Preparing for a Landslide
Features that might be noticed just prior
to a landslide:
- springs, seeps, or saturated ground appears in areas usually not wet.
- new cracks or unusual bulges in the ground, street pavements, or sidewalks.
- soil moves away from foundations.
- ancillary structures (e.g., decks, lanai) tilt or move relative to
the house.
- concrete floors or foundations tilt or crack.
- water lines and other underground utilities break.
- telephone poles, trees, retaining walls, or fences tilt.
- road beds sink or drop down.
Prior to Intense Storms:
- Become familiar with the land around you. Learn whether debris flows
have occurred in your area by contacting local officials, State geological
surveys or departments of natural resources, and university departments
of geology. Slopes where debris flows have occurred in the past are
likely to experience them in the future.
- Support your local government in efforts to develop and enforce land-use
and building ordinances that regulate construction in areas susceptible
to landslides and debris flows. Buildings should be located away from
steep slopes, streams and rivers, intermittent-stream channels, and
the mouths of mountain channels.
- Watch the patterns of storm-water drainage on slopes near your home,
and note especially the places where runoff water converges, increasing
flow over soil-covered slopes. Watch the hillsides around your home
for any signs of land movement, such as small landslides or debris flows
or progressively tilting trees.
- Contact your local authorities to learn about the emergency-response
and evacuation plans for your area and develop your own emergency plans
for your family and business.
During Intense Storms:
- Stay alert and stay awake! Many debris-flow fatalities occur when
people are sleeping. Listen to a radio for warnings of intense rainfall.
Be aware that intense short bursts of rain may be particularly dangerous,
especially after longer periods of heavy rainfall and damp weather.
- If you are in areas susceptible to landslides and debris flows, consider
leaving if it is safe to do so. Remember that driving during an intense
storm can itself be hazardous.
- Listen for any unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris,
such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. A trickle of flowing
or falling mud or debris may precede larger flows. If you are near a
stream or channel, be alert for any sudden increase or decrease in water
flow and for a change from clear to muddy water. Such changes may indicate
landslide activity upstream, so be prepared to move quickly. Don't delay!
Save yourself, not your belongings.
- Be especially alert when driving. Embankments along roadsides are
particularly susceptible to landslides. Watch the road for collapsed
pavement, mud, fallen rocks, and other indications of possible debris
flows.
What to do if you suspect imminent landslide
danger:
- Contact your local fire, police or public works department
- Inform affected neighbors
- Evacuate
Information from: State of California Department of Conservation,
Sacramento, CA and National Landslide Information Center, U.S. Geological
Survey, Denver, CO
|