How LandslideReady is Empowering Communities through Landslide Education
Have you ever wondered what you should do in the case of a landslide? It’s a good question to ask yourself. Landslides are a rising threat in areas across the United States along with Central and South America and the Caribbean. After Hurricane Maria in 2017, Puerto Rico experienced over 40,000 landslides that devastated the country’s infrastructure, and has been working towards recovery since then.
A landslide is a form of mass wasting where rocks and other debris fall into a slope. Some common causes include rainfall, snowmelt, erosion, earthquakes, volcanic activity, changes in groundwater, and other human activity, but it can often be a combination of multiple factors.
One of the critical goals of the Collaborative Center for Landslide Geohazards (CCFLG) and our outreach program, LandslideReady, is promoting preparedness when dealing with landslides, especially in vulnerable communities of Puerto Rico. The program aims to help educate and mentor communities in becoming LandslideReady certified through training and workshops.
Today, I’m asking a few questions to Professor Stephen Hughes of the University of Puerto Rico so we can learn more about all of this.
What is your background and experience in the field of landslide education?
I have been a professor in the University of Puerto Rico Department of Geology since 2014 and I am the Coordinator of the SLIDES-PR program here. SLIDES-PR = Storm-induced Landslide Impact Dynamics on Environment and Society in Puerto Rico. I have supervised many undergraduate and graduate students carrying out landslide hazard research and community engagement activities related to landslide hazards.
What is the story behind LandslideReady?
LandslideReady is a new initiative that we are trying to develop here in Puerto Rico. The idea is to target local county-equivalent communities to certify in landslide hazard preparedness. We formally launched this effort in January 2023 with a workshop of local stakeholders to provide feedback and perspective on a draft version of the program guidelines.
LR is modeled after the TsunamiReady and StormReady programs that are operated by NOAA and UNESCO. We think Puerto Rico is a natural site to pilot this program given the local susceptibility and vulnerability to mass wasting. We will take the next step over the summer by partnering with a couple of municipalities in a sort of “beta version” of the program.
What are the resources available for people interested in landslide preparedness and education?
For folks in Puerto Rico interested in landslide hazard preparedness, they should check out the website derrumbe.net. We have all of our educational and scientific products available there. These include a Spanish-language landslide guide for residents of Puerto Rico, a modern high-resolution interactive landslide susceptibility map, and live data from an array of stations across the island that make up the Puerto Rico Landslide Forecast Network. We also share important information to around 4,000 followers via our Spanish-language Facebook page: facebook.com/SlidesPR.
How can faculty and students get involved in LandslideReady? Are there any volunteer opportunities or upcoming events?
Here in the UPRM Department of Geology, I have a group of about 10 excellent and devoted students that work on various projects related to the SLIDES-PR program. These students organize community engagement activities and carry out important fieldwork and data analysis. I am always looking for new students to include in the group each semester!
The LandslideReady program presents vast opportunities for students and other members of the community to get involved in promoting landslide preparedness. Programs like these are robust and powerful because they’re built on the foundation of passionate people who have the drive to collaborate across regions to help their communities. I’m eager to see what’s to come for the future of a promising initiative like this!
Article written by Shirling Xu.
Shirling Xu is a third-year student studying computer science and philosophy at Georgia Tech. She works on the website, social media, and writes articles on Medium for the CCFLG. Previously, she worked on research for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and interned at Microsoft. In her free time, she likes doing anything creative (writing, drawing, and photography) and trying new restaurants and hikes when she’s traveling.
