Natural Hazards

As population expands and homes, businesses, and infrastructure are sited over all types of Vermont landforms, it is inevitable there will be conflicts between development and natural hazards. A recent landslide in Jeffersonville, erosion from flood events,and bank failure on Lake Champlain make it imperative to identify areas with the potential for land failure. Catastrophic bank failure can occur under certain geologic conditions, threatening or destroying buildings and infrastructure above and below. Erosion damage from flood events can be considerably more costly than inundation damage to the built environment. Riverine erosion may or may not occur in the 100 year floodplain. As a result of the these land use conflicts, public and private investment is lost to catastrophic events, bank failure, and the undermining of property by the shifting position of rivers, streams, and shorelines. Some way must be found to reduce financial and economic losses to the public and the State of Vermont, and to protect the public health and safety.

Hazard maps are a primary tool for mitigation. A hazard map identifies areas of higher risk. With these maps, towns can clearly identify areas where land use oversight can be employed. The oversight can reduce or eliminate exposure to financial losses for the owners and public entities that are often pressured to bale out unwise investments on the land.

The outcome will be the protection of public health and safety and the means to preserve public emergency funds when a clear warning can prevent unwise construction and loss of the built environment.

For more information on natural hazards, please go to:
FEMA's Flood Hazard Page
FEMA's "Flood Hazard Mapping" page
Jeffersonville, VT landslide
ROCKFALL HAZARD RATING OF ROCK CUTS ON U.S. AND STATE HIGHWAYS IN VERMONT (link to 2007 AOT report -PDF)
The Landslide Handbook, USGS Circular 1325