Most of us could name several circumstances in which we might expect landslides to occur: in steep areas after an earthquake; in an area that’s been devastated by fire (2020 sure had some of those); after heavy rainfall (a little like we are getting now in the land of Oz); areas that have been clear cut (as there’s no root structure from trees to hold it together); and around mining operations due to the vibrations of explosives. If you’re looking for trouble, pick an area with several of these characteristics, and you may find yourself on a ride unlike any you’ve ever experienced before.

Jokes aside, landslides, mudslides, avalanches - call them what you will – there’s no denying that these events pose a devastating threat to human health, killing thousands of people annually across the globe.

Strangely though, there have been very few studies about why people lose their life in landslides – or the circumstances in which people. So I was interested to find a new research paper published in the journal Geohealth (Pollock and Wartman 2020) that tackles this very topic. In this case, the authors have compiled a dataset of people killed during a landslide who were located in buildings. The stats includes 38 different landslides, impacting 95 buildings involving 334 people where 157 people lost their lives. While most examples come from the United States, there’s information drawn from other parts of the world as well, including Australia, Brazil and India.

Landslide losses are not stratified by gender or age in the same way that we might find for other natural hazards. Interestingly, they are instead strongly correlated with the economic development of a region. This is due to the link between low economic development and poorer building standards, deforestation, higher population density and lack of authorities’ capability to respond adequately.

Given Australia’s relatively high level of economic development, it might be tempting to dismiss the study reports as being relevant only to ‘them over there’ rather than ‘us here’ in this Great Brown Land, but nothing could be further from the truth. Think back to the devastating landslide that occurred at Thredbo Ski Village back in 1997 that killed 18 people, and it’s clear that Australians are not immune. So there are several key insights from the recent report that are worth taking on board when it comes to dealing with landslides.

For one, we learn that – in the event that a landslide’s debris wave is 6 metres in depth or more, the chances of human survival are near zero (regardless of your annual income!). Otherwise, there are a number of measures available that can help increase your chance of getting out of the situation alive. And when it comes to being in a building, the following tips are pretty helpful.

Before a landslide event:

Ensure you inform yourself of the potential hazards. Talk to people who’ve dealt with landslides before.
If you’re planning to live in an area that’s susceptible to landslides, move areas of high occupancy (such as bedrooms), upstairs, or to the downhill side of a home.

During a landslide event:

Escape vertically within the building i.e. move upstairs.
Move to those areas of the building that have less furniture (fewer furnishings means fewer crush hazards).
Open downhill doors and windows to allow debris (and people if necessary) to exit the building – and for rescuers to find their way in.

If caught in landslide debris:

Continue to make noise and motion – most rescues are carried out by neighbors who will be listening out for you.

Things to avoid doing include:

Opening a door out of curiosity.
Sheltering behind or beside large furniture (because it may be pushed by debris trapping you in place).

If you’re stuck outdoors with no shelter in sight, you’re only option may be to try to escape the landslide’s path. This option may work if the landslide is slow moving and you’re able to flee far enough sideways out of its way. But if you try to flee a fast moving landslide, chances are it will overtake you. So, if you’re caught up in it, your best bet is to curl-up in a ball and protect your head. If you have a blanket or a tarp with you, use it to create an air bubble/cocoon. Do this and there’s a chance that the landslide may not engulf you completely and you may be able to dig your way out.

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