Lessons learnt from landslide disasters in Europe

Landslides are a widespread hazard in many mountainous and hilly regions of Europe. They cause significant economic losses as well as human victims. The socio-economic impact of landslides is however difficult to quantify at European scale, mainly because it is usually not considered separately when landslides accompany other natural hazards such as floods or earthquakes. This fact often decreases both the authorities' and people's awareness of landslide risk. This report thus describes some recent catastrophic landslides in Europe, their causes and consequences. It especially discusses lessons learnt from the prevention and preparedness measures adopted, the response actions carried out, the dissemination of information to the public and the socio-economic implications in connection with the portrayed disasters.