Natural Hazards

LANDSLIDE AND EROSION HAZARD MAPS INITIATIVE
Flood damage, Great Brook, Plainfield, 2011	Landslide, Barre, View at the top, 2011	Talus on Mt. Pisgah	High water, ferry dock, Charlotte, 2011	View of Smugglers Notch and the Champlain Valley to the west. (T. Eliassen)
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 such as landslides, erosion from flood events,and bank failure on lakes. Catastrophic bank failure can occur, threatening or destroying buildings and infrastructure. 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. Protection of public health and safety and a reduction in financial losses is a priority. 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.
Brattleboro: 2007, Crosby Brook		East Barre: 2007, Honey Brook		Hardwick: Landslide, 2004
Hartford: 2008, Country Lane		Jeffersonville: Jeffersonville, VT landslide Jeffersonville Landslide 2009 Progress Report Deer Run Heights Landslide Page, Johnson State College		Rockfalls at Lake Willoughby
Mad River Valley: Surficial Geologic Map (north)showing debris flows and landslides Surficial Geologic Map (south)showing debris flows and landslides		Middlebury River Watershed: Surficial Geologic Map showing areas of mass failures
Montpelier: Rockfall in Montpelier, VT on Dec. 26, 2005		Rainfall, flood magnitude and geomorphic impacts of Tropical Storm Irene on the White River watershed, east-central Vermont, by G. Springston and others, 2013. (from presentation at NEGSA, 2013)		Impact of Tropical Storm Irene on Streams in Vermont , 2011
Rockfall Hazard Rating of Rock Cuts on US and State Highways in Vermont (link to 2007 AOT report -PDF)		Landslides in Vermont, 2010 - from a ppt presentation Part One - includes Mad River and the Highway project (10 mb pdf) Part Two - includes Smugglers Notch and Jeffersonville (22 mb pdf)		Smugglers Notch: Rockfalls in Smugglers Notch

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 pictures of Vermont rockfalls, flooding and other hazards, go to Photogallery 15 , 16 and 17

For more information on natural hazards, please go to:
FEMA's Flood Hazard Page
FEMA's "Flood Hazard Mapping" page
The Landslide Handbook, USGS Circular 1325
American Geophysical Union Landslide Hazard Blog