Post flash flood survey: the 14th and 15th October 2015 event in the Paupisi-Solopaca area (Southern Italy)

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a 1:5000 map of the geomorphic consequences of the 14th–15th October 2015 flash flood is presented. The most severely affected area (about 13 km²) was located at the footslope of Mt. Camposauro (Southern Italy), between the municipalities of Solopaca and Paupisi. In this area high-intensity and very localized cloudbursts of short duration induced hillslope erosion and sediment delivery from the slopes to the Calore River, activating several alluvial fans. The rainstorm lasted 7 h with a maximum recorded rainfall peak of nearly 140 mm in 2 h. The event map resulting from a geological and geomorphological post-event field survey was supported by satellite images and unmanned aerial vehicle image interpretations, respectively taken one day and one week after the event. The flash flood resulted in no casualties but severely affected the local economy, mainly based on agriculture and wine production.

KEYWORDS:

• Alluvial fan
• flash flood
• field survey
• remote sensing
• Hazard in urban areas
• Southern Apennines

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the regional hydrological and agrometeorological services (Centro Funzionale; Centro Agrometeorologico, Regione Campania) for providing the rainfall data and the Ministero dell’Ambiente, della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare for LiDAR data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Antonio Santo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7825-8552

Giovanni Forte http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4127-7917

Melania De Falco http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6904-0946