The importance of ITU-CSCRS for natural disaster monitoring: A case study - Flooding in the maritsa river

Abstract

One of the most devastating and frequent type of natural disaster in the world is flooding caused by heavy rain, snowmelt, or dam failures. In March 2006, flooding in the Maritsa River which forms the border between Turkey and Greece brought severe damage not only to Turkish side, but also Greece sides. Thousands of homes and agricultural lands have been flooded and damaged. In this study, multitemporal Radarsat-1 and SPOT-2/4 images (before and after the event), acquired by the ITU-CSCRS, and were processed to assess the geographical impact of the flood in the region. The results related to temporal changes in the river, damage assessments and also the need of an operational early warning system in Turkey were outlined. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.