Earth Changes and the Pole Shift
Landslides
"The causes of landslides are not a mystery to mankind. Layers of rock and soil such that rain running along a clay or rock layer can create a slippery surface for the weight of the layers above it is a common cause. A rock jumble from previous mountain building, broken or fractured rock easily dislodged. We have stated that the earthquakes man experiences between the periodic passages of Planet X can be considered aftershocks from the last passage, and this is true of landslides also. Mountain building rumples the landscape, so the land is not flat but has steep ravines and hill sides. Older mountain ranges are recognized for their rounded or smoothed appearance, because of frequent landslides distributing the rubble.
"As we approach another passage, another Pole Shift, the pace of landslides has picked up. Why would this be? Plates under pressure will put pressure on regions that contain rumpled hillsides and deep ravines, as these give more readily than strictly flat land, thus act as a weak link. In addition, due to the wobble, the weather has gotten more extreme, with drought and deluge increasing in extremes. Dry ground, suddenly flooded with rainwater needing to seek its level as runoff, will create internal water slides between the rock and soil layers that constitute the rumpled hillsides. Is there an early warning system that mankind could use? The trembles that soil about to slide emits could be detected, yes. These are not earthquakes, and have their own frequency. "
Derrick Johnson
6 Dead, 21 Missing in Landslide in Southwest China
Six people died and 21 remained missing Thursday after a landslide hit a village in southwestern China, according to Chinese state media.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported that 77 houses collapsed or were buried in the Wednesday night landslide in the village of Yingping in Guizhou province. Xinhua said another 21 people were injured in the landslide.
State television network CCTV said a small reservoir was breached during the landslide, and the flooding caused further damage to the village. The channel showed dozens of rescuers combing a wide site covered in dried mud.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dead-21-missing-lands...
Aug 28, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Rescuers seek survivors of China landslide
BEIJING (AP) — Hundreds of rescuers hunted Friday for survivors of a massive landslide in southwestern China that killed at least 14 people.
More than 600 members of specialized search and rescue teams were working in a pair of destroyed villages in Guizhou provinces, state media reported. They came equipped with electronic devices to detect signs of life, as well as backhoes and other specialized equipment, the reports said.
Another 11 people were still missing and 22 left injured from the collapse of a mountainside on Wednesday night following three days of heavy rain.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 77 houses collapsed or were buried in the landslide. The breaching of a small reservoir during the landslide also caused flooding that covered houses up to their roofs.
State-run China National Radio cited villagers saying they had complained for years to authorities about weakening of the mountainside caused by past mining operations.
Unrestricted mining and quarrying is frequently blamed for causing landslides in China's remote, mountainous southwestern provinces.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/08/29/survivors-china...
Aug 29, 2014
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/253860/another-north-otago-c...
Another North Otago coast collapse
Another piece of the North Otago coastline has collapsed, further threatening a main waterfront route.
The collapsed section of Beach Road near Kakanui, North Otago.
Photo: RNZ / Ian Telfer
The Waitaki district council said a new section of the limestone shelf under Beach Road, between the towns of Kakanui and Oamaru, has broken away this week and is back to only one metre from the road.
In May an 80 metre long slip cut into the cliff edge below Beach Road and the road was subsequently reduced to one lane.
The council was investigating buying farmland to shift the road at least 20 metres inland.
Council roading manager Michael Voss said the slip was a safety concern and a fence was being put up on the road's shoulder to alert the public.
A geotechnical engineer was assessing the cliff face's stability.
Sep 5, 2014
Mark
Landslide Closes Popular Forest Service Road on Haida Gwaii
Officials unsure what triggered the slide
http://www.cftktv.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=2164634
A landslide on Sunday evening has closed a popular forest service road on Haida Gwaii, which links Highway 16 with the west coast of Graham Island.
Ministry of Forests spokesperson Larry Duke says the slide happened sometime between 7 and 7:30 on Sunday night, on the Rennell Sound Road, at about the 11-kilometre mark.
There were no injuries reported, but the slide poured a large amount of mud and rocks onto the road.
At this point, he's not sure what triggered it.
"We had a bit of rain in the area, but what's interesting is it's not the typical levels of rain that would typically trigger landslide events, but talking with folks in and around the area that they report some pretty heavy rainfall. We've got a good sense that it was a combination of the rain with the steep steep slopes in the area plus the area had quite a bit of old blowdown that might have contributed to things," explained Duke.
He says there were about 60 people at the various recreation sites along Rennell Sound at the time of the slide.
Sep 5, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
Photos of night landslide in the village of Yingping in Guizhou province
http://www.weather.com.cn/guangxi/gxgqtp/2183958.shtml
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
http://www.ddcpc.cn/2014/bd_0828/744.html
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Sep 8, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Jammu and Kashmir village snapped by landslide; 7 dead 31 missing
Sadal Village, about 55 kilometers from Udhampur, has been completely submerged by a landslide. Road connectivity to it has been snapped from Kainthgali onwards.
Till now, seven dead bodies have been recovered and about 31 people are still missing in the area.
Rescue operations continue, with local police, residents giving a hand to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel deployed in the area. Air force choppers have also been deployed and people from adjoining areas have also come forward to help in rescue efforts.
Common masses of nearby villages are deeply gripped by fears of further landslides. A local resident of the area said, "It is a bigger tragedy than we could have ever imagined as many families are under the debris. We are waiting outside helplessly praying to God".
Local inhabitants have alleged that if this rescue operation had started earlier and in time, then they could have saved a few lives.
They also alleged that no temporary shelter, food or any other relief material has been provided to them by the district administration. They are demanding an early relief for landslide victims.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Udhampur, Khalil Ahmed Poswal said, "Around 22 to 23 houses have till now buried in the debris. However, about 13 people have been safely escaped from the landslide and seven dead bodies have also been recovered."
"We have found some human organs in the landslides. 31 peoples are missing but efforts are on to search them. We are facing problem because the houses have been dislocated at about 400 meters from their original location," he added.
"Due to some connectivity problems the heavy machinery is not able to reach the spot. But manual and other equipment are used here to trace the missing persons," said Poswal.
Sadal is situated in the hill top area of Panjar in the Panchri area of Udhampur District in Jammu and Kashmir. It is about 70 km far and is one of the remotest and far flung area submerged under the landslide that occurred due to heavy rainfall.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-jammu-and-kashmir-village-snap...
Sep 10, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.noticiasnet.mx/portal/oaxaca/general/grupos-vulnerables/...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Sep 10, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.utdclub.com/forum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=30886
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
http://www.thairath.co.th/content/449144
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Sep 10, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.autobip.com/ar/%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Sep 10, 2014
Derrick Johnson
J&K floods: Lakhs still stranded; landslides wreak havoc in Jammu, leave an entire village buried
Jammu/Srinagar: More than 1,10,000 people have been rescued from different parts of the flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir, but the death toll has crossed 200. Lakhs still remain stranded with many of them refusing to leave their homes. Rescuers want all people evacuated as there are concerns about the potential spread of water-borne diseases.
Over 20,000 Army personnel have been carrying out relief operations. 800 tonnes of relief material has been air dropped. The rain has now stopped and the water is receding in some areas. Where it has not receded, the Army is pumping water out to reach those trapped.
Restoring communication and connectivity is a priority. While communication lines have been restored to some extent, the Border Roads Organisation is working on restoring road links.
Meanwhile, the big fear in Jammu after the floods is that of landslides. More than 40 people lost their lives in a landslide in Sadal, a village near Udhampur. The village has been completely submerged by a landslide and has been buried under the debris. Rescue operations continue with the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel deployed in the area.
The Sadal village was home to 53 families. The entire village slid down in a matter of minutes, burying all houses under tonnes of rock and mud. The villagers had no time to run to safety.
The Army rushed in 200 of its soliders to assist with rescue operations being carried out by the civil administration. The Army has been providing food to the villagers and arranging temporary shelter for them even as efforts are on to extract the bodies from the rubble. The site of the landslide is 4 km away from the nearest road, making it impossible to move heavy machinery to assist in the rescue operations.
For the families of the villagers who survived the landslide, it is a harrowing wait. Officers and men of the Udhampur Garrison say they will not vacate the area till the very last body has been pulled out. The Army stepped in after the civil administration said that a rescue operation of this scale was beyond their means. So much so the civil administration is now conspicuous in its absence and the rescue and relief operations are now being carried out single-handedly by the Army.
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/jk-floods-lakhs-still-stranded-landslide...
Sep 12, 2014
SongStar101
North American bow stress, rock fracturing in Sierra Nevada Northern CA region compressing and 'peels' away...
http://geotripper.blogspot.com/2014/09/ongoing-exfoliation-event-at...
A big chunk of the Sierra Nevada caught fracturing on video
There is an ongoing geological drama going on the Sierra Nevada that may be unique (to the extent of my knowledge, which is admittedly limited in this area). Exfoliation, a process long recognized as the shaper of granitic domes and monoliths, is presently busting up the surface of a small dome at Twain Harte Lake a few miles east of the Mother Lode town of Sonora. The process has been captured on video, and is presently being monitored, due to the effects it is having on a reservoir abutment.
The event burst into the news in August when a possible dam failure warning was issued following a loud popping sound and the leakage of water from the edge of the reservoir. Once the site was investigated, a decision was reached to drain the lake until the full extent of the damage was clear. There have been at least three 'events', the last on August 3.
An employee of the lake association was very kind and allowed me to have a look at the dome and the new exfoliation shells. It was fascinating. The first thing to catch the eye was the lifeguard tower. It's tilted at an odd angle because the rock it is sitting on has been pushed upward into what is called an "A-tent" joint. My erudite and learned comment was "wow"!
There were freshly loosened slabs all over the surface of the rock, with lots of chipped edges. From the videos it is clear that the chips often snapped loose before the major slab event, like foreshocks to an earthquake (and given that earthquakes are also an example of stress release, the analogy is appropriate).
I admit I never gave it any thought, but it seems clear that the fractures are occurring in a swarm, as the stress regime changes with each break, placing new pressures in different sectors. Like a series of aftershocks following an earthquake, the rocks will continue to shatter for a period of time until a new stable regime or equilibrium is reached. I don't know any details of how or if this process has been witnessed in the past, so I couldn't even speculate on how long these rock 'pops' will continue. Maybe they are already done, but I wouldn't count on it.
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Another Article:
http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/09/a-big-chunk-of-the-sierra-ne...
Sep 13, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://prensalibrecasanare.com/yopal/12897-en-evaluaciun-posible-am...
Sep 18, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.hb.chinanews.com/photo/2014/0903/1268.html
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Sep 23, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Landslide destroys Starrigavan restoration projects
September 24, 2014 8:37 pm
The main area of the slide encompasses an area of roughly 100 acres. (USFS photo)
High rainfall this month is being blamed for a major landslide near Sitka. The US Forest Service reports that a 100-acre slide came down in the Starrigavan Valley, about ten miles from town. Although there was no structural damage in the event, hundreds of thousands of dollars of watershed restoration projects in the valley have been wiped out. The slide, and water damage to an ATV trail in the valley and other hiking trails elsewhere in Sitka — all add up to a tough month for the agency.
The scale of the Starrigavan slide has unfolded slowly. A Fish & Game biologist was in the area — apparently the morning after the slide — on Friday, September 19, and noticed that Starrigavan Creek had been diverted onto the old logging road that is now being used as an all-terrain vehicle trail.
Marty Becker is the watershed program coordinator for the Sitka Ranger District. He and other staff went to check on the problem Monday morning.
“It wasn’t until we actually climbed through the front of the slide that we saw the magnitude of it.”
Read the USFS Preliminary report on the Starrigavan Landslide here.
There was not one slide, but three. Two smaller slides across the both the north and south forks of Starrigavan Creek…
“And then one main slide that came down off the north-facing slope. Came down and ran about a third of a mile down the main channel, and ended up at the log stringer bridge, which hung up the main slide.”
Becker estimates the area of main slide to be in the neighborhood of 100 acres, starting in the old growth timber high on the valley slope and running down through the second growth to the valley floor.
Becker says the Sitka district hasn’t seen a cluster of slides like this since the mid-1990s, in Nakwasina Sound and the Katlian area, which he says are more dynamic systems. The Starrigavan slide, Becker says, is “pretty extraordinary.”
On the Herring Cove Trail
“Boy those freaky events keep us on our toes…”
Source: http://www.kcaw.org/2014/09/24/landslide-destroys-starrigavan-resto...
Sep 26, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.diarioextra.com/Dnew/noticiaDetalle/242072
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Oct 2, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Massive landslide blocks Guwahati-Shillong highway
A massive landslide that occurred today evening at Umling, about 43 kms from Guwahati on National Highway 40 that connects the Assam capital with Shillong, has brought traffic to a standstill, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides for several kilometres.
Ri Bhoi district deputy SP (Traffic) Rymphang Pde said the landslide occurred at around 5:45 PM today, with passengers of several vehicles including a couple of small cars having a providential escape from the jaws of death. “It will hopefully take another three to four hours to clear the debris,” the dy SP said, indicating it will be not before midnight that the road would be cleared.
Hafl-a-dozen bulldozers have been pressed into service to clear the landslide on NH40, which is not only the only link between the capital cities of Assam and Meghalaya located 100 kms apart, but also vial lifeline for Tripura, Mizoram and the Barak Valley of southern Assam.
With earth-cutting taking place in a big way owing to widening of the original highway into a four-lane road in the last few years, the Guwahati-Shillong Road, as it is known, has experienced several smaller landslides in the past two weeks. Landslides had killed at least 18 people in Meghalaya in the past fortnight, eight of them including a pregnant woman in the heart of Shillong.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/massive-landsli...
Google Mapss
Oct 6, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.vanguardia.com/economia/local/280444-paso-restringido-a-...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Oct 7, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Landslide kills 6 in northern Colombia
Oct 8, 2014 posted by Joel Gillin
Days after a lightning bolt killed eleven tribal leaders in Colombia’s northern Sierra Nevada mountain range, a landslide killed five children and a mother in the same area on Tuesday.
Regional authorities are coordinating with the country’s Ombudsman and relief agencies to bring aid to the approximately 125 families that live in the community affected by the landslide.
A commander from the army’s First Division confirmed that the landslide had buried a house in the indigenous community, killing the 6 victims.
The news comes just days after another tragedy befell an indigenous community in the same mountain range when lightening stuck a group of leaders meeting in a field, killing 11.
Source: http://colombiareports.co/landslide-slide-kills-6-indigenous-in-nor...
Oct 9, 2014
Derrick Johnson
19 Road Workers Killed in Landslide in China, Two Injured
MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - At least 19 people were killed and two injured as a result of a landslide which occurred at a highway construction site in the city of Yan’an in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province Friday night, China Central Television reported.
Rescue workers told the Chinese media that the landslide, which occurred at 9:12 pm, buried 21 construction workers who were resting in eight makeshift boarding houses. Nine of the workers are said to have been killed instantly, ten more died in hospital, and two have been hospitalized and are undergoing treatment, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The workers were working on a project to connect Huangling City with Ya’an.
Local authorities are said to have undertaken precautionary measures, including a geological survey of the area, to avert further disasters, Xinhua said.
Landslides are common in Shaanxi Province. The province is part of the Loess Plateau, which is known for its sandy, erosion-prone soil, and susceptible to the forces of wind and water. This danger is further complicated by recent development projects in the area, including road construction and deforestation, which have only increased the risks in built up areas.
Source: http://en.ria.ru/world/20141011/193950386/19-Road-Workers-Killed-La...
Oct 12, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.el19digital.com/articulos/ver/titulo:23025-realizan-eval...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
http://www.elpueblopresidente.com/galerias/ver/album:308-companera-...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Oct 13, 2014
Derrick Johnson
8 dead, 13 missing in Japan landslide
Eight people died and at least 13 were missing after rain-sodden hills in the outskirts of Hiroshima gave way early today in at least five landslides.
Video footage from the national broadcaster NHK showed suburban homes in the western Japanese city surrounded by streams of mud and debris, and residents picking their way over piles of rocks and dirt.
Rescue workers suspended by ropes from police helicopters were pulling victims from the rubble as they searched homes stranded amid piles of lumber from crushed houses.
Authorities issued warnings for possible further landslides and flooding due to unstable weather conditions.
Landslides are a constant risk in mountainous, crowded Japan, where many homes are built on or near steep slopes. Torrential rains in the early morning apparently caused slopes to collapse.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-8-dead-13-missing-in-japan-lan...
Oct 20, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.latribuna.hn/2014/10/15/intransitable-paso-hacia-guatema...
http://www.elheraldo.hn/inicio/758071-318/severos-da%C3%B1os-provoc...
Oct 20, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://laestrella.com.pa/panama/nacional/zafra-cafe-afectada-desliz...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Oct 20, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Landslide cuts off access and power to Anacla and Bamfield
A landslide has occurred near Anacla and Bamfield, resulting in a loss of power and access to both communities. According to BC Hydro, 340 customers in the area have been without power since 10:39 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21 and will remain so until 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
According to Huu-ayaht office administrator Phyllis Williams, the road - owned by Western Forest Products - is impassable starting at 32 km out from Port Alberni.
Community health and social development coordinator Kristen Young said that one of their workers had been sent out there but had to turn around due to a tree across the road. The regional district is looking into what has happened.
Source: http://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/280084222.html
Google Maps
Oct 23, 2014
Starr DiGiacomo
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/297164-landslide-on-outskirts-of-fort-w...
More than a dozen cars trapped between two landslides on A82
26 October 2014 11:02 GMT
More than a dozen cars have been trapped between two landslips as heavy rain caused flooding and travel disruption across Scotland.
The A82 trunk road has been closed in two places between Fort William and Ballachulish, near Corrychurrachan, due to landslides.
Police Scotland said 15 cars had become trapped between the two landslips but nobody was in any danger.
The road was shut in both directions between Ballachulish Roundabout and Westend Roundabout shortly after 10am on Sunday.
Police Scotland say the trunk road is closed five miles south of the town at Corrychurrachan.
Travellers on the main route from Glasgow to Inverness faced further disruption after reports of a fallen tree on the same road at Abriachan, between Inverness and Drumnadrochit.
The disruption came as the west of Scotland braced for 48 hours of heavy rain and high winds, with the Skye, Forth and Tay road bridges all closed to high-sided vehicles.
Oct 26, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://tharunaya.co.uk/Sinhala_News/sinhalanews-haldummulla-landsli...
Nov 3, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://english.sina.com/china/p/2014/1028/749736.html
Nov 3, 2014
Andrey Eroshin
http://www.mininews.com.cn/content/7069.html
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
Nov 3, 2014
Starr DiGiacomo
http://news.sky.com/story/1374456/switzerland-landslide-kills-two-p...
Two killed in Switzerland landslide as building collapses
Press Association
PUBLISHED16/11/2014 | 14:25
A landslide has buried a residential building in southern Switzerland, leaving two people dead, four injured and an unknown number missing.
Police spokesman Marco Tutti said the landslide occurred early this morning in the village of Davesco, near the city of Lugano, when heavy rain caused a hill to collapse and cover the building with masses of mud.
Mr Tutti said police and firefighters are on the scene searching for an unknown number of missing people.
The four injured people were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Nov 16, 2014
Tracie Crespo
www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/11/20/landslides-trigger-increase-...
Landslides trigger increase
in chili price
The main road connecting West Sumatra and Riau was blocked by a landslide early on Tuesday, disrupting the supply of chili and consequently causing a rise in the price of the commodity.
“In the past, if the road in West Sumatra was blocked, we could still hope the supply could be fulfilled from Karo. Now, Karo can no longer supply us,” Liston, a trader at Arengka traditional market in Pekanbaru, said Wednesday.
Since the continuing eruption of Mount Sinabung, Riau has been more dependent on West Sumatra for its chilies, rather than Karo regency in North Sumatra.
Liston said the price of chilies had reached Rp 130,000 (US$10.4) per kilogram, up from the normal price of Rp 28,000, since the landslide that occurred in Tanjung Pauh village, Pangkalan Koto Baru district, Lima Puluh Kota regency, 5 kilometers from the border with Riau.
Nov 20, 2014
Mark
Family's shock after huge chunk of garden suddenly disappears in landslip after heavy rainfall
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844240/Family-s-shock-huge...
A family were left shocked this morning after they woke up to find a huge chunk of their garden had suddenly disappeared in a landslip.
Several tonnes of mud and rubble were sent crashing down the 100ft cliff after heavy rainfall last night, onto a popular beachside car park below near Poole, Dorset.
The residents were initially unaware that a gaping hole had been left in the plush £2million property's lawn - leaving them without 10ft of their garden.
Nov 22, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Four die, one missing in
landslide
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Saturday evening that five houses nestled at the foot of a cliff were buried in the landslide. What was left of the houses was then swept away by a strong current in a nearby river during heavy rain.
The four victims were identified as Saut Marita Zebua, 28, Ariyani Telaumbanua, 20, Dalizato Zebua, 20, Yunita Telaumbanua, 18. Butet, the baby daughter of Dalizato and Yunita, is still missing.
“The search and rescue team removed the bodies of the four victims who died in the landslide. They are still searching the river for the baby. The terrain is difficult as it is hilly and forested,” Sutopo said.
Acting Central Tapanuli regent Syukran Tanjung said the search and rescue team had scoured a 1-kilometer radius from the landslide to the sea in search of the baby on Saturday.
“We will continue the search on Sunday,” he said over the phone on Saturday evening.
He said the bodies of the four victims, who were husbands and wives, were found hugging their partners under the debris and land. They were buried on Saturday.
The mitigation division head of the Central Tapanuli Disaster and Mitigation Agency, Syafaruddin Ananda Nasution, blamed incessant rain over the past two days and deforestation upstream for causing the landslide.
“The cliff above the victims’ houses may have collapsed because it no longer had trees,” he said over the phone.
Sutopo said Central Tapanuli experiences landslides that claim lives almost every year. Most fatalities have been low-income families.
Floods and landslides also hit other areas in Sumatra, including Aceh, Agam regency and South Solok regency in West Sumatra and Mukomuko in Bengkulu.
The Aceh Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has urged residents to remain alert as more rain and storms are imminent and could continue until the end of the year.
BNPB data reveals that landslides have claimed the most lives in natural disasters this year. As of this month, there have been 337 landslides that claimed 267 lives.
“There are 274 regencies and cities located in areas that are prone to landslides. As many as 124 million people live in those areas,” he said.
Nov 24, 2014
Derrick Johnson
Many missing in deadly Indonesia landslide
Eight people confirmed dead and search under way for scores of others after mudslide buries homes in Java province.
A landslide in Indonesia triggered by torrential rains has left eight people dead, destroyed 105 houses and left at least a 100 people missing, officials say.
Rescuers struggled on Saturday to reach those missing after the mudslide buried houses in a hilly district on the country's main island of Java the previous night.
Hundreds of rescuers, including police, soldiers and residents, were digging through the debris with their bare hands, shovels and hoes for the people still missing.
They were later helped by tractors and bulldozers arriving in the district.
Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen, reporting from Jakarta, said the rescue efforts were going slowly because the area was still very unsafe.
"It has been raining non-stop for two days, and that is the reason this huge chunk of mountain came down - a whole village has been wiped away," our correspondent said.
"Around 700 rescue workers and volunteers are in the area, but work is painstakingly slow. They can only use manual equipment.
"It is very dangerous for rescue workers as landslides could happen at any minute."
Workers were using life detection equipment in the area, but had been unable to locate any survivors.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said 379 people had been taken to temporary shelters.
"Jemblung village was the most affected," he said in a statement. "Rescuers are still trying to find more victims. The challenge is that the evacuation route is also damaged by the landslide."
"At the moment eight people have been found dead and we are still looking for 100 unaccounted for."
"Conditions on the ground are pretty tough and we need heavy machines to clear the road that has been covered by the landslide."
Hundreds have been evacuated from the site in Banjarnegara, in central Java, where media footage showed a flood of mud and water cascading down a wooded mountain side.
Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/12/indonesia-landsl...
Dec 13, 2014
Howard
Rockslide Creates New Lake in N. Vancouver BC (Dec 7)
Massive rocks the size of houses - upwards of 50,000 cubic metres - gave way and landed in the river about one kilometre north of the top of Riverside Drive.
"This was actually a significant portion of the canyon wall that was sheered as it came down," said Bill Morrell, Metro Vancouver spokesman.
It took just six hours to form a new lake that extends 850 metres north from the slide site and six metres down at its deepest point, submerging bridges and hectares of forest.
"It is what it is now. The rocks are not moving. They're just settling down a little bit but that feature will be there," said Mike Mayers, Metro Vancouver's superintendent of environmental management. "It's the largest rock fall I've heard of on the North Shore in a long time."
"It is massive. It's a wall of rock that's blocking the canyon down there. The canyon is backing up slowly so as you go further up the river, the river is lower, but it's very deep here. It's a significant event. It's going to change the scope of the river, I believe," said resident Lara Wollitzer.
If you look at the rock down there, it looks like the whole canyon face just came down, said her friend Vanessa Iverson. And there's a whole new waterfall coming down there."
The impact is a permanent change to the geography of the North Shore. The new lake where canyons and rapids used to be has claimed at least two hectares of nearby forest, low-lying sections of the Fisherman's Trail and, as of Wednesday night, the Twin Bridge was submerged.
"We've got flooded forests. Those trees are going to die. They're going to be falling over. We have flooded trails. The water is coming up and down and up and down. We're probably going to lose a few of those. They're going to completely wash away," he said.
Metro crews are now trying to figure out how the bridge can be removed and possibly salvaged.
"We have no other option. It's a permanent feature. It's a lake, not a river and you usually put a bridge over a river," he said.
As a precaution, Metro closed all of the trailheads that lead to the Seymour River. The fences and guards should be gone by Friday but Metro is going to be stepping up efforts to keep people away from the slide site and Twin Bridges area, which remain very dangerous, Mayers said.
"There are hundreds if not thousands of trees that are under water. They're coming down all the time. The trail is underwater," he said. "We're going to be putting in place very permanent closures of that very impacted area."
The slide has also likely changed the Seymour River's viability as salmon habitat Mayers said after a meeting with a representative from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. "It's effectively now a fish barrier."
http://www.theprovince.com/Rock+slide+creates+permanent+lake+North+...
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Rock+slide+creates+permanent...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/north-vancouver-rock...
http://www.nsnews.com/news/seymour-rock-slide-natural-engineers-say...
Dec 15, 2014
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.nst.com.my/node/64121
Landslide forces Tasik Kenyir road closure
19 DECEMBER 2014 @ 11:44 AM
HULU TERENGGANU: A massive landslide has forced the closure of the Tasik Kenyir road about 30km from Kampung Basung onThursday evening.
The incident started at about 5pm but became worst by 9pm forcing a complete closure of the road that lead to Felda Aring and Gua Musang.
A contractor identified as Chan who is involved with the construction of the second Kenyir dam said he could not return to the site as the road was blocked.
"I had to turn back. I was told that workers at the site could not return home and neither could they go to Aring because there was another landslide some distance from the construction site," he said.
A visit at the site showed the road was covered by loose earth, boulders and fallen timber.
The hill was still unstable as loud cracks could be heard from 20 metres away.
Dec 19, 2014
SongStar101
14 killed, 750,000 affected in Sri Lanka floods, mudslides
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-12-26/news/574205...
COLOMBO, Dec 26 (PTI) At least 14 people have been killed and 750,000 affected in Sri Lanka due to floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains across the country in the past three days as the air force deployed helicopters for rescue operations in the central hills today.
"At least 14 people are dead while 11 remain missing in Badulla," police said.
Helicopters were deployed after flash floods caused mudslides and several roads were rendered impassable due to incessant rains.
The worst affected was Rilpola town in the central hill district of Badulla where five people were killed as mounds of earth fell on homes.
The Disaster Management Centre said the number of affected people has gone up to about 750,000 while 17 of 25 administrative districts have been affected.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has formed a relief committee for victims manned by commanders of government forces.
Sri Lanka Railways said all train services from capital Colombo to the central hill areas of Kandy, Badulla and Matale were cancelled due to the severe weather conditions.
The Meteorological Department said that low pressure has increased into a depression located just off the southeast coast.
Strong winds up to 60 kph are expected and people have been asked to stay away from coastal areas.
At least 38 people were killed in October when mudslides buried homes of tea plantation workers in the country's central hills.
Dec 29, 2014
Mark
Philippines: Five dead in Seniang-landslide in Leyte
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/397089/news/nation/five-dead-i...
Jan 1, 2015
Howard
Three Bodies Retrieved from SW China Landslide (Jan 4)
Three bodies were pulled from a car buried by the landslide and the search team continue to pick their way through the 80,000 cubic meters of debris in Erlang village.
The landslide occurred at 3:40 p.m. Sunday at a section in Xishui County, blocking the expressway that links Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, to Zunyi City in Guizhou.
More than 700 have been mobilized for the rescue efforts.
Sources
http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/01/05/3941s859890.htm
http://news.now.com/home
Jan 5, 2015
Howard
Landslides Wreak Havoc in Washington State (Jan 6)
A building collapses into the Wallace River near Gold Bar, Washington.
A landslide in the town of Hoquiam crushed and uprooted several homes, stranding up to 300 people in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Joe Lester, who lives on Queets Avenue where most damage occurred, said police came before dawn to warn them with sirens.
“They were announcing over the PA system, ‘everybody evacuate Queets Avenue. The hillside is coming down.’”
Mac Najar and his friend left one of the houses just 10 minutes before a landslide knocked the home into the street.
“I was telling him, ‘you need to pack your things fast, if you’re leaving.’ Because I could hear the cliff moving. You can see it moving,” Najar said.
Along Queets Avenue in Hoquiam, five homes were hit by a mudslide knocking them off their foundations. But only one had people in them. Sisters Brenda Catlin and Kittie Carter live together.
"At five o'clock in the morning we heard the ground break loose and it was like a freight train," Carter said. Catlin,
Her sister recounted a similar sound.
"I heard a horrible thunderous noise and my bed started moving across the room," Carter said. "And when it hit the house it shook the house forward and threw me into a wall, and then things were falling on top of me."
With the house crumbling around them, Carter realized her sister was trapped in her room so she rammed the door and busted it open.
"I'd have died before I left her in there," Carter said.
They and their dogs made it out alive. Catlin commented on her sister's actions to save her.
"I'm very grateful, I'm very happy." Carter, "We are a miracle because I don't know how we got out other than sheer will."
Another landslide blocked the access to the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Hoquiam, preventing 200-300 people from entering or exiting their homes along the bluff.
In Aberdeen, just a few miles from Hoquiam, firefighters rescued an elderly woman and her dog trapped in her crushed house by cutting a hole in the roof.
It's hard to believe anyone survived the smashing of her Aberdeen home by a wall of mud coming down the hillside, but Gayle Christner did. She was in her rocking chair Monday morning when the slide hit.
"And I was sitting there... BOOM... It threw me out of the rocker onto my head on the floor," Christner said.
It was just her and her dog, Caesar, trapped inside the house.
"I was under my rocker, that big heavy rocker, and then my couch was on top of that and I couldn't get out," she said. "And I thought 'what am I going to do?'"
The only thing she could do was yell for help, but rescuers couldn't get in. So a firefighter and a police officer went through the roof to save the woman.
"And they cut a hole in the ceiling and the fireman lifted me up and took me out. I tell you I'm so thankful," Christner said. "It wasn't my time to go. I guess God has other things for me to do."
There are also reports that a section of a road in Aberdeen sank and slid down a hill, cutting off residents in the northwest area of the city.
The Washington State Patrol has been deployed and is reporting many parts of southwest Washington are experiencing road closures due to landslides and flooding.
By Tuesday morning, police had begun to evacuate Beacon Hill residents along a narrow logging road, cautioning that the hillside could still be unstable and that the neighborhood might remain cut off for a few more days.
Sources
http://news.yahoo.com/mudslide-traps-hundreds-in-washington-neighbo...
http://q13fox.com/2015/01/05/elderly-woman-dog-trapped-in-house-by-...
http://globalnews.ca/news/1756246/watch-mudslide-knocks-washington-...
http://mynorthwest.com/11/2681390/Flooding-mudslides-widespread-acr...
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Residents-escape-mudslide-It-was...
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/video-landslide-swee...
Jan 7, 2015
Derrick Johnson
Landslide creates new lake in Yukon's Kluane National Park
Geologists say seismic activity in southwest Yukon was the likely cause of a landslide in Kluane National Park and Reserve last year that dammed a creek and formed a new lake.
The landslide blocked Vulcan Creek, a tributary of Slims River that flows into Kluane Lake near the Tachäl Dhäl Visitor Centre.
The new lake was discovered in September by an off-duty parks employee. Sean Pociuk was hiking up Vulcan Creek when he noticed a blockage up ahead. When he got closer and saw the landslide, he says he could tell it had happened recently.
"There were bits of pieces of earth still falling down, like little chunks," Pociuk says.
He says he could also see permafrost sticking out of the ground.
Craig McKinnon, Kluane's manager of resource conservation, says landslides aren't often recorded in the park because they aren't always seen.
"In my 25-year career, this is the first that I've been aware of," McKinnon says.
The exact trigger for this landslide isn't known but Panya Lipovsky, a surficial geologist with the Yukon Geological Survey, says earthquake activity has weakened bedrock in the Kluane area over time.
"It's one of the most seismically active regions in the Yukon," Lipovsky says. "(The slide) occurred very close to the Duke River fault, which is probably the most active fault."
The Duke River fault runs under the St. Elias Mountains, roughly parallel to Kluane Lake.
Lipovsky estimates the Vulcan Creek slide happened between mid-August and mid-September. While there were a few earthquakes larger than magnitude four that occurred in the area earlier in the summer, she says there weren't any significant earthquakes during that period.
Parks staff visited the site in the fall.
"The lake that was formed was fairly substantial," says McKinnon, describing it as about 350 metres long and 80 metres wide.
The lake is several kilometres above the Slim's East trail, which McKinnon says receives about 40 hikers a year. He says there have been no area closures so far, but Parks Canada will continue monitoring the area in the spring.
He advises visitors not to hike up Vulcan Creek or linger on the alluvial fan on the Slim's East trail.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/landslide-creates-new-lake-in-y...
Jan 12, 2015
Mark
Extra £3million for landslide protection on A83
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/457452/extra-3m...
An extra £3million has been announced to deal with landslides at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll.
The Scottish Government investment will be added to the £9million that has already been spent around the Rest and Be Thankful in recent years to improve resilience and to help keep local communities connected in the event of landslides.
The hill pass on the A83 Tarbet to Campbeltown road has been blighted by landslides for seven years.
An emergency diversion route along the Old Military Road at the Rest has been opened to save traffic from having to make a 60-mile diversion when there has been a slide.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay made the announcement about the new funding today(wed) at the latest meeting of the A83 Task Force in Arrochar during an update on how work on the A83 Route Study is progressing.
The extra money will be used to take forward landslide mitigation work in Glen Kinglas and at Strone Point corner.
Jan 16, 2015
Howard
Immense Landslide Blocks River in India's Upper Indus Valley (Jan 18)
The massive landslide, believed to have occurred on December 31, has created a 5 km long artificial lake upstream between Shaday Sumdo and Mar-Shun in the Kargil district within the cold desert of Ladakh.
Authorities have advised people living in four villages to vacate as there is a danger the artificial lake may submerge these areas.
"It is a very big river which flows very fast. People living in four villages have been advised to leave", said Rajesh Basotra, sub divisional magistrate, Zanaskar.
"We fear it might burst suddenly, causing havoc to villagers in the low-lying areas," explained Skalzang Wangyal Gara, Executive Councilor of Tourism and Zanskar Affairs of the LAHDC.
The area is inaccessible and not even a helicopter can land there.
The landslide was first noticed when two hydroelectric projects – Nimoo Bazga and Chutak between Zanskar and Kargil showed a considerable reduction in water flow.
Official figures reveal that the river discharge was 50 cubic meters per second (cmps) on December 17 which dropped to 40 cmps some days later and ebbed to 15 cmps in early January.
"There is road connectivity only up to 40 km from Padam while the distance to Marshun is 90 km. We have held meetings with the army, BRO and mechanical engineers and formed a committee to ascertain the blockade", said Mohammad Sadiq Sheikh, district development commissioner Kargil.
Authorities have also asked the experts to find out the reasons for landslides and formation of the lake.
"We cannot say off hand whether it is because of the global warming."
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) has also imposed a blanket ban on hiking the famous Chadar frozen river walk due to this sudden landslide.
The Chadar ice trek is one of the most sought-after winter treks of the subcontinent and a popular commercial product for tour operators.
The word Chadar means a white sheet in Hindi. In winter, the Zanskar river in the upper Indus valley in Ladakh freezes, resembling a white sheet, and walking along it becomes the only way to reach to the villages and towns on the other end.
Sources
http://www.outdoorjournal.in/news-2/ban-on-ladakhs-chadar-ice-trek-...
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-environmental-disaster-unfolds...
http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2015/01/20/zanskar-river-landsli...
Jan 20, 2015
Howard
Dramatic landslide video in the mountains of Dagestan, southwestern Russia (date unknown).
Jan 25, 2015
SongStar101
Land shifting going on?
Beach washed away by freak high tide is returned to seaside town overnight
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/you-shore-beach-washed-away...
Residents in the Cornish village of Porthlevel woke one morning last week to find all the sand on their beach had disappeared, but are now celebrating after it came back
Residents in a seaside town where the entire beach was washed away by a freak high tide are celebrating - after it came BACK.
Locals in Porthleven in Cornwall were left scratching their heads after a severe high tide removed ALL the sand on their beach, and replaced with jagged rocks covered in seaweed and algae.
Photos from the scene showed promenade steps that used run down into the lush sand leading to a sharp drop onto rocks.
But locals were celebrating today after the sand was brought back - leaving them with a golden coast again.
Councillor Andrew Wallis said the beach returned "completely naturally" confirming that "Mother Nature" put the sand back, not the council.
He said: "The beach had never had that little sand in living memory.
"This area is quite prone to long shire drift and sometimes it is more extreme than others. This time was definitely on the more extreme side."
An oceanographer from Porthleven, Alan Jorgensen, said he has never seen the level of sand so low in all his years in the village.
He said: "I've never seen it like this before. It was a bit of a surprise to be honest."
Karen Wall, 42, from Porthleven, said: "I've seen it fluctuate, but just going by my mother's wisdom - she's been past that beach every day for 74 years - she's never seen anything like it."
Experts calculated that nearly a million tonnes of sand were lost off British beaches last year, with popular beaches in Newquay, Bude and Perranporth also left bare.
Estimations were that the sand - which was left languishing offshore in mountainous sandbanks and bars - would take years to return.
Jan 26, 2015
Mark
Costa Rica: Landslide closes kilometer 33 of Inter-American Highway South at 'Cerro de la Muerte'
http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/01/29/travel-alert-landslide-closes-k...
Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) officials have reported that the outside lane of the road has collapsed due to water saturation from constant rains in the area, the ministry’s director of emergency situations, David Meléndez, said.
“Earlier this morning a motorcycle and a car drove into the landslide, but the motorists were unharmed,” MOPT reported in a press release Thursday morning.
MOPT officials tweeted that it could take up to a month to reopen the route.
Jan 31, 2015
Howard
Major Landslip Closes Railway in Central England (Feb 1)
Engineers are monitoring a stretch of a line in the Harbury area of Warwickshire after a section of land around 160m long slipped next to the railway.
The landslide has forced the closure of the line between between Leamington Spa in Warwickshre and Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Network Rail said the site was "incredibly dangerous" because the slipped earth is still moving, making it unsafe for staff to even get to it to decide what needs to be done.
The slip happened at around 3pm on Sunday. No trains were on the line at the time and it was not covered by the earth.
Engineers have been at the site on Monday to examine the extent of the damage and to see how much it is still moving.
It is not known when it will be safe to begin work there, Network Rail said, and an assessment of the area may take several days.
The landslip has occurred near Harbury Tunnel in Warwickshire, the scene of a similar incident last year.
Sources
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/1138...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-31081630
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/Harbury-Tunne...
Feb 3, 2015
Howard
Landslide Causes Highway Bridge Failure in Norway (Feb 2)
The landslide destabilized pillars supporting the highway, causing massive deformation of the road deck.
The collapse stranded about 45 motorists who had to be evacuated from the relatively new highway bridge, which opened only a few years ago.
Emergency crews reported the bridge suddenly sagged at around 3:00pm local time.
Fire Chief Jarle Steinnes said the landslide under the bridge left the pillars "hanging loose in the air," the ground below them literally giving way.
"We're still hearing noises from the bridge and its shifting," Steinnes said. "If the ground moves any more, there's a danger the entire bridge will fall apart."
The highway is likely to remain closed for a long time.
Sources
http://www.ceforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=115397
http://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/02/02/bridge-collapses-on-e18-high...
Feb 3, 2015
SongStar101
Landslides hit Peruvian Amazon
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31070334
More than 3,000 families have been affected and a state of emergency has been declared.
Feb 4, 2015
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.whdh.com/story/28022410/landslide-smashes-into-wall-at-i...
Landslide smashes into wall at Italy's historic Pompeii site
MILAN (AP) - Heavy rains have provoked landslide at the ancient Italian site of Pompeii, partially collapsing a retaining wall and sending rubble into a garden at the house of Severus.
Italian officials on Wednesday said the affected area falls within the "Great Pompeii" joint EU-Italian restoration project and had been already closed to the public.
Pompeii, the ancient Roman city encased in volcanic ash near Mount Vesuvius, south of Naples, has suffered numerous collapses of walls and buildings in recent years, often due to rain. The problems have attracted widespread attention to Italy's difficulties in maintaining its cultural treasures.
Pompeii officials said firefighters were assessing the ancient site to determine areas at particular risk for collapse in a bid to shore them up.
Feb 4, 2015
Starr DiGiacomo
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-31147846
5 February 2015 Last updated at 12:51 ET
Dog's 'sixth sense saved' friends from Newquay landslide
Two friends who were a few feet away from a landslide say their pet dog's "sixth sense" saved their lives.
Amy Jones and Matt Smith were sitting above Great Western Beach in Newquay when their collie "sensed" danger and ran off, with the friends following.
Seconds later about 100 tonnes of debris fell from the cliff on to the access road.
No-one was injured, but the area has been sealed off and there is no access to the beach.
Ms Jones said: "She [Hazel the dog] was sniffing around the ground and then suddenly bolted off.
"Next there was a sound from the railings and they were wobbling, and then the ground collapsed and we ran and called the police."
Mr Smith added: "If it wasn't for her we would have been left leaning against the railings.
"She definitely knew something was happening."
A Cornwall Council engineer said more than 100 tonnes of material had collapsed, probably as a result of the cold and wet weather.
The engineer said it would be a significant time before the road would reopen.
Feb 5, 2015