IMPACT ASSESSMENTS IN VOLCANIC AREAS – THE VESUVIUS AND CAMPI FLEGREI CASES STUDIES

The emergency planning of areas subjected to volcanic risk requires the evaluation of impact induced on different element exposed (peo- ple, buildings, infrastructures, economy, etc.) by different volcanic phenomena (precursor earthquakes, ash fall, pyroclastic flows, lahars, tsunami, ballistics, landslides, etc.). In this paper, we describe the methodology developed at PLINIVS Study Centre (University of Naples Federico II, Italy), Centre of Compe- tence of the Italian Civil Protection, in the framework of volcanic risk assessment, concerning the active volcanoes of Campania Region. The approach is based on probabilistic analyses of risk and impact scenarios. It allows quantifying the potential losses consequent to pos- sible volcanic eruptions. The results are strongly dependent on the hypothesis assumed and on the parameters used as inputs, providing impact scenarios with a probabilistic estimation and uncertainty treatment. The results constitute a useful tool for emergency planners and decision makers in the evaluation of the resources needed to improve the preparedness measures and to implement technically feasible and cost-effective mitigation measures on buildings and infrastructures. The scope is to reduce the expected damage and to ensure the practicability of the emergency plan, e.g. by the seismic retrofitting of vulnerable buildings along the escape routes identified in the evac- uation plan, which might fail due to the presence of debris from buildings collapsed, because of precursor earthquakes, which can affect the practicability of roads. The paper is focused on the relevant applications performed by PLINIVS simulation model for the preparation and updating of the emer- gency plan for Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei areas.