Landslide Technical Assistance for USGS-NBRO Response Readiness

Abstract U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landslide Disaster Assistance Team (LDAT) received a request from the Government of Sri Lanka’s National Building Research Organization (NBRO) for landslide assistance. Landslides in Sri Lanka kill hundreds of people each year and destroy important buildings and roads. NBRO requested assistance improving landslide safety maps. These maps can be used to find and avoid areas with a lot of landslides during storms, which saves lives. This project helps NBRO make important life and safety decisions by addressing four priority topics: 1) collecting important data about landslides, 2) researching when and where landslides go, 3) making a national landslide hazard map, and 4) improving their early warning system. The University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) fills a key knowledge gap by leveraging their expertise to support technical assistance with research and/or data collection in the field and/or remotely to support priority topic 3. LDAT and NBRO have collectively developed an informal workplan that focuses on finalizing their landslide database and applying the techniques from the past trainings to update their landslide maps. The USGS seeks to build on the success of recent response activities and research from KGS to update national landslide susceptibility maps. The resulting work can be translated back to domestic priorities thus making the state and our entire nation safer from landslides. The specific outcome of this project builds on previous work by improving the skills needed to collect key landslide data and make improved landslide susceptibility maps. These activities will help NBRO be better advisor to emergency managers. What we learn also helps keep Americans safe from landslides at home. The data collection and data sharing in this project allows the USGS to benefit from frequent landslides in other countries, to make better landslide maps and warnings for the U.S. This aligns with National Landslides Preparedness Act priority of advancing landslide hazards and risk reduction strategies.