Enhancing Disaster Prevention in Port and Municipal Environments: A Comparative Risk Analysis and the Role of UAV-Based Monitoring

Disaster risk in port and municipal environments increasingly emerges from the interaction between natural hazards, critical infrastructure exposure, and governance complexity. Although formal risk assessment frameworks are established, challenges remain in translating static hazard analyses into dynamic situational awareness during rapidly evolving events. This study presents a comparative analysis of four reference areas in the Adriatic–Ionian region—Shkodra (Albania), Pescolanciano (Italy), the Port of Bar (Montenegro), and the Port of Taranto (Italy)—to identify vulnerabilities and monitoring gaps in disaster prevention systems. Based on document analysis and cross-case synthesis, the findings distinguish environmentally driven municipal risks from hybrid industrial–logistical risk profiles in port environments. The results indicate that regulatory frameworks are in place, yet constraints persist in obtaining high-resolution, near-real-time spatial information during flood, landslide, wildfire, and industrial scenarios. This study assesses UAV-based monitoring as a complementary tool to enhance situational awareness within existing governance structures, contributing to improved integration between risk assessment and operational disaster prevention.