A single framework for assessing flash flood and landslide susceptibility: an application to the Mediterranean Liguria region, Italy

Flash floods and landslides have caused severe economic damages and loss of life, especially in mountainous regions. To support effective risk management there is a growing interest in multi-hazard assessment. In this study a globally applicable Machine Learning (ML) Framework for landslide and flash flood susceptibility mapping was applied and evaluated in the Italian region Liguria that is frequently and severely impacted by both hazards. A relatively dense inventory of past events was constructed to facilitate the training of the ML Framework. The analysis revealed substantial similarities in the causative factors for the two hazards. There is a considerable area of Liguria susceptible to both hazards, although flash floods most often occur in river valleys whereas landslide susceptibility is also high in the upper courses of river catchments. We found a very high susceptibility along the coastline where many villages and cities are located. The unified framework allows for the integration of different hazard types under a consistent modelling structure. This enhances the comparability of results and supports the development of integrated mitigation strategies for any region of interest.