Out of all the natural hazards that occur in Greece, the two that are the most important to address are floods and earthquakes. This is so because floods are the most frequently occurring natural hazards in Greece while earthquakes are the most frequently occurring natural disaster in Greece.
Floods are the most dangerous in Greece because they occur the most frequently, making up over thirty-seven percent in frequency of natural hazards, the most commonly occurring hazard. Floods alone cost Greece the equivalent of 55 million American dollars in terms of Average Annual Loss by hazard.(1) Earthquakes are the second most commonly occurring natural hazard in Greece, making up about twenty-eight percent of natural hazards. Earthquakes also makes up more than half of all hazard related mortalities, as well over half of the economic issues caused by hazards in Greece. To put it into perspective, Greece spends an average of 5,509,110 American dollars in terms of Average Annual Loss. (2) Greece also has the highest seismicity of all European countries, as well as sixth in the world. Because these two hazards are the most frequent and most costly natural hazards that occur in Greece, those are the ones I feel should be considered priorities.
Floods in Greece not only occur from the ocean levels, but also commonly from river flooding. River floods occur in Greece from heavy rainfall which have been increasing in many parts of Greece. (3) Coastal flooding for Greece is also very common because Greece has over 9000 miles of coastline. (4) This kind of flooding in Greece is becoming much more common because it is caused partially by the rise in the levels in the Mediterranean Sea which is what surrounds the Greek islands. (5)
Earthquakes in Greece occur because of its location over a divergent plate boundary on the Aegean Sea plate. Because the northern part of the Aegean Plate and Eurasian plate move away from each other at their boundary, it is considered a divergent boundary. That movement causes constant seismic activity for Greece. (6) Volcanic eruptions also are the cause of earthquakes because they can be caused by an accumulation of gassy magma, which then cause the ground to open from emission of steam. The opening of the earth from these emissions of steam sometimes causes seismic activity from the force of it. (7)
To address the hazard of flooding, I would make sure to have a constant observational team monitoring sea and river levels, especially after there is a heavy rainfall or significant seismic activity near bodies of water. There would be emergency services on call in case of a flood that would not only broadcast warning messages to the people, but also work to get them out if they are trapped. To address the hazard of earthquakes in Greece, I would have a daily, twenty-four hour seismograph team that observe the seismic activity, especially near fault lines. As with flooding, I would also have a emergency team for both warning preemptively and then helping citizens during and after an earthquake.
The places where I would target help first for in Greece in terms of for flooding would be the coastal cities that are below sea level, so cities like Attica, Athens, and Zakynthos, Central/Western Greece, which are commonly affected by floods. (8) The parts of Greece that would need the most help because of their high risk of earthquakes are Athens, as well as eastern cities that are near the Aegean Sea Plate. (9)
After seeing all the high risk areas for both flooding and earthquakes in Greece, I would find an area as far away from the coastlines as possible to minimize building my house in a place where coastal flooding could reach it. I would also build in an area away from rivers because of the increasing frequency of river flooding, as well as an area that is above sea level so if there was river flooding nearby, it would not flow down to my house. I would also try to find a part of Greece that is a good distance from a fault line to minimize the severity of damage, if any, caused by earthquakes.
Sources:
Source 1 and 2: http://www.preventionweb.net/countries/grc/data/
Source 3: http://floodlist.com/europe/greece-floods-messinia-thermaikos-september-2016
Source 4: https://www.visitgreece.gr/en/greek_islandsSource
Source 5: https://www.climatechangepost.com/greece/coastal-floods/
Source 6: https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Divergent%20boundary&item_type=topic
Source 7: https://www.britannica.com/science/volcano
Source 8: http://floodlist.com/europe/greece-floods-zakynthos-november-2016
Source 9: https://watchers.news/2012/01/28/increasing-seismic-activities-in-aegean-sea-greece-with-tectonic-summary/
