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The implementation of a new Tsunami Intensity Scale is proposed because a vast amount of data has been collected from the two megatsunamis that took place in the Indian Ocean in 2004 and northeast Japan in 2011. The newly proposed scale is 12-grade and is based on the assessment of a large number of objective criteria that are easily accessible and incorporated into six groups. As a result, it does not saturate as six-grade scales do. More specifically, the estimation of intensity values takes into account: (1) the quantities of the phenomena, (2) the direct impact on humans, (3) the impact on mobile objects, (4) the impact on coastal infrastructure, (5) the impact on the environment, and (6) the impact on structures. The new scale is compatible with the widely used EMS 1998 and ESI 2007 scales and has a reliable horizontal correspondence throughout the groups of criteria. It is easily and directly applicable to all environments, and particularly useful for the outlining of microzones of different intensities in any tsunami-affected area. It can be implemented for any land use/cover type, such as urban, rural, industrial, touristic, and so on, and at the same time, morphologic diversity of affected areas is not an obstacle to application.Online Material: Photos and satellite images of tsunami damage and associated intensity values.

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In November 2017, a high-intensity storm caused a catastrophic flash flood that devastated the city of Mandra, in Greece, and led to the tragic loss of 24 people. The storm caused flooding in the two main tributaries of the basin, creating two very similar hydrological responses with similar flood characteristics that hit two different environments: one within the city and one outside. This work examines the fatal incidents that occurred in relation to the characteristics of the surrounding environment, to investigate the role of the latter in flood mortality. Then, the analysis carried out for the 2017 flood is expanded to a broader database of flood deaths for Greece (1960-2018) for comparison. Results show that certain mortality characteristics differ substantially depending on the setting. Outdoor incidents are more abundant in nonurban environments, in which victims exhibit mostly an active or risk-taking behaviour against the imminent risk. Urban environments are characterised by a greater diversity of victim activities, higher percentages of indoor deaths, especially for older victims and more passive behaviours. Overall, the study presents evidence on how risk situations develop differently between urban and nonurban settings. Findings are relevant in shaping policy and education programs aiming to mitigate risk.