Advisories

Under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (Stafford Act), Congress delegated authority to the Director of the USGS to issue disaster warnings for an earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide and other geologic catastrophe (1974 Disaster Relief Act 42 U.S.C. 5201 et seq). Information needed to accurately forecast landslide occurrence is available only for a few areas of limited geographic extent in the U.S.

The USGS Landslide Hazards Program, in cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies, currently has experimental efforts to forecast landslides for

• burned areas in southern California
• rainfall-induced landslides in the Seattle, Washington, area
• rainfall-induced landslides associated with hurricanes that make landfall on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts.

NOAA/USGS Demonstration Flash-Flood and Debris-Flow Early Warning System for Southern California

Note: Advisories for the NOAA/USGS Demonstration Flash-Flood and Debris-Flow Early-Warning System currently apply only to recently burned areas of southern California.

Hazards & Preparedness