The Stromboli tsunami

On December 28, 2002, the Stromboli volcano began an effusive activity that affected the Sciara del Fuoco and, two days later, generated a landslide of about 16 million cubic meters. The landslide caused a tsunami that affected the coasts of Stromboli, the other Aeolian islands, Calabria, and Sicily. The National Service immediately took action to protect the population.

The Department arranged for experts and technicians to be deployed to the island and established an Advanced Operations Center, which was organized and equipped to provide support for scientific and operational functions. The center served as the core of monitoring and assessing activities related to the emergency.

In response to the emergency, an advanced monitoring system was established to detect changes in the status of volcanic activity by analyzing physicochemical parameters.

Photo: Strombolian activity in late December 2002