N. Kalligeris

THE GREAT CRETAN SPLASH UP - A COASTAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE IN GREECE

We present inundation and peak acceleration results for Crete, Greece from a scenario simulation of an earthquake and tsunami similar to the 365 AD event, a disaster that impacted the entire Eastern Mediterranean basin, was widely chronicled and has recently been geologically described fairly comprehensively. The impact of the scenario would be substantial, geographically diverse and spread over 300km along both northern and southern coastlines of Crete, an island with high mountain ranges and roads, which may be impassable in the aftermath of a similar event. The emergency response needs will likely overwhelm the capacity of Greece, and it is possible that help from neighboring non-EU countries will be needed, in addition to the emergency support mechanism hopefully to be activated following by the EU for any disaster of this scale in EU countries. The scenarios objectives are similar to the Great Southern California ShakeOut of 2009 organized by the USGS, i.e., raising public awareness and observing societal responses, in efforts to obtain, whenever possible, quantitative measures of factors that will help better define long term resilience. Similar scenarios and exercises over several decades will help measure any changes that might be adopted as a result of this exercise, always with the objective to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience.