Impact of Damaging Geo-Hydrological Events and Population Development in Calabria, Southern Italy

Abstract

Damaging geo-Hydrogeological Events (DHEs) are defined as the occurrence of destructive phenomena (such as landslides and floods) that can cause damage to people and goods during periods of bad weather. These phenomena should be analyzed together as they actually occur because their interactions can both amplify the damage and obstruct emergency management. The occurrence of DHEs depends on the interactions between climatic and geomorphological features: except for long-term climatic changes, these interactions can be considered constant, and for this reason, some areas are systematically affected. However, damage scenarios can change; events that occurred in the past could presently cause different effects depending on the modifications that occurred in the geographical distribution of vulnerable elements. We analyzed a catastrophic DHE that in 1951 affected an area 3700 km 2 wide, located in Calabria (southern Italy), with four-day cumulative rainfall exceeding 300 mm and return periods of daily rain exceeding 500 Y. It resulted in 101 victims and 4500 homeless individuals. The probability that a similar event will happen again in the future is assessed using the return period of the triggering rainfall, whereas the different anthropogenic factors are taken into account by means of the population densities at the time of the event and currently. The result is a classification of regional municipalities according to the probability that events such as the one analyzed will occur again in the future and the possible effects of this event on the current situation.

Slope Processes, Mass Movement and Soil Erosion: A Review

“…These movements are outlined in this article, and some examples are presented. When there is the action of water and/or ice, the agents may decrease soil shear strength and, consequently, contribute to the plastic or liquid behaviour of soil, making mass movements even more catastrophic (Varnes, 1978;Brunsden, 1988;Goudie, 1995;Cendrero and Dramis, 1996;Goudie and Viles, 1997;Crozier and Glade, 2005;Van Beek et al, 2008;VanWesten et al, 2008;Fell et al, 2012;Graeff et al, 2012;Korup, 2012;Petruci et al, 2013;Kanungo and Sharmas, 2014). Surveys of mass movements have different aims, including predicting their occurrence, which depends on several factors.…”

Damaging Hydrogeological Events: A Procedure for the Assessment of Severity Levels and an Application to Calabria (Southern Italy)

“…The inland zones show colder winters, with snow and fresher summers [50,51]. Numerous DHEs have caused damages and created victims for several centuries in the region [52][53][54][55][56][57], especially along the east side. …”

Historical Storminess and Hydro-Geological Hazard Temporal Evolution in the Solofrana River Basin—Southern Italy

“…As a result, peri-urban catchments, made of a mixture of natural or agricultural lands and urbanized areas, are always more frequently affected by the broad spectrum of multiple damaging hydrological events (MDHEs) [7], as a simultaneously triggering of different types of phenomena, such as landslides and floods. Hydro-geological hazard management in such areas, where, in some cases, the urban development occurs unregulated in flood-prone areas, is highly complex because of a tangled interaction between climate and socio-economic factors [8,9].…”