Therefore, catastrophe cannot be measured to degree yet it will exist. There is multivalence in catastrophe to degree and to attribute. Catastrophe can be from physical, social or medical threat dimensions and varying degrees along each dimension. It then follows that the ability for assets to respond and bring control to catastrophe is also multivalent. As a result system fragmentation may occur, and system fragmentation may be perceived as system failure by inexperienced emergency managers.
Catastrophes are non-linear systems.
Social, physical and medical threats may be placed into an equation but the equations are not additive. Signals from a catastrophe have time duration. Each signal has an uncertainty. Increasing time duration will decrease uncertainty. However, the catastrophe will have changed during that time.