Management of Natural Disasters

Course Description

Objectives

The course aims to develop an integrated socio-ecological understanding of disaster risk and of the ways in which it is shaped and changes across space and time. Students are introduced to the main physical, social, and institutional dimensions of disasters, as well as to key approaches to disaster prevention, management, and risk reduction. Attention is given to the role of climate change in shaping current and future risks, and to the links between climate change adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction. Through a combination of theoretical and applied approaches, the course seeks to connect key concepts and theoretical frameworks with the analysis of real-world problems and places.

Content

Indicative course topics include:

• Key concepts and approaches in disaster risk analysis and management; 
• Natural and human-induced hazards and their spatial dimensions; 
• Exposure, vulnerability, coping capacity, and resilience; 
• Flood hazards and flood risk management; 
• Earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, droughts, heatwaves, and other selected hazards; 
• Disaster risk management and governance, including relevant institutions, actors, and levels of decision-making; 
• Social vulnerability, inequalities, and justice-related issues in the production and management of risk; 
• Climate change, mitigation and adaptation, and their links with disaster risk reduction; 
• Applications and case studies from greece and other parts of the world.

Teaching & Assessment

The course combines theoretical lectures, classroom discussions and simulation exercises, analysis of scientific texts, and case studies, encouraging active participation and dialogue in an international context. Assessment is based on an individual or group assignment and presentation.