Naples is considered one of the most "at-risk" cities in the world due to its proximity to Mount Vesuvius, which is an active and highly dangerous stratovolcano. While the city center is not in the immediate "Red Zone" (the area most at risk from deadly pyroclastic flows), the eastern metropolitan districts of Naples are included in this high-risk zone. Scientists have warned that a major eruption, similar to the one that buried Pompeii in AD 79, could send ash and toxic gases into the heart of Naples within minutes. Currently, there is a detailed National Emergency Plan in place that calls for the evacuation of over 600,000 people from the Red Zone within 72 hours. However, critics argue that the plan is logistically impossible given the city's dense population of 3 million and narrow, traffic-congested streets. Monitoring stations on the volcano track seismic activity and ground deformation 24/7, but because Vesuvius has been "quiet" since 1944, many local residents have grown complacent, prioritizing daily concerns like crime and traffic over the looming threat of a "maximum probable event" eruption.