What are the Dangers of a Landslide? Types, Effects, and More

Landslides are exceptionally common in mountainous regions. The report said that over 400 landslides or mudslides occur every year globally. Moreover, this natural catastrophe can gravely impact various aspects of life. What are the dangers of a landslide?

In the past decades, the fatalities of this hazard increased due to climate change. Many countries experience more landslides than a few decades ago. Therefore, the governments of those countries must have an excellent landslide risk reduction system. Consequently, they can minimize the impact of this disaster.

Landslides: Definition, Risk Factors, and Types

Landslides occur when masses of soil, debris, and rocks, move down a slope. The downslope movements may occur inches per hour and last several days. Sometimes, these earth materials move at over 10 miles per hour. Consequently, people cannot escape from them.

This natural disaster typically occurs in sloping areas with weak or fractured materials and steep slope degrees. Therefore, people living near those regions must be aware of this hazard. As a result, they can avoid the dangers of landslides.

Risk Factors

The risk of landslides in sloping areas will increase because of the following risk factors.

• Heavy Rains: Abundant rainwater can make the soil unstable because the water will saturate the soil. This condition can trigger a landslide, particularly in sloping areas with poor drainage.

• Earthquakes: An earthquake can lead to instability in the soil and rocks. Therefore, landslides may occur after earthquakes.

• Human Activities: Deforestation, mining, and other human activities can cause sloping areas to be prone to landslides. These activities can cause erosion, environmental damage, and unstable rock and soil formation that will lead to landslides.

  Types of Landslides

Based on their movements, landslides are categorized into 4 types. 

• Falls: During some landslides, earth materials fall off a cliff or a steep slope. After that, they move downslope and stop at its foot.

• Flows: It is characterized by a mass of earth materials moving in fluid form. This landslide comes in several categories. They are mudflows, rock avalanches, and debris flows.

• Slides: This landslide type involves a weak zone separating a moving mass of earth materials and a stable slope structure. Experts divided this landslide into rotational and translational slides.

• Topples: In this landslide type, the mass of materials rotates forward and moves around an axis or aims at the foot of the slope.

What are the Dangers of a Landslide? 

What are the effects of a landslide? A landslide can affect various aspects of life, such as the environment, economy, transportation networks, and society. Sometimes, the impact is not severe and only lasts a few days.

However, landslide impacts can be fatal when they involve a sizeable mass of earth materials or affect enormous areas. What are the dangers of a landslide?

1. Loss of Lives

Each year, landslides kill thousands of people globally. The masses of earth materials from this disaster can bury people alive because they are enormous and fast. The death toll from a landslide can reach hundreds of people.

2. Damaged Infrastructures and Financial Losses

Other landslide hazards examples are damaged infrastructures and financial losses. This hazard does not only bury people but also houses, schools, roads, and other infrastructures. 

Therefore, landslides will also disrupt businesses and cause financial losses. In addition, they can displace people, disrupt access to schools and healthcare facilities, and cause other social impacts.

3. Transportation Problems

Masses of earth materials often block or damage roads, railways, and other transportation infrastructures. Consequently, transportation problems, such as traffic jams, longer shipping routes, and increased travel costs, will arise.

Sometimes, landslides also isolate communities. As a result, authorities or other communities will have difficulties delivering humanitarian aid.

4. Environmental Damage

ne of the most fatal impacts of landslides is environmental damage. This disaster can kill the flora and fauna of particular regions or damage their habitats. Moreover, it can make the affected areas prone to erosion and flooding.

Landslide Risk Reduction Measures

Governments must conduct various measures to reduce landslide risks. Some of those measures are improving drainage systems, reforestation, and building retaining walls in sloping areas. 

Moreover, they must have excellent landslide early warning systems. To create excellent EWSs, they need high-quality monitoring equipment and cell broadcasters. 

The combination of those tools can send alerts to all cellphone users in the affected areas before the disaster occurs. Therefore, they can escape from this hazard or avoid the landslide site.

What are the dangers of a landslide? This disaster can seriously impact society, the economy, and the environment. Therefore, governments must have excellent landslide EWSs. Creating these EWSs is not difficult if they have Hitech Terminal cell broadcasters. Get these machines now on smsbroadcaster.com.