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Earthquake vulnerability and seismic risk assessment of urban areas in high seismic regions: application to Chania City, Crete Island, Greece

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Abstract

The earthquake vulnerability and the seismic risk assessment for the urban center of Chania in the island of Crete is approached through the development of a GIS-based application that takes into consideration the structural and geological domain of the region. Considering a localized model, the various structural and geomorphologic attributes of the region were assigned specific weights of significance that allowed the creation of a modular application that was tested for the city of Chania, and it was verified based on the recent seismic activity of the area. The proposed risk map and model can become a significant tool for confronting crises resulting from future earthquake incidences.

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Acknowledgments

This project was carried out under the framework of the EU Community Initiative Programme, INTERREG IIIB ARCHIMED, “Advanced Techniques for Seismic RISK reduction in Mediterranean Archipelago Regions”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Geophysical-Satellite Remote Sensing and Archaeo-Environment, Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (F.O.R.T.H.), Nik. Foka 130, Rethymno, Crete, Greece

    A. Sarris & V. Trigkas

  2. Engineering Geology Department, Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, Olympic Village, Thrakomacedones, 13677, Athens, Greece

    C. Loupasakis

  3. Laboratory of Geophysics and Seismology, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, 3 Romanou, 73133, Chalepa, Chania, Crete, Greece

    P. Soupios & F. Vallianatos

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  1. A. Sarris
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  2. C. Loupasakis
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  3. P. Soupios
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  4. V. Trigkas
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  5. F. Vallianatos
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Correspondence to C. Loupasakis.

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Sarris, A., Loupasakis, C., Soupios, P. et al. Earthquake vulnerability and seismic risk assessment of urban areas in high seismic regions: application to Chania City, Crete Island, Greece. Nat Hazards 54, 395–412 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-009-9475-z

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