Vulnerability of transport infrastructure to extreme weather events in small rural catchments

Across the Mediterranean region, extreme weather events (EWE), such as high-intensity storms causing flooding in small river basins, are one of the most common types of hydrometeorological hazards. Flooding has been associated with severe effects on road networks and a significant number of vehicle-related fatalities, raising concerns regarding the performance of transportation infrastructure during EWEs. Given the expected increase in frequency of such events within the context of climate change, an assessment of its vulnerability is particularly crucial. The work presented herein evaluates the performance of transportation infrastructure during high-intensity storms. This research focuses on small rural catchments, examining the impact of five extreme storm events in five rural basins in Greece. Post-flood surveys were conducted, to record the impact of inundation on each infrastructure element in the five catchments. Overall, findings showed that road infrastructure, especially river crossings, performed poorly, restricting access to large areas during and after the events, affecting the safety of commuters and sustaining extensive damages. On average, it was found that 73% of the river crossings and 11.5% of the total length of the road network were inundated or damaged, while a total of 12 individuals died during the events. The results revealed that the impact of flooding in the transportation infrastructure of small rural basins was severe and a threat to human life. The findings of this study indicate that authorities should consider taking measures during EWEs, reexamine the safety features of the relevant infrastructure and assess the risk related to its failure

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Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Estudis Internacionals de Pau, Conflictes i Desenvolupament (Pla de 2013). Codi: SBG120. Curs acadèmic: 2018-201

Disaster Data Centre—An Innovative Educational Tool for Disaster Reduction through Education in Schools

During the last decades, mankind has suffered from devastation caused by natural disasters and technological accidents of increased frequency and children are among the most vulnerable population group, especially those attending school during times of disaster. The importance of education in promoting and enabling disaster risk reduction has already been identified by researchers. In this paper “Disaster Date Center (DDC)” is presented, a new, powerful and innovative tool for the study of and education on disasters. One noteworthy application of DDC is the educational and public awareness tool in the form of e-learning

Managing Earthquake Debris: Environmental Issues, Health Impacts, and Risk Reduction Measures

Earthquakes have the potential to cause severe and widespread structural damage to buildings and infrastructure in the affected area. Earthquake debris mainly results from building collapses during intense ground motion and the emergency demolition of damaged and unstable buildings following a devastating earthquake. Debris management constitutes a major challenge that must be met by all those participating in disaster management as it poses threats to both the natural environment and public health in an earthquake-affected area. This narrative review examines the hazards that arise throughout the early phases of debris removal, when personnel operate in disaster-affected areas, to the last steps of sorting and disposal. Furthermore, emphasis is also given to the environmental impact caused by unregulated debris disposal on natural habitats that are highly sensitive and susceptible to hazardous substances and materials found in the debris. In the same framework, measures are proposed for alleviating the negative impacts of debris management on the well-being of all individuals involved, including workers, volunteers, and the local community, as well as the surrounding natural environment, encompassing soil, surface and groundwater, as well as air quality

Using UAS-Aided Photogrammetry to Monitor and Quantify the Geomorphic Effects of Extreme Weather Events in Tectonically Active Mass Waste-Prone Areas: The Case of Medicane Ianos

Extreme weather events can trigger various hydrogeomorphic phenomena and processes including slope failures. These shallow instabilities are difficult to monitor and measure due to the spatial and temporal scales in which they occur. New technologies such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), photogrammetry and the structure-from-motion (SfM) technique have recently demonstrated capabilities useful in performing accurate terrain observations that have the potential to provide insights into these geomorphic processes. This study explores the use of UAS-aided photogrammetry and change detection, using specialized techniques such as the digital elevation model (DEM) of differences (DoD) and cloud-to-cloud distance (C2C) to monitor and quantify geomorphic changes before and after an extreme medicane event in Myrtos, a highly visited touristic site on Cephalonia Island, Greece. The application demonstrates that the combination of UAS with photogrammetry allows accurate delineation of instabilities, volumetric estimates of morphometric changes, insights into erosion and deposition processes and the delineation of higher-risk areas in a rapid, safe and practical way. Overall, the study illustrates that the combination of tools facilitates continuous monitoring and provides key insights into geomorphic processes that are otherwise difficult to observe. Through this deeper understanding, this approach can be a stepping stone to risk management of this type of highly-visited sites, which in turn is a key ingredient to sustainable development in high-risk areas

Inventory of Historical and Recent Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Assessment of Related Susceptibility by GIS-Based Analytic Hierarchy Process: The Case of Cephalonia (Ionian Islands, Western Greece)

Cephalonia, located in the middle of the central Ionian Islands, has been affected by destructive earthquakes during both the instrumental and the historical period. Despite the fact that it is widely studied from several scientific viewpoints, limited research has been conducted so far regarding the earthquake-triggered landslides (ETL) and the related susceptibility. In the context of the present study, an inventory with 67 ETL from 11 earthquakes that occurred from 1636 to 2014 is presented. Given this record, the study further examines the ETL susceptibility exploiting 10 landslide causal factors in the frame of a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Four factors (i.e., slope, PGA, tectonic structures and lithology) were associated in a higher degree to the locations where ETL occurred on the island. Based on the comparison of the ETL inventory and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map, the distribution of ETL in Cephalonia is not random, as their majority (82%) were generated within high to critically high susceptible zones. This fact, along with the AUC values of 80.3%, reveals a fair-to-good accuracy of the landslide susceptibility assessment and indicate that the contribution of the studied variables to the generation of ETL was effectively determined

Inventory of Historical and Recent Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Assessment of Related Susceptibility by GIS-Based Analytic Hierarchy Process: The Case of Cephalonia (Ionian Islands, Western Greece)

Cephalonia, located in the middle of the central Ionian Islands, has been affected by destructive earthquakes during both the instrumental and the historical period. Despite the fact that it is widely studied from several scientific viewpoints, limited research has been conducted so far regarding the earthquake-triggered landslides (ETL) and the related susceptibility. In the context of the present study, an inventory with 67 ETL from 11 earthquakes that occurred from 1636 to 2014 is presented. Given this record, the study further examines the ETL susceptibility exploiting 10 landslide causal factors in the frame of a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Four factors (i.e., slope, PGA, tectonic structures and lithology) were associated in a higher degree to the locations where ETL occurred on the island. Based on the comparison of the ETL inventory and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map, the distribution of ETL in Cephalonia is not random, as their majority (82%) were generated within high to critically high susceptible zones. This fact, along with the AUC values of 80.3%, reveals a fair-to-good accuracy of the landslide susceptibility assessment and indicate that the contribution of the studied variables to the generation of ETL was effectively determined

The Use of Innovative Techniques for Management of High-Risk Coastal Areas, Mitigation of Earthquake-Triggered Landslide Risk and Responsible Coastal Development

Coastal areas constitute a very dynamic environment, balancing between numerous natural and anthropogenic processes liable to sometimes hazardous geomorphic phenomena. Especially in tectonically active coastal regions and areas of high economic value, slope failures can have significant impacts and therefore need careful and detailed examination. This work uses Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-aided photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in tectonically active segments of the coastal zone of the Ionian Islands in Greece, to explore how their capabilities can help to improve our understanding of the structural integrity of the slopes. Results show that the two approaches are able to extract large numbers of discontinuity facets, in a more practical, rapid and safe way than conventional methods of rock slope stability analysis extending to unreachable yet important parts of the slope. Through this holistic record of the structural condition of the slope the two applications allow the identification of segments that are more prone to instability and failure. In this way, they improve our understanding of the prioritization of interventions aiming to enhance the prevention of slope failures, mitigating the associated risk and improving local development in these high-value locations