PIARC’s Technical Committee (TC) 1.5 on Disaster Management has established a dedicated task focused on “Coping with Extreme Weather Events”. This initiative includes the development of an international survey, the collection and analysis of case studies, and an active engagement with road administrations worldwide to learn from global experience and promote knowledge sharing.
The international survey conducted by TC 1.5 received 67 responses from 29 countries across all inhabited continents (5 from Asia, 8 from Europe, 7 from the Americas, 7 from Africa, and 2 from Oceania). The survey provides a comprehensive overview of how road administrations are addressing the challenges posed by extreme weather events. Its main themes cover procedures and planning, the use of technology, coordination with other organizations, financial aspects, gender inclusion within road administrations, decarbonisation challenges, and lessons learned from past events.
The findings indicate that floods, heavy rainfall, wildfires, and droughts are the most frequent and impactful hazards affecting road infrastructure globally, with regional variations reflecting local climatic and geographic conditions. Approximately 60% of respondents reported using technology to predict weather events, primarily through automated weather stations and warning systems delivered via SMS or mobile applications. This highlights a strong focus on real-time monitoring and communication. However, the use of advanced predictive models and crowd-sourced data remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, revealing notable gaps in technological capacity.
Emergency procedures to address extreme weather events are in place for roughly three-quarters of respondents, although preparedness is significantly stronger in high-income countries. While coordination with other government agencies is widely practiced, gaps persist, especially in data-sharing platforms and joint simulation exercises. Financial constraints and aging infrastructure were identified as major challenges across all income levels. In addition, the survey revealed limited integration of gender inclusion and decarbonisation strategies into disaster management, indicating substantial opportunities for improvement.
As part of this work, a technical report was produced to present the project methodology and summarize the survey findings, and 20 case studies were collected from Technical Committee members in Spain, Chile, Australia, Italy, Canada, the United States, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, and New Zealand.
This technical report brings together the survey results and collected case studies, and presents conclusions and recommendations aimed at supporting decision-makers and international organizations in strengthening resilience to extreme weather events worldwide.