NWS and USGS Collaboration to Monitor and Warn for
Regional Shallow Landslide Initiation in the San Francisco Bay Area, California
(19)
Warren Blier, NOAA/NWS,
Monterey, CA
Brian Collins, USGS
Abstract:
California is well-known to
be susceptible to landslides. Landslides in the state generally occur due to
precipitation (and to a lesser extent, earthquakes). Historically, large winter
storms have been associated with the most destructive events, and in the highly
developed San Francisco Bay Area, these have sometimes been quite severe.
During the catastrophic central California rainstorm of 3-5 January 1982 for
example, more than 18,000 slides were induced, with many transforming into
debris flows that swept down hillslopes and drainages with little or no
warning. At least 25 fatalities resulted, and damage of at least $66 million
(1982 dollar valuation).
This presentation will
describe a newly initiated collaboration between the USGS Landslide Hazards
Program and the National Weather Service to develop a near-real-time landslide
monitoring and warning program in the San Francisco Bay Area. This will
leverage off of a landslide monitoring network recently deployed in the region
by the USGS. Although originally intended for research rather than operational
use, methodologies are being developed for its utilization in region-wide
hazard assessment. When key thresholds are met prior to incoming storms, this
information will then be relayed to WFO San Francisco, which will utilize its
hazard communication capabilities and core partner relationships to quickly and
effectively message it out.