In 1998, The Italian government declared a state emergency when large landslides struck the Campania Region killing 87 people and damaging roughly 2,000 homes. To read the rest of the article on this devastating event click here.
According to http://landslides.usgs.gov/ Areas that are generally prone to landslide hazards:
- On existing old landslides.
- On or at the base of slopes.
- In or at the base of minor drainage hollows.
- At the base or top of an old fill slope.
- At the base or top of a steep cut slope.
- Developed hillsides where leach field septic systems are used
For more from USGS including what to do before and after a landslide click here.
One Italy's biggest landslides killed nearly 2,000 people. "On October 9, 1963, at 10:39pm 260 million cubic metres of rock broke off from the top of Monte Toc, on the border between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. It fell into the reservoir of the Vajont Dam, producing an enormous wave of at least 50 million cubic metres of water. The dam, completed in 1959 and one of the biggest in the world at the time, did not suffer any serious damage. However, flooding destroyed several villages in the valley and killed almost 2,000 people." To read more from this article and about this devastating event in Italian history click here.
Italy has also played host to several major avalanches;
In 1916 Troops fighting in the Italian Campaign between Italy and Austrio-Hungary were caught in what became known as White Friday when more than 500 men were buried alive. Both sides of the war had been intentionally causing avalanches to kill enemy forces downhill from them.
Most Recently 6 Skiers were killed in an Avalanche in March of 2016 and several other people reported missing.
In 2009 Italy asked a national research institute to develop a prototype for an early warning system. To read the full briefing click here.
Video of a 2010 Landslide in Italy
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Video of an Italian Avalanche
Euronews. "'Six Dead' in Avalanche in Italian Alps, Others Missing."Euronews. N.p., 13 Mar. 2016. Web. 14 Oct. 2016
"Expecting Disaster: The 1963 Landslide of the Vajont Dam | Environment & Society Portal." Expecting Disaster: The 1963 Landslide of the Vajont Dam | Environment & Society Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
Hanley, Anne. "Italy Declares Emergency in Landslide Region." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 08 May 1998. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
"Landslide Preparedness." Landslide Preparedness. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
I was shocking a fact, which 2,000 people were dead by cubic meters of water because of huge landslide. In Saudi Arabia, there is not happens many people were dead, but there is a lot of landslide as well. They also think this hazard is a big problem because of human loss. Thank you for sharing ideas
ReplyDeleteIt's horrifying to hear how one disaster (a landslide) can cause a chain reaction and cause so much destruction.
ReplyDeleteAlso thought it was interesting that Italian troops also created its own avalanches to try and kill enemy forces...it's definitely a huge form of attack.
Really great post Tyler! I really enjoyed watching the videos you posted. Italy is not far from my country, Portugal, and they suffer from many of the same deadly events. Something that most of us would not consider as mass wasting is an avalanche. Thanks for covering this in your post, it is important to remember that mass waste can be more then just land slides or rock slides or caused by a flood but they can also be caused from heavy snow fall. I love that I was able to learn something from your post! Gratzi!
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