Geo-hydrological risk management on the amalfi coast: The village of atrani emergency plan

Abstract

The Amalfi coast is one of the most beautiful areas in the world but also one of the most exposed to geo-hydrological risk in Italy. It is well known for the floods and landslides which have caused hundreds of deaths and heavy damages in the past, as the flash flood event which hit the Dragone Creek drainage basin in 2010, striking the Atrani village located on the alluvial fan close to the sea. Such event caused the death of a young girl who was working in a bar when a hyperconcentrated flow invaded the premises quickly. Unfortunately, no alert was given to citizens and so no evacuation was carried out to save them because of the lack of an emergency plan for geo-hydrological risk mitigation. After the event, local authorities established to realize it and to prevent further victims. The plan here described was predisposed following the –Augustus method—, which represents the referential scheme for emergency planning in Italy. In the plan the regional early warning system was described and the risk scenarios were defined, then the people in charge and the actions which they have to carry out during the operative phases. The plan also included 5 detailed maps.