This research project is a comprehensive research study funded by the BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of various methodologies used to assess the benefits of mitigation investments for natural hazard risks. It focuses on understanding and comparing approaches such as cost-benefit analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and resilience metrics, among others, across different types of natural hazard events, particularly flood and earthquake along with their associated hazards (e.g. erosion, landslide, tsunami).
The research project’s key objective is to identify and critically evaluate frameworks that can be applied across multiple hazards, with a particular emphasis on capturing indirect benefits such as community resilience and long-term economic and environmental stability. The research will culminate in practical recommendations for government agencies, offering guidelines on best practices for assessing mitigation investments in a way that maximizes societal benefits and seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and policy implementation, contributing to more efficient and sustainable disaster risk reduction strategies.
Expected Outcomes
- A set of practical, evidence-based recommendations for government agencies on evaluating mitigation investments.
- Identification of robust, cross-hazard methodologies that capture both direct and indirect benefits of mitigation
- Critical assessment of existing frameworks to highlight their strengths and limitations.
- Guidance on best practices for improving decision-making in multi-hazard contexts.
- Enhanced efficiency in public resource allocation for disaster mitigation
