An historical database on alluvial events in torrential catchments of Campania region (southern Italy)

Abstract

Alluvial events in Italy are a constant and continuous problem due to the peculiar orographic and climatic setting of the territory. Even though less frequent than in the Alps, debris-flows and floods greatly contributed also along the Southern Apennines to build alluvial fans, a widespread geomorphic unit located at the catchment mouth. These areas have been frequently chosen as sites for the urban development, as they were considered safer than the valleys, for the lower probability of being affected by floods. Due to the orographic position, the heavy rainfall events characterizing the study area can lead to flash floods with large debris loads. Such phenomena may be extremely risky for the population, and cause heavy damages. Starting from the consideration that past events can provide information on future events, we compiled a database on alluvial events in torrential catchments of Campania region, a highly prone area to such phenomena. By consulting different types of information sources we collected about 500 events. The database is being constantly updated, and contains temporal and spatial information for each event, since availability of these data is considered a mandatory step in order to perform a correct hazard and risk analysis.