Floods in the north-western Mediterranean region: presentation of the HYMEX database and comparison with pre-existing global databases

Abstract

ABSTRACT. -The contribution presents the database on floods that is being developed in the framework of HYMEX project and the preliminary results obtained for the NW sector of Mediterranean region. This database contains data on damages and the main hydrometeorological features of each reported event. The study is included in one of the objectives of the Working Group 5, which is a transversal group of the HYMEX project dealing with all the aspects related to societal and ecological impacts of hydrometeorological extremes, as well as their perception and communication processes. One of the main points of the WG5 is the creation of a common database on floods and their societal impact, for the Mediterranean region, as well as its analysis. Although some databases already exist and are frequently consulted, they are mainly focused on "major" catastrophic events. But the Mediterranean region experiences every year a high number of minor flash-floods that, considered in their totality, produce important losses and disruptions of the everyday life. This contribution is focused on North-Eastern Spain, South of Italy and South-East of France and the objective is to include all the floods that have produced damages, although they are not considered as "major" disasters.Key-words: floods, flash-floods, societal impact, damages, Mediterranean Region. Les inondations dans le nord-ouest de la Méditerranée : comparaison avec les bases de données globalesRÉSUMÉ. -La contribution présente la base de données sur les inondations développée dans le cadre du projet HYMEX et les résultats préliminaires obtenus pour la partie nord-ouest de la région méditerranéenne. Cette base de données, couvrant la période 1981-2010, contient des données sur les dommages et sur les principales caractéristiques hydrométéorologiques de chaque événement inventorié. L'étude constitue l'un des objectifs du groupe de travail 5, groupe transversal du projet HYMEX qui traite des impacts sociétaux et écologiques des phénomènes hydrométéorologiques extrêmes, de leur perception et de la communication. L'un des principaux chantiers du groupe de travail 5 est la création et l'analyse d'une base de données commune sur les inondations et leurs impacts sociétaux dans les pays méditerranéens. Bien que certaines bases de données existent déjà et soient fréquemment consultées, elles visent principalement les évé-nements majeurs. Mais la Méditerranée connaît chaque année un nombre élevé de crues éclairs mineures qui, considérées dans leur ensemble, produisent d'importantes pertes et perturbent les activités socio-économiques. Cette contribution est axée sur le nord-est de l'Espagne, le sud de l'Italie et le sud-est de la France. L'objectif est d'inclure toutes les inondations qui ont produit des dommages, même si elles ne sont pas considérées comme des catastrophes.

SMC-Floods database: A high resolution press database on floods for the Spanish Mediterranean Coast (1960–2015)

“…These works collect a large amount of data on flood events occurred between 1981 and 2010 trough newspaper sources with a high spatial resolution. As for Spain, are remarkable the results obtained by Llasat et al (2009;2013a, 2013b and Barnolas and Llasat, (2007) through the INUNGAMA floods database. This database completes another high-resolution database that covers the north-east of Spain between 1982 and 2007 and also based on newspaper sources.…”

“…Some works have made a remarkably effort to synthesize the different European regions results ir order to offer a homogeneous database for the western Mediterranean. In this regard, the works of Llasat et al (2013aLlasat et al ( , 2013b show the FLOODHYMEX database results (produced in the framework of the HYMEX Project). These works collect a large amount of data on flood events occurred between 1981 and 2010 trough newspaper sources with a high spatial resolution.…”

Flash flood evolution in North-Western Mediterranean

“…Indeed, EM-DAT and NATHAN contain only a few events classified as catastrophic within their respective criteria (Llasat et al, 2013b), whereas the database used in this article contains all episodes which produced floods with some degree of impact. This is significant, considering that the Mediterranean region frequently undergoes flash floods that are not catastrophic but that produce large accumulative costs.…”

Comparing flood mortality in Portugal and Greece (Western and Eastern Mediterranean)

“…For instance, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) only records natural disasters that have caused at least 10 fatalities while national databases usually include flood occurrences that caused fatalities regardless of their number [25][26][27][28]. Global databases such as EM-DAT and the Natural Hazards Assessment Network (NATHAN) of the Munich Re are useful to identify catastrophic events, but must be carefully used when regional or local studies are developed because great part of the recorded events, for instance in the Mediterranean countries, are not included [29]. Documentary sources have been used before to complete and improve flood catalogues.…”