Cross-Border Cooperation for Disaster Preparedness in the Western Balkans

Title:

Building Resilient Societies Through Cross-Border Cooperation and European Research Networking - CRISIS Project

Authors and Publication Details:

Authors: Vlatko Sesov, Roberta Apostolska, Radmila Salic, Marta Stojmanovska, Marija Vitanova, Kemal Edip, Aleksandra Bogdanovic, Julijana Bojadzieva, Stevko Stefanovski, Dimitris Pitilakis, Neritan Shkodrani, and Barbara Borzi. Published in: Transactions, SMiRT-26, Berlin/Potsdam, Germany. Date: July 10-15, 2022.

Objective and Background

The CRISIS Project is a European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO) initiative focused on risk assessment of basic services and transport infrastructure across cross-border regions. The project aims to improve disaster and emergency management by developing a harmonized and efficient risk assessment system for infrastructure resilience in the Western Balkans (North Macedonia, Greece, and Albania). It promotes cross-border collaboration to enhance disaster prevention, preparedness, and response.

Introduction

Europe has a long history of natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, and wildfires, which pose serious economic, social, and ecological challenges. Many disasters surpass national emergency management capacities, emphasizing the need for cross-border cooperation. The preparedness levels vary across nations, and effective disaster management necessitates regional and international collaboration, integrating scientific research and risk management frameworks.

The CRISIS project, backed by the European Commission's DG-ECHO, brings together multiple institutions to build a robust risk assessment framework tailored for the Western Balkan region. The project's long-term vision is to establish a sustainable, data-driven, and cooperative disaster risk management system.

Methodology

The CRISIS project follows a structured methodology:

1. Identification of natural hazards affecting critical infrastructures (e.g., healthcare facilities, emergency response centers, educational institutions, and transportation networks).
2. Review of existing EU and regional legislation related to emergency risk management, analyzing gaps and challenges.
3. Comprehensive risk assessment to determine vulnerabilities of vital infrastructure.
4. Development of a web-based platform integrating hazard mapping, vulnerability analysis, and emergency response simulations.

The methodology employs ThinkHazard! (Version 2), a World Bank screening tool, to assess multiple natural hazard risks based on parameters like hazard intensity, frequency, and exposure models.

Key Findings

1. Earthquake and landslide risks are the primary hazards in the cross-border region.
2. Seismic Hazard: The entire cross-border region is seismically active with medium to high earthquake hazard levels. High seismic hazards are concentrated in Albania and Greece, whereas North Macedonia has moderate seismic risks. Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) ranges from 0.21 to 0.45g (on rock conditions) for a 475-year return period.
3. Landslide Hazard: Western Albania has the highest landslide susceptibility. The Pan-European Landslide Susceptibility Map (ELSUS v2) was used to classify hazard zones. Landslide events are influenced by earthquakes, making landslide hazard zoning essential for risk mitigation.
4. Risk exposure modeling and vulnerability assessment are crucial for designing regional disaster management policies.
5. A geo-referenced web platform is being developed to integrate hazard assessments and exposure models for real-time disaster risk monitoring.

Conclusion

The CRISIS project has identified key natural hazard risks and vulnerabilities in the Western Balkans. The initiative bridges regional disparities in disaster preparedness and enables data-driven decision-making for emergency response. The project has highlighted gaps in risk assessment frameworks and aims to enhance cross-border collaboration in disaster management.

Since the project is still ongoing, further developments are expected, including regional risk exposure models, improved hazard classifications, and finalization of the web-based platform.

Future Work and Applications

1. Development of a harmonized regional risk exposure model to improve disaster response strategies.
2. Integration of seismic and landslide vulnerability models into real-time risk assessment frameworks.
3. Implementation of a web-based risk monitoring platform, accessible to regional authorities, researchers, and policymakers.
4. Strengthening cross-border cooperation through policy harmonization and disaster preparedness training.
5. Expansion of the risk assessment framework to include additional natural hazards (e.g., floods, wildfires, extreme heat events).

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