Remoteness and austerity: a major driver of vulnerabilities to natural hazards

To a great extent, literature concerning efforts to assess vulnerability to natural hazards focuses on the vulnerability of mega-cities and urban areas due to the significant concentration of vital assets and high population density in a relatively small area. However, the antipode of this condition, the one of remoteness, insularity and isolation also constitutes a major drive of vulnerability to natural hazards. Remote areas are often dependent on decisions that are taken somewhere else, such as central governments, and they have limited funds for preparedness but also limited material and human resources to respond to natural hazards. Remote areas can be found in many regions across Europe including the European Alps, the Scandinavian tundra and small islands in the North Sea but also in the Mediterranean. However, in the European south, the capacities of remote areas have deteriorated further due to the recent financial crisis and austerity measures.

An integrated approach to vulnerability is attempted for the island of Samothraki, Greece. The specific island is located in the northeast part of the country, and despite the relatively short distance to the coast of Greece and Turkey, it is particularly isolated due to the poor transport connections to the mainland, demographic problems, the effects of the financial crisis and governance particularities. In September 2017 Samothraki was affected by a major torrential event that revealed its vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of remote areas in general. The vulnerabilities investigated in this study include physical, social, economic and institutional. A framework for the assessment of these vulnerabilities in remote areas and some preliminary results are presented.