Many Landslides Accidentally Caused by Human Activity
- John Cornelison
- May 12, 2014
Table of Contents
According to this recent KOMO News piece, Seattle is warning residents to not inadvertently cause landslides.
“Eighty-four percent of the landslides that have happened in Seattle have, to some minor or major degree, human activity involved,” according to Seattle Office of Emergency Management Director Barb Graff.
Big factors cited in the KOMO piece were:
- People removing soil from the slope’s base (“toe”)
- Modifying (removing) hillside vegetation
- Introducing water (rain or other runoff) onto/into a slope

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) provide free notifications of imminent threats to safety or missing persons to your mobile device. In order to receive WEAs, you must have a capable device and be located in an area (e.g., county) targeted by Authorized Senders to receive one of 3 types of alerts: