Damage to trees, roadways, property, etc.
Landslides are among the many natural disasters causing massive destructions and loss of lives across the globe. According to a survey study by the International Landslide Centre at Durham University, UK, 2,620 fatal landslides occurred between 2004 and 2010. These landslides resulted in the death of over 32,322 people. The figure does not include landslides caused by earthquakes. This research result is astonishing considering the number of people killed by landslides. It is, thus, paramount to know the causes and warning signs of a potential landslide to minimize losses.
A landslide, sometimes known as landslip, slope failure or slump, is an uncontrollable downhill flow of rock, earth, debris or the combination of the three. Landslides stem from the failure of materials making up the hill slopes and are beefed up by the force of gravity. When the ground becomes saturated, it can become unstable, losing its equilibrium in the long run. That’s when a landslide breaks loose. When people are living down these hills or mountains, it’s usually just a matter of time before disaster happens.
While landslides are considered naturally occurring disasters, human-induced changes in the environment have recently caused their upsurge. Although the causes of landslides are wide ranging, they have 2 aspects in common; they are driven by forces of gravity and result from failure of soil and rock materials that constitute the hill slope: