Wexelblat Disasters

A Wexelblat Disaster is a second order effect of natural phenomena (storms, earthquakes, etc.) on human-made systems:

The spectrum of Wexelblat Disasters is as varied as industrialization itself. It’s not the lightning that electrocutes you, it’s the wires it knocks down. It’s not the heavy soggy topsoil that gets you, it’s the fireball from the ruptured underground gasoline tank. It’s not the floods that get you, or even the floods levitating the house off its foundation, it’s the natural gas leak when the pipes break.

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