Characterization of extreme weather events on Italian roads

According to climate modellers, probability, frequency, duration, intensity (seriousness) of extreme weather events (extreme temperatures and rainfall) are increasing and will be more frequent in future. The former will lead to higher surface runoff and flood events while the latter will cause landslides phenomena and a break of roads network. The impact of such events depends greatly on the physical hydraulic and mechanical properties of soils. Increasing numbers of extreme events in winter time in recent years have demonstrated the paramount importance of effective and integrated management of land resources in the protection of the environment and of the road network. In Italy more than 10% of the territory has been classified as having a high or very high hydro-geological risk, affecting 80% of the Italian municipalities. The impacts on population and the economic damages are relevant. In Italy over the last 20 years, floods and landslides had an impact on more than 70 000 people and caused economic damage of at least 11 billion euro. Since 2000, the Italian Ministry for the Environment entrusted ISPRA the task of monitoring the programmes of emergency measures toreduce hydrogeological risk. (ReNDiS project, database of mitigation measures against floods and landslides).