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Fausto March 2026

[02/26] Researchers present Italy’s long historical catalogue of flood and landslide events with human consequences, showing how multi-century records support societal risk analysis, vulnerability studies, and hazard communication.

Researchers from the CNR Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection and Durham University’s Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience -including Professor Fausto Guzzetti, IHRR’s Professor of Hazard and Risk and long‑standing collaborator with the CNR team will be presenting new work at the LaRGE, Landslide Risk and Geo-Education Conference 2026  on the applications of Italy’s long-term catalogue of floods and landslides with human consequences, including fatalities.

The Italian database contains information on nearly 8,000 geo-hydrological events spanning more than fourteen centuries (590–2025), providing information on event timing, location, triggers, and human consequences. This unique historical record supports national and regional-scale assessments of societal risk, including frequency–consequence analysis and statistical modelling of fatality distributions.

A subset of the catalogue covering 1965–2024 enables analysis of human vulnerability to floods and landslides. Results show gender-related differences in exposure and circumstances of death, with men more frequently killed outdoors or in road-related situations, and women more often victims inside buildings affected by floods or landslides.

The LaRGE 2026 conference will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand, from 27 April to 3 May 2026. For more information visit https://landsliderisk.nz/

Image credit: Paola Salvati, CNR IRPI

Maps show locations of floods and landslides with human consequences in Italy from 590 to 2025.