The 1994 Flood of the Giofyros Basin on the Crete Island: a Case Study of Risk-based Floodplain Management

Engineering Risk Analysis and Multi-Objective Decision-Making Under Risk are considered as a general framework for floodplain management and protection from extreme floods. Distinction is made between (a) the catchment or large scale planning and (b) the local or small scale design of protective measures. After defining the risk of flooding at different scales and multiple criteria for selecting among alternative measures of floodplain protection and management, the methodology is illustrated using the Giofyros Basin in Crete Island, where a devastating flood occurred in January, 1994. Alternative structural and non-structural solutions, which may protect the inhabited area and important public buildings from future extreme floods, are analyzed.