research on internet service disruptions during extreme weather events. To bridge this gap, this study utilizes observational datasets on internet performance to quantitatively assess the extent of internet disruption during two recent extreme weather events. Taking Harris County in the United States as the study region, we jointly analyzed the hazard severity and the associated internet disruptions in the context of two extreme weather events. The results show that the hazard events significantly impacted regional internet connectivity. There exists a pronounced temporal synchronicity between the magnitude of disruption and hazard severity: as the severity of hazards intensifies, internet disruptions correspondingly escalate, and eventually return to baseline levels post-event. The spatial analyses show that internet service disruptions can happen even in areas that are not directly impacted by hazards, demonstrating that the repercussions of hazards extend beyond the immediate area of impact. This interplay of temporal synchronization and spatial variance underscores the complex relationships between hazard severity and Internet disruption. Furthermore, the socio-demographic analysis suggests that vulnerable communities, already grappling with myriad challenges, face exacerbated service disruptions during these hazard events, emphasizing the need for prioritized disaster mitigation strategies and interventions for improving the resilience of internet services. To the best of our knowledge, this research is among the first studies to examine the Internet disruptions during hazardous events using a quantitative observational dataset. The insights obtained hold significant implications for city administrators, guiding them towards more resilient and equitable infrastructure planning.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1846069
- PAR ID:
- 10566442
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Urban Informatics
- Volume:
- 3
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2731-6963
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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