On 04 July 2025, the Co-Creative Improved Understanding and Awareness of Multi-Hazard Risks for Disaster Resilient Society (C2IMPRESS) project successfully hosted its most anticipated fourth public webinar titled “Multi-Hazard Risk and Resilience in Ordu: A C2IMPRESS Case Study.” The webinar was facilitated by Technovative Solutions Ltd. (TVS) and moderated by Dr. Mohammad Azizur Rahman, Director- Technical at the organisation.
Webinar Background
Located in the Black Sea region of Turkey, the urban area of Ordu province is at risk of heavy flooding (pluvial, fluvial, and coastal) at various times throughout the year. The Ordu province aims to understand the existing hazard risks and vulnerability levels of flooding and its cascading effects by assessing historical data, relevant national policies, and the river basin management plan.
As one of the case study areas (CSAs) of the C2IMPRESS project, the study focuses on potential flood disasters and related landslides in the central districts of Ordu province. Ordu assesses public response and behaviour during and after hazardous events through social media data analytics, coupled with active citizen engagement, to explore the societal, cultural, and economic factors that influence crisis response. By improving predictions for future multi-hazard scenarios with the System for Multi-Hazard Risk Intelligence Network (SoS4MHRIN) platform, and using the C2IMPRESS decision and policy support tools and Agent-Based Modeling, the project develops context-aware crisis management strategies for disaster risk reduction (DRR), refines in situ evacuation routes, and enhances post-disaster resilience strategies.
The webinar shared key insights into the flood and landslide risks affecting Ordu Province in Turkey and how innovative tools and community engagement are helping to build resilience. After the speakers’ session, the panellists responded to the questions from the audience live.
Webinar Discussions and Speakers
The webinar featured five speakers, who presented findings from the Ordu case study while implementing the C2IMPRESS project and highlighted the collaborative efforts under the C2IMPRESS initiative. Dr. Mohammad Azizur Rahman commenced the webinar by introducing the agenda to the attendees. Below are the highlights from the presentations:
- Ertuğrul Tombul, Director of the EU External Relations and Rural Development Branch Directorate at Ordu Metropolitan Municipality (OMM), discussed “The ORDU Case Study and OMM”. He talked about the meteorological and geographical features and flood risks and natural disasters of Ordu, one of the case study areas of the project. He also discussed the activities conducted by his organisation to mitigate the risks.
- Özgür Murat Demir, Civil Engineer at the Disaster and Risk Management Branch Directorate of OMM, his discussion topic was “Implementation of the Early Warning System (EWS)”, where he shared practical insights into the implementation of the EWS in the region, and his perception on the case study area of Civil Stream, the background of choosing the area for piloting, and the process of the installation of the EWS.
- Dr. Mohammad Azizur Rahman, Director- Technical at TVS, discussed the “Risk Assessment Modelling System Developed by Technovative Solutions”. He demonstrated the platform, developed by TVS to support data-driven crisis planning. He showed how TVS collects data from various sources. After going through a deliberate analysing process, the data are used to create an interactive hazard map.
- Mehmet Cicekci, Head of the Treatment Facilities Department at Ordu Water and Sewerage Administration (OSKI), presented the “The Results of PPCP Held in Ordu”. His presentation highlighted the PPCP approach of disaster management for this project and the pathway of implementation. The project has already conducted four workshops as per plan, and several tools were used across the workshops.
- Nurhan Temiz, Office Staff at the EU External Relations and Rural Development Branch Directorate at OMM, concluded the panel discussion session with a summary of discussions and key recommendations for future planning.
From the Q/A session, the attendees got even more insights on the project. Highlights from the session are:
- The strengths of the C2IMPRESS project implementation in the Ordu case study area include an updated disaster comprehensive plan, financial support, legal control mechanisms, and the integration of lessons learned from past events. The weaknesses include unstable financial resources, limited involvement of local and private sectors, and shortcomings in both the inception and monitoring phases of the project.
- The project has developed a detailed exploitation plan to commercialise the tools after its closure. It will also maintain connections and communication with stakeholders and the wider public through various channels, including workshops.
- Areas to improve the EWS include expanding real-time communication with the public, extending the network to cover remote areas, and conducting regular system tests and updates to ensure long-term reliability.
- Further improvements should focus on introducing more advanced technologies, strengthening the overall system, and ensuring inclusive approaches that address the needs of gender-based and vulnerable groups.
Through this webinar, the participants had an increased understanding of the flood risks and vulnerabilities in Ordu province, as well as the strategies being implemented through the C2IMPRESS project to enhance disaster resilience. The webinar served as a valuable platform to exchange experiences and showcase how local governments, technical experts, and communities can work together to tackle climate-induced disasters with smarter, more inclusive solutions, leveraging the lessons from the case study of Ordu, Turkey. The consortium will take the lessons further for utilisation to create a 360-degree solution to reduce the disaster-induced risk.
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) Research and Innovation Actions under grant agreement No 101074004.