The following article examines the cascading effects that took place from February 11–20, 2021, through the perspectives of emergency managers, FEMA employees, and others who responded to “The Texas Freeze.” The research discusses the literature on cascading disasters as well as the methodology that was utilized to conduct this study. It then examines the unique challenges experienced before and after the storm. In particular, the article explores the loss of power that subsequently resulted in the lack of water, the freezing of pipes, and flooding. In addition, it mentions other problems such as transportation and the provision of fuel as well as numerous consequences that posed considerable challenges for hospitals, long-term care facilities, and emergency managers. The article concludes with recommendations to strengthen infrastructure, mitigate winter storms, and increase planning and preparedness for complex disasters. The main point to be made is that far more consideration needs to be given to proactively understand and anticipate cascading disasters.

中文翻译：

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应对 2021 年 2 月德克萨斯州冰冻：对复杂灾难连锁反应反应的案例研究

以下文章从应急管理人员、FEMA 员工和其他响应“德克萨斯州冰冻”的人员的角度，探讨了 2021 年 2 月 11 日至 20 日发生的连锁效应。该研究讨论了有关连锁灾难的文献以及用于进行本研究的方法。然后，它研究了风暴前后经历的独特挑战。文章特别探讨了停电导致的缺水、管道冻结和洪水。此外，它还提到了其他问题，例如交通和燃料供应，以及给医院、长期护理机构和应急管理人员带来巨大挑战的众多后果。文章最后提出了加强基础设施的建议，减轻冬季风暴，并加强对复杂灾害的规划和准备。需要指出的要点是，需要更多地考虑来主动了解和预测连锁灾难。