SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For emergency planning purposes, scientists unveiled a hypothetical California scenario that describes a storm that could produce up to 10 feet of rain, cause extensive flooding (in many cases overwhelming the state’s flood-protection system) and result in more than $300 billion in damage. [Source: USGS Release, click for the rest of the release.]
Geologic Hazards
Landslide Blocks Road in LA, Inconveniences UCLA Hoops Fans
Mud and debris from a small landslide closed a portion of Sepulveda Blvrd. In Westwood California on Thursday. The slide took out at least one local resident’s backyard and was large enough to block several lanes of the roadway with debris up to 6-ft high in addition to knocking out several power poles and disrupting service. The material was cleared up by 10pm but not before it cause some inconvenience to UCLA basketball fans on their way to watch their team beat Stanford. The LA Times reports that there were questions about possible broken water lines, of course it is the old "chicken or the egg" argument that’s been seen before (including on a recent landslide) about whether the broken water lines contributed to the landslide, or the landslide caused the water line breaks. (Photo by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Project Related
Devil’s Slide Breakthrough Video and Links
The “breakthrough” media event for CALTRANS’ Devil’s Slide Tunnel project was this past Friday. A large crowd of politicians, news crews and locals were on hand as a road-header broke through a shotcrete face in a ceremony to mark the completion of the excavation portion of the first of two tunnels. It will still be over a year until the tunnels are opened to traffic. The second tunnel is expected to breakthrough as early as this week. (Photo by SFGate.com)
Caltrans tunnel punch-through from Barry Parr on Vimeo.
The Video came from the Coastsider, the page also has comments from the videographer, Barry Parr, which offer a good perspective on the event.
Click on through for more links etc.
Geologic Hazards
USGS Landslide Documentary Video
The USGS has a documentary on landslide video on landslide danger in the San Francisco Bay area entitled “Riding the Storm”. I think the target audience is more general than geologist or engineer, but it is still interesting. The bullet points from the USGS site:
- A catastrophic 1982 rainstorm triggered 18,000 landslides in the Bay Area, claiming 25 lives and causing $66 million in property damage
- The combination of steep slopes, weak rocks, and intense winter storms make Bay Area uplands an ideal setting for landslides
- Landslides include both swift, potentially deadly debris flows and slower, but destructive deepseated slides
- Learn what USGS scientists have discovered about landslide dynamics and which slopes are most susceptible to sliding
- Hear the devastating stories of Bay Area residents affected by landslides and learn to recognize the danger signs
Click through to view the trailer and for links to download the full video. (Image credit: USGS)