Landslide Mitigation

• avoid building or living on steep slopes or at the base of steep slopes

• avoid places where landslides have occurred in the past

• show areas where debris flows and floods have deposited material; these are obviously dangerous places

note the to the right of this photo;these are ‘earth flows’ that are gradually moving to the leftencroaching on the highway

Quito, Ecuador: which part of the city appears to bemost at risk from mass wasting?

House built over creek in Gatlinburg, TN

Slope stabilization techniquesSlope stabilization techniques

Monteagle mountain (I-24), TN

Snow avalanche mitigation:

• mitigation for mass wasting tends to have

e.g., it is estimated that damage from mass wasting in California over the next 10 yr will cost $10 billion

• mitigation structures that will reduce damages by 90% can be built for $1 billion, then:

• for protection from all other types of “earth movements” additional coverage must be purchased from insurance co.

• some victims of mass wasting are eligible for federal assistance and others resort to litigation

Aberfan, Wales, UK

• 144 persons died (116 children)

Los Angeles, California experiences frequent debris flows, some of whichare killers:

Causes of debris flows near Los Angeles:

3. Frequent wildfires further

denude slopes of vegetation.

Debris flow scarsA ‘thousand cannons’ aimed at Los Angeles

2. Debris retention basins

• Used to capture debris flows and protect downstream areasmust be cleaned out periodically.

3. Debris flow hazard mapping

Home protection from debris flows