Disaster impact metrics (DIMs) are key outputs of natural-hazard risk models/assessments that provide a tangible way of communicating risk. However, typical DIMs are limited in that they tend to capture only direct damage/economic losses, be specifically designed for developed countries, account for just one snapshot in time, and be characterised for individual assets rather than systems. These shortcomings somewhat stem from a lack of understanding around the bespoke requirements of different stakeholders concerning disaster impact/risk assessments. Addressing these limitations, we propose a toolbox for characterising context-specific DIMs that capture relevant stakeholder priorities/requirements. The toolbox includes: (1) a comprehensive, holistic pool of DIMs developed from a literature review and a conceptual representation of societal dependencies; and (2) a stakeholder-centred framework for facilitating the appropriate selection of DIMs from this pool. We demonstrate the framework for Kathmandu, Nepal, revealing that the relative importance of a given disaster impact can change for different stakeholder groups and spatio-temporal dimensions. Impacts related to direct damage/economic losses are not the most crucial concern of the considered stakeholders. Higher priority is placed on characterising accessibility impacts around utilities and social networks, for instance. This work contributes to advancing the usefulness of natural-hazard risk assessments for important decision-making.

We assess the potential implementation of earthquake early warning (EEW) across Europe, where there is a clear need for measures that mitigate seismic risk. EEW systems consist of seismic networks and mathematical models/algorithms capable of real-time data telemetry that alert stakeholders (e.g., civil-protection authorities, the public), to an earthquake’s nucleation seconds before shaking occurs at target sites. During this time, actions can be taken that might decrease detrimental impacts. We investigate distributions of EEW lead times available across various parts of the Euro-Mediterranean region, based on seismicity models and seismic network density. We then determine the potential usefulness of these times for EEW purposes, by defining their spatial relationship with population exposure, seismic hazard, and an alert accuracy proxy, using well-established earthquake-engineering tools for measuring the impacts of earthquakes. The mapped feasibility results demonstrate that, under certain conditions, EEW could be effective for some parts of Europe.