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Landslide

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Overview

During a landslide (also known as a landslip or mudslide), water-saturated masses of rock, earth, and debris move down a destabilized slope, having the ability to cause service disruptions, damage to property and agriculture, human injuries, and in severe cases, death. Landslides have various causes including earthquakes, storms, volcanic eruptions, fires, and human modifications to land. Landslides develop when water rapidly accumulates on the ground, particularly during heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelts, converting the earth into a flowing river of mud. Landslides can occur quickly, often with little or no warning, and can travel several miles from their source as they grow in size by picking up various large and small debris. Areas particularly close to mountains, canyons, and/or a coastal regions, as well as those areas with a lower threshold of precipitation, may be more prone to landslides.

How do I prepare?

Household

Learn risks: ask your local emergency management office if your property is in a “landslide-prone” area.

Inspect: look around your home and property for landslide warning signs:

  • cracks or bumps on hill slopes, ground, or roads
  • water or saturated ground in areas not normally wet
  • evidence of slow, downhill movement of rock and soil
  • tilted trees, poles, decks, patios, fences, or walls
  • doors or windows stick or cracks appear on walls

Reduce risks: plant ground cover on slopes and build retaining walls.

Be aware: areas hit by wildfires have an increased risk of landslides and mudflows once the rainy season starts.

Be prepared to evacuate: listen to local authorities and leave if you are told to evacuate. Decide in advance where you would go in case you can’t return home for any period of time.

The best way to prepare for a landslide is to stay informed about the changes in your community and around your home that could signal a landslide may likely occur. Community land-use zoning and proper design and professional inspection of land uses may mitigate the effects and likelihood of a landslides.

Workplace

Learn risks

  • Contact local authorities to inquire about possible risks and historical data on the community landslides
  • Be aware that communities hit by wildfires have an increased risk of landslides if heavy rain follows
  • Look around property for vulnerabilities (cracks or bumps on hill slopes, ground or roads; tilted trees, poles, fences or walls)

Get equipped and be prepared to evacuate

  • Decide in advance where you will evacuate to, this includes temporary and/or permanent designated alternative sites

Reduce risk near the workplace

  • Plant ground cover on slopes and build retaining walls, if applicable

Additionally, consider creating a or revising your current workplace's Business Continuity Program.

Local and National Government

Vulnerability to landslides depends on location, modification of land due to human activity, and the frequency at which landslides occur in the area. While all landslides are not preventable, the effects of landslides on people and structures can be lessened. By restricting, prohibiting, and/or imposing conditions on areas deemed a hazard-zone, a community could reduce the risk. For example, local governments can reduce the effects of a landslide by developing proper land-use policies and regulations. Additionally, local governments may consider obtaining professional services of an engineering geologist, a geotechnical engineer, or a civil engineer, if one is not currently on staff, who can properly evaluate the hazard potential of a site, built or unbuilt.  Overall, the effects of a landslide can be reduced by avoiding construction on steep slopes or slopes previously effected by a landslide, investing in stabling slopes in the community, and being mindful of where water runoff is being directed. [Source: USGS]

What do I need to know?

Basics

Landslides can occur quickly, often with little notice. Therefore, the best way to prepare is to stay informed about changes in and around your home and community that could signal that a landslide is likely to occur. While some geographic locations may be more prone to landslides than others, landslides can occur anywhere with unstable ground, especially where land has been modified. Some areas more likely to experience landslides or mudflows where extra precautions and observance should occur include areas where wildfires have destroyed vegetation, areas where landslides have occurred before, steep slopes and areas at the bottoms of slopes and canyons, areas along a stream or river, and areas where water runoff is directed. [Source: CDC]

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Get the latest videos and photos, case studies, and training materials contributed by practitioners from around the globe. Visit our Resource Library for more.

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Videos (5)

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Rwanda, Burundi - A Big Storm

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Flower production in the community of El Castillito, Las Sabanas (2014)

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Case Studies (8)
The impact of landslides on household income in tropical regions: a case study from the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda
Landslides affect millions of people worldwide, but theoretical and empirical studies on the impact of landslides on economic development remain scarce, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study estimates the direct impact of landslides on household income and investigates the presence of...
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For the implementation of the Program for Disaster Risk Management in the Face of Climate Change in Nicaragua, Partners for Resilience (PfR) worked with the academic sector in the department of Madriz and in the Northern Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCN). The involvement of universities was...
Case study 3 - Community micro-projects improve the livelihoods of rural families in Madriz, Nicaragua
The Partners for Resilience (PfR) put their integrated approach and vision of community resilience into practice to improve the livelihoods of rural communities in Nicaragua. In the municipalities of San Lucas and Las Sabanas, their micro-projects consist of specific interventions and management...
Case study 2 - Inalí River and Tapacalí River Sub-watersheds: Ideal Territorial Units to Implement Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation, and Ecosystem Management and Restoration Processes
In the Madriz Department, the Partners for Resilience (PfR) Partnership is working in 28 vulnerable communities in four municipalities (Somoto, San Lucas, Las Sabanas, and San José de Cusmapa) of the Inalí and Tapacalí rivers sub-watersheds, tributaries of the Coco River. A total of approximately...
Case study 1 - Step by Step towards Climate Change Adaptation
In the last 20 years, Nicaragua has been the fourth country most affected by extreme weather events worldwide (Germanwatch Report, 2014). The country is investing in humanitarian aid to respond to emergencies caused by hydro meteorological events, and to mitigate disaster risks and climate change...
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The impact of landslides on household income in tropical regions: a case study from the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda
Landslides affect millions of people worldwide, but theoretical and empirical studies on the impact of landslides on economic development remain scarce, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study estimates the direct impact of landslides on household income and investigates the presence of...
Rwanda, Burundi - A Big Storm
A story set in a mix rural Rwanda and Burundi aimed at encouraging Disaster Preparedness for floods, landslides and strong winds. It follows Kagabo, a young boy who narrates first-hand what happened when his village was hit by a huge disaster and what they did as a family to reduce the impact when...
Protected areas as tools for Disaster Risk Reduction. A handbook for practitioners
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) has therefore become a critical part of sustainable development strategies. The acronym DRR embraces a complex mixture of policies and actions, from education of civil society, through disaster preparedness strategies to engineering solutions ranging from...
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Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world. Geologically, the region is characterized by active tectonic plate movements in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, which have been the source of major earthquakes and tsunamis. In the past decade alone, a person living in Asia-...
A Systematic Review of the Health Impacts of Mass Earth Movements (Landslides)
Mass ground movements (commonly referred to as ‘landslides’) are common natural hazards that can have significant economic, social and health impacts. They occur as single events, or as clusters, and are often part of ‘disaster’ chains, occurring secondary to, or acting as the precursor of...
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