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America National Hurricane Center There were warnings on Monday that Hurricane Melissa could cause devastating floods and landslides in many parts Jamaica, Cuba And Hispaniola,
According to the US Geological Survey, the annual death toll due to landslides averages 25–50 people in the US and thousands globally. Landslides – defined by the USGS as “the movement of a mass of rock, debris or earth down a slope” – are capable of traveling tens of miles (kilometres) per hour and can damage homes and block roads and rail lines.
Earthquakes, heavy rains and changes in soil, such as construction or agricultural practices, can trigger landslides.
Brian Tang, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University at Albany, said Melissa’s relatively slow movement, path over mountainous terrain and “tremendous” rainfall of up to 40 inches (102 centimeters) in some areas are elements that are contributing to a “worrying” landslide risk.
“It’s not like an urban area where it flows slowly. It actually flows very fast down the hills,” Tang said. Heavy rainfall can cause erosion, weaken slopes and cause landslides.
According to Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, landslides are the most common natural hazard in the island nation. Hispaniola, which haiti And part of the Dominican Republic, and Cuba are also susceptible to landslides due to the mountainous terrain and their location in a seismically active zone.
Carl Lang, assistant professor of geology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said the Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica may be an area where landslides occur with heavy rainfall due to steep mountain slopes.
Lang said areas that have been cleared for agriculture can be susceptible to landslides because the plants that previously grew there helped hold the soil together with the strength of their roots.
Some roads built on steep hills in Puerto Rico were affected by landslides when Hurricane Fiona (2022) and Hurricane Maria (2017) hit, Lang said. “Every time you cut a steep slope, you create a steeper slope above the road,” he said.
“The real problem is that you build the road that is your conduit in and out of the location … and then landslides dam the road. You create your own problem by creating an increased likelihood of landslides, but also making those landslides occur where you need to go,” Lang said.
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