Landslide and Mudslide Safety

With El Nino wreaking havoc with heavy rains out in California, it's a good idea to be well-informed about the dangers of mudslides and landslides. Hikingware.com says that if you live in a hilly or mountainous area you could be in danger from such a disaster.

Landslides occur when masses of rock, earth or debris move down a slope. Mudslides, also known as debris flows or mudflows, are a common type of fast-moving landslide that tends to flow in channels.

What Causes Landslides and Mudslides?

Landslides are caused by disturbances in the natural stability of a slope. They can happen after heavy rains, droughts, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Mudslides develop when water rapidly collects in the ground and results in a surge of water-soaked rock, earth and debris. Mudslides usually begin on steep slopes and can be triggered by natural disasters. Areas where wildfires or construction have destroyed vegetation on slopes are at high-risk landslides during and after heavy rains.

Health Threats from Landslides and Mudslides.

In the United States, landslides and mudslides result in 25 to 50 deaths each year. The health hazards associated with landslides and mudslides include:

• Rapidly moving water and debris that can lead to trauma.
• Broken electrical, water, gas and sewage lines that can result in injury or illness.
• Disrupted roadways and railways that can endanger motorists and disrupt transport and access to health care.

What Areas Are at Risk?

• Some areas are more likely to experience landslides or mudslides, including:
• Areas where wildfires or construction have destroyed vegetation.
• Areas where landslides have occurred before.
• Steep slopes and areas at the bottom of slopes or canyons.
• Slopes that have been altered for construction of buildings and roads.
• Channels along a stream or river.
• Areas where surface runoff is directed.

Protect Yourself!

Before Intense Storms and Rainfall:

• Assume that steep slopes and areas burned by wildfires are vulnerable to landslides and mudslides.
• Learn whether landslides or mudslides have occurred previously in your area by contacting local authorities, a county geologist or the county planning department, state geological surveys or departments of natural resources or university departments of geology.
• Contact local authorities about emergency and evacuation plans.
• Develop emergency and evacuation plans for your family and business.
• Develop an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated.
• If you live in an area vulnerable to landslides, consider leaving it.

During Intense Storms and Rainfall

• Listen to the radio or watch TV for warnings about intense rainfall or for information and instructions from local officials.
• Be aware of any sudden increase or decrease in water level on a stream or creek that might indicate debris flow upstream. A trickle of flowing mud may precede a larger flow.
• Look for tilted trees, telephone poles, fences or walls, and for new holes or bare spots on hillsides.
• Listen for rumbling sounds that might indicate an approaching landslide or mudslide.
• Be alert when driving. Roads may become blocked or closed due to collapsed pavement or debris.
• If you see a landslide or mudslide starting, quickly move away from the path of the slide. Getting out of the path of a mudslide is your best protection. Move to the nearest high ground in a direction away from the path. If rocks and debris are approaching, run for the nearest shelter and take cover (under a desk, table or other piece of sturdy furniture).

After a Landslide or Mudslide.

• Stay away from the site. Flooding or additional slides may occur after a landslide or mudslide.
• Check for injured or trapped people near the affected area, if it is possible to do so without entering the path of the landslide or mudslide.
• Listen to the radio or TV for emergency information.
• Report broken utility lines to the appropriate authorities.
• Consult a geotechnical expert (a registered professional engineer with soils engineering expertise) for advice on reducing additional landslide problems and risks. Local authorities should be able to tell you how to contact a geotechnical expert.

The NRA will get you if you don't watch out

Don't ever say that ownership of guns is not devout --

cuz the NRA will get you if you don't watch out.

Even mighty presidents who sign great sweeping laws

will feel the NRA's bare teeth and raking, bloody claws.

Congress is in hiding, seeking for a quick redoubt --

cuz the NRA will get you if you don't watch out.

No matter how much PAC money your campaign puts together,

if you frown at rifles you are treated like a feather;

blown from here to kingdom come by NRA invective --

none of it is true but it is all of it effective.

So beware, my little friends, when at night you're out --

cuz the NRA will get you if you don't watch out . . .

My Backyard Wilderness

I've filed for tax breaks from the IRS because, you see,

my backyard is a conservation easement -- verily!

The grass is tall and brown and gone to seed so long ago;

the pitcher plants and cockleburrs do naturally grow.

The birds are happy in their nests -- there's one in my garage.

And bats infest the tool shed (since the tools are all mirage).

The cesspool has collapsed into a lovely, murky pond;

cockroaches the size of cats it has just lately spawned.

Reverting back to nature, my backyard is quite unique.

I've left the garden hose on to create a little creek.

Mounds of rubbish are composting back to native soil.

And I promise never to start fracking for Big Oil. 

This wilderness is palpable and dangerous, you bet -- 

my wife took out the garbage just last week, and ain't back yet! 

So IRS, give me a break, a tax break I do mean --

for keeping my backyard so primeval and organic green. 

The Periodic Table

From the Wall Street Journal:  "Four recently discovered substances are joining the periodic table of the elements, filling in key blank spots in chemistry’s official compendium of the basic building blocks of the universe."  

You can mess with quarks or moon beams, cast new light on Betty Grable,

but cease your machinations of the periodic table!

"New super heavy elements" -- forsooth, is this a gag?

Adding to the chart, sir, is no job for light weight wag!

The dust of many chalkboards hallows that great mystery ;

to memorize its contents was the Holy Grail to me.

These vagabondish isotopes you wish to glorify

with permanence are hardly worth the droppings of a fly.

Add a new dimension, if you like, or mutate gene --

but the periodic table must remain the same, pristine!

Political Leftovers.

The year is new but not the matter

over which lawmakers natter.

Overripe more by the hour,

politics is turning sour.

It's all leftovers from the past.

(Democracy does not work fast.)

With gun bills, fam'ly leave, and taxes --

who's got time to grind new axes?

Tear Jerkers

From the Wall Street Journal:  

Thanonchai Sornsriwichai has built a career from producing gritty television commercials about runaway children or lonely grandparents. His work for insurance and phone companies has won him awards in Cannes and elsewhere.

But that hasn’t prepared him for the idea of people watching clips of his ads and daring each other not to cry.

“Really? That’s happening?” he asked a visitor recently, fiddling with his horn-rimmed glasses.

In fact, trying to watch his films and other Thai commercials without breaking down is becoming something of a digital spectator sport. From Asia to Europe and the U.S., Internet users have begun uploading videos of themselves trying to watch Mr. Thanonchai’s films without turning into a blubbering wreck.

The world is full of little quirks 

that halt us with tremendous jerks.

The orphan child in slummy street;

the elderly, no longer sweet.

The sick and weary, lame and halt;

the victim of police assault.

There are these, and many more,

who break our hearts and leave them sore.

And you can bet that in Siam,

and other spots, with use of cam,

the hucksters milk our tears for loot --

and do not give a fig or hoot 

for those who suffer from affliction --

it is all a corp'rate fiction. 

Sanitation in an Emergency: The Basics.

The lack of sanitation facilities following a major disaster can quickly create secondary problems unless basic guidelines are followed.

If the water lines are damaged or if damage is suspected, do not flush
your toilet. Avoid digging holes in the ground and using these. Untreated
raw sewage can pollute fresh ground water supplies. It also attracts flies
and acts as a vector for the spread of certain diseases like typhoid. Hikingware.com suggests you keep the following basic supplies on hand for any sanitation/waste disposal emergency:

• Store a large supply of heavy-duty plastic
  bags, twist ties, disinfectant, and toilet paper
• A good disinfectant that is easy to use
  is a solution of 1 part liquid bleach to 10 parts water. Dry bleach
  is caustic and not safe for this type of use.
• If the toilet is NOT able to be flushed,
  it can still be used. This is less stressful for most people than using
  some other container. Remove all the bowl water. Line it with a heavy-duty
  plastic bag. When finished, add a small amount of deodorant or disinfectant,
  securely tie the bag, and dispose of it in a large trash can with a
  tight fitting lid. This large trash can should also be lined with a
  sturdy trash bag. Eventually, the city will provide a means to dispose
  of these bags. 
• Portable camp toilets, small trash cans
  or sturdy buckets lined with heavy-duty plastic bags can also be used.
  Those with tight fitting lids are best.

Water flush toilets cannot be used when water
service is interrupted.

The water remaining in the fixture is not sufficient to flush the wastes down the sewer. Clogging may result and your living conditions then become just that much more uncomfortable.

Even if water is available, local authorities may ask you not to use flush
toilets, wash basins, and other fixtures connected with soil pipes. The
sewer mains may be broken or clogged, which would make it impossible to
carry off such waste; or water may be needed for fire fighting or other
emergencies. It is necessary for every family to know emergency methods
of waste disposal in case such conditions arise.

Failure to properly dispose of human wastes can lead to epidemics of such
diseases as typhoid, dysentery, and diarrhea. At the same time, sewage
must be disposed of in ways that will prevent contamination of water supplies
used for drinking, cooking, bathing, laundering, and other domestic purposes.
Here are simple steps that any family can take to prevent such dangers
and discomforts.

Temporary Toilet Provisions
Right after an emergency, or during one, you will probably not have the
time and tools to prepare a complex emergency sanitation system. If there
is a delay of several days in restoring sewage service to your neighborhood,
you may find that disposal is a big problem. Your first task is to make
some temporary toilet provision for your family, especially the children.
Almost any covered metal or plastic container will do. You can use a covered
pail, a 5-gallon bucket, or a small kitchen garbage container with a foot
operated cover for an emergency toilet. Anything that has a cover and
will hold the contents until you can dispose of them will serve for sanitary
purposes at first.

Emergency Sewage Storage
Keep on the premises at least one extra 10-gallon garbage can or other
waterproof container with a tight fitting cover. This should be lined
with paper and/or a plastic bag. And the lid should be fastened to the
can to prevent its loss. Such a can may be used for the emergency storage
of body wastes until the public sewage system can be put back into action,
or until other arrangements can be made. Empty your emergency toilet into
this storage can as often as necessary. A small amount of household disinfectant should be added after each use. If you live in an apartment, you may not have a large garbage can or room to keep one. In that case, two smaller covered pails or other containers will do just as well.

Solutions for Apartment Dwellers
Persons in city apartments, office buildings, or homes without yards should
keep a supply of waterproof paper containers on hand for emergency waste
disposal. Where flush toilets cannot be used and open ground is not available
for the construction of privies, such disposable containers offer a practical
method of emergency waste collection and disposal. Building managers should
plan for the collection of such containers and for their final disposal.
Before collection, the used containers may be stored in tightly covered
garbage cans or other water tight containers fitted with lids. Homemade
soil bags for this purpose can be prepared very easily by putting one
large grocery bag inside another, and a layer of shredded newspaper or
other absorbent material between. You should have sufficient grocery bags
on hand for possible emergencies. A supply of old newspapers will come
in handy for other sanitary uses also, such as wrapping garbage and lining
larger containers.

Controlling Odors and Insects
Insecticides and deodorants should be used when necessary to control odors
and insects breeding in containers that cannot be emptied immediately.
At least 2 pints of household bleach solution should be kept on hand for
disinfecting purposes.