Episode 109: Complex Disasters

A complex disaster is a disaster or series of disasters that includes one or more types of disasters.

For example, we get hit with an earthquake while we have a supervolcano eruption or an MP when an earthquake happens. It is important to talk about this because we tend not to want to think about other disasters when we're living in the middle of one.

I look at disasters in two types:

• Micro disasters - may struggle in isolation
• Macro disasters - struggle feels more tolerable as it's a group struggle. 

Complex Disasters History

Double hurricanes, called "proximate tropical cyclones" by meteorologists, are rare but can occur when two cyclones spring up closer to one another than normal. Also a double landfall from the same hurricane. 

1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The 7.9 Magnitude earthquake hit on April 18, 1906. 3000 dead, 25,000 buildings (490 city blocks) destroyed, with 90% destroyed by fire, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The fire chief was killed during the initial earthquake, which hampered the response. Eventually, riots broke out.

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. 9.3 earthquake that resulted in 100' high tsunamis that killed over a quarter-million people.  

When it Rains it Pours (Simultaneous and Series)

If you're running into a series of disasters, you have to get ready again. You have to try to get ready to face it again, as prepared and as ready as you can possibly make yourself

As current times show, while we're going through a pandemic, we may be affected by other large and small scale disasters. When it rains it pours. How often when something crappy is already happening does some other problem come along and bite us in the butt? Pandemic and…

• Financial Disaster (Macro) and Unemployment (Macro) / Job Loss (Micro)
• Serious Illness
• Natural Disaster
• Manmade Disaster