As extreme events become increasingly interconnected, the EU-funded PARATUS project concludes with tools, methods, open-access research and new European guidelines to strengthen preparedness for compound and cascading disasters.
During the heatwave that hit Europe last June, one question became increasingly difficult to ignore: what happens when extreme heat does not only cause train failures and delays, but also ignites wildfires, triggers blackouts, disrupts communication networks and sets off a chain of further failures?
This is the reality of compound and cascading disasters: events in which different hazards occur simultaneously or successively, interacting with one another and potentially producing consequences far greater than those of a single event. As the IPCC defines it, “compound risk is the interaction of simultaneous or successive multiple hazards or events that combine to produce extreme disasters capable of generating widespread losses.”
Preparing for these scenarios is the focus of PARATUS, a European research project bringing together researchers and practitioners to develop new approaches, tools and methods for assessing and managing risks across hazards, infrastructures and communities.
As the project reaches its conclusion in September 2026, PARATUS leaves behind practical resources and recommendations designed to strengthen disaster preparedness in Europe and ensure that its knowledge and tools remain accessible beyond the project’s lifetime.
Preparing for disasters that do not happen in isolation
A heatwave can increase the risk of wildfires and put pressure on energy systems. A wildfire can damage infrastructure and disrupt communications. An earthquake can simultaneously affect transport, energy and emergency response. When critical systems are interconnected, the failure of one can create consequences across others.
PARATUS addresses these challenges through a multi-hazard approach to disaster risk preparedness, combining risk assessment, scenario analysis, stakeholder engagement and innovative tools to support decision-making.
The project’s results were presented on 29 June in Brussels, during the PARATUS Final Event at The Hotel, held one day before the European Commission’s Disaster Resilience Days. The event brought together practitioners, first and second responders, policy experts, researchers and other stakeholders.
PARATUS showcased its tools, applications and methods in an interactive format and published a series of dedicated open-access papers, including lessons learned from its four case studies.
Opening the event, Funda Atun, PARATUS Project Coordinator and Associate Professor at the University of Twente, highlighted a key lesson: “No matter how good the assessment is, no matter how good the plan is, failures occur during disaster. This is why we shall focus on the role of society in mitigating or increasing the risk, and understand what didn’t work, but also what went well.”
For PARATUS, effective preparedness must therefore go beyond technical assessments and emergency plans. Socio-technical factors matter, including the role of citizens, children, older people and spontaneous volunteers.
From research results to long-term standards
One of PARATUS’s key achievements is its contribution to a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA), “Guidelines for Disaster Risk Preparedness Solutions – Project tools, platforms and processes – Good practice recommendations.”
The process began in early 2024 after stakeholders identified a need for greater standardisation and for sustainability to be considered from the earliest stages of disaster preparedness projects. “Already in year one we realized that most stakeholders involved were seeking higher standardization when it comes to Disaster Risk Preparedness,” says Cees Van Westen, Full Professor at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente. “They emphasised the need for sustainability planning from an early stage, including long-term hosting, preservation of web domains and continued access to documentation, datasets and training resources.”
The draft CWA highlights shared repositories, discoverability, interoperability, community engagement and collaborative networks, while providing guidance for effective long-term governance and custodianship.
Keeping preparedness alive beyond PARATUS
PARATUS will officially close in September 2026, but its work will continue through the Disaster Risk Stakeholder Hub (DRS Hub).
The Hub brings together results and open-access tools from several European projects and provides a space for continued dialogue and collaboration among people working on societal resilience and systemic risks. “As soon as we established the DRS Stakeholder Hub, members had immediate access to a broad and dynamic network of people engaged in Societal Resilience at various levels,” says Jon Hall, Crisis Management and Civil Protection Specialist at Resilience Advisory Network, responsible for the DRS Hub.
The Hub will help ensure that knowledge, tools and networks developed through European research remain available beyond the lifetime of individual projects.
Building resilience before the next cascading crisis
The conclusion of PARATUS comes as Europe faces increasingly complex emergencies in which extreme weather, critical infrastructure dependencies and societal vulnerabilities can interact. The project’s message is clear: preparedness cannot stop at predicting the next hazard. Europe must also be ready for what happens next.
Through its multi-hazard tools and methods, four case studies, a series of open-access papers, CEN standardisation work, stakeholder networks and Disaster Risk Stakeholder Hub, PARATUS contributes to a more integrated approach to disaster preparedness – one capable of addressing not only individual hazards, but the complex chains of events they can trigger.
About PARATUS
PARATUS is a European research project focused on improving disaster preparedness and societal resilience by addressing multi-hazard, compound and cascading risks. The project brings together researchers, practitioners and stakeholders to develop and test tools, methods and approaches supporting risk assessment, preparedness, communication and decision-making across hazards and sectors.
Visit the DRS Hub at www.DRS-hub.eu and reach out for further collaboration.