https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/uow-sac102220.php
News Release 22-Oct-2020
University of Washington
The March 2014 landslide in Oso, Washington, about 55 miles northeast of Seattle, became the deadliest landslide event in United States history. Forty-three people died and 49 homes and structures were destroyed.
A University of Washington engineer who analyzed the event's aftermath began to investigate the circumstances that can make landslides so deadly. The resulting study shows that certain human actions increase the chance of surviving a devastating event, and suggests simple behavioral changes could save more lives than expensive engineering solutions.
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"There are in fact some really simple, cost-effective measures that can be taken that can dramatically improve the likelihood that one will survive a landslide," said senior author Joseph Wartman, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering.
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Their analysis showed behavioral factors, such as a having an awareness of local landslide hazards and moving to a higher floor of a building during an event, had the strongest association with survival.
"Simply by being on an upper floor, an individual can increase their odds of survival by up to a factor of twelve. This is a powerful finding that we need to consider when we design the layout and vertical access routes in homes," said first author William Pollock, who did the work for his UW doctorate in civil and environmental engineering and is now a lecturer in the department.
The analysis showed many things they predicted would be important, including the size or the intensity of landslide events, made little difference to the death toll for landslides below about 20 feet depth. Similarly, the distance between a building and the landslide slope, or an inhabitant's age and gender, didn't make a big difference to their survival.
But the researchers found some behaviors, despite being performed by only a small number of people, often save lives. According to their results, those actions are:
Before an event
Be informed about potential hazards, from hazard maps or other sources
Talk to people who have experienced these events
Move areas of high occupancy, such as bedrooms, upstairs or to the downhill side of a building
During an event
Move away from the threat -- don't approach an active landslide
Escape vertically by moving upstairs or even on countertops to avoid being swept away
Identify and relocate to interior, ideally unfurnished, areas of a building that offer more protection
Open downhill doors and windows to let debris escape
After an event
If caught in landslide debris, continue to move and make noise to alert rescuers
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