Articles | Volume 30, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1487-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1487-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A lesson in preparedness: assessing the effectiveness of low-cost post-wildfire flood protection measures for the catastrophic flood in Kineta, Greece
Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, 68200 Orestiada, Greece
Angelos Alamanos
independent researcher: 10243 Berlin, Germany
Mohammed Basheer
Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nikolaos Nagkoulis
School of Economics, Department IEES, and AE4RIA.ReSEES Research Laboratory, Athens University of Economics and Business, 10434 Athens, Greece
Vassiliki Markogianni
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Anavissos, 19013 Attiki, Greece
George Varlas
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Anavissos, 19013 Attiki, Greece
Angelos Plataniotis
School of Economics, Department IEES, and AE4RIA.ReSEES Research Laboratory, Athens University of Economics and Business, 10434 Athens, Greece
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 10559 Athens, Greece
UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub, 10434 Athens, Greece
Anastasios Papadopoulos
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Anavissos, 19013 Attiki, Greece
Elias Dimitriou
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Anavissos, 19013 Attiki, Greece
Phoebe Koundouri
School of Economics, Department IEES, and AE4RIA.ReSEES Research Laboratory, Athens University of Economics and Business, 10434 Athens, Greece
Department of Earth Sciences and Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EQ Cambridge, UK
AE4RIA.SDU ATHENA Information Technology Research Center, 15125 Athens, Greece
UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub, 10434 Athens, Greece
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Kang He, Qing Yang, Xinyi Shen, Elias Dimitriou, Angeliki Mentzafou, Christina Papadaki, Maria Stoumboudi, and Emmanouil N. Anagnostou
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2375–2382, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2375-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2375-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
About 820 km2 of agricultural land was inundated in central Greece due to Storm Daniel. A detailed analysis revealed that the crop most affected by the flooding was cotton; the inundated area of more than 282 km2 comprised ~ 30 % of the total area planted with cotton in central Greece. In terms of livestock, we estimate that more than 14 000 ornithoids and 21 500 sheep and goats were affected. Consequences for agriculture and animal husbandry in Greece are expected to be severe.
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Editorial statement
This paper addresses the urgent challenge of managing post-wildfire flood risk as climate-driven disasters intensify across Europe. Using the 2018 Kineta flood in Greece as a case study, it provides the first clear evidence that low-cost protective measures—costing only a small fraction of the actual damages—could have prevented millions in losses, demonstrating strong cost-effectiveness and tangible flood-mitigation benefits. The findings have important implications for public safety, urban planning, and disaster-risk policy, supporting a broader shift from reactive response to proactive, resilience-focused climate adaptation, particularly in fire-prone Mediterranean regions.
This paper addresses the urgent challenge of managing post-wildfire flood risk as climate-driven...
Short summary
Wildfires can exacerbate flood risks, as seen in a Greek town where heavy rain caused significant damage following a recent fire. This study examined how simple, low-cost protection measures, such as Log Erosion Barriers and wooden check-dams, might have mitigated the damage. Using models and real data, we found these measures could have lowered the flood's impact by 25 % and saved millions in damage. Therefore, investing in such prevention can be cheaper than paying for repairs after disasters.
Wildfires can exacerbate flood risks, as seen in a Greek town where heavy rain caused...