Landslides

One of the joys of living in the mountains are the beautiful views; however, these are also the breeding grounds for landslides. 

Landslides can occur for many reasons, and they can come with little advance warning. Preparing ahead of time can help to save your family, your property and yourself.

Think ahead when building or remodeling

The best time to make sure your home is stable for landslides is when you're remodeling. Many tools and assessments can be used at this time to make your home the safest it can be. 

• Don't build steep slopes close to mountain edges, near drainage ways or natural erosion valleys
  
• Have flexible pipe fittings installed to avoid gas or water leaks
  
• Plant ground cover on slopes and build retaining walls
  
• Build channels to redirect mudflow
  
• Get a ground assessment and landslide history of your property
  
  

Though landslides can occur at anytime, warning signs can be seen in advance. Take caution if you see these signs:

• Changes occurring in your landscape such as land movement, small slides, flows or progressively leaning trees
• Doors or windows that stick or jam for the first time
  
• New cracks that appear in plaster, tile or foundations
  
• Outside walls, walks or stairs that begin pulling away from the building
  
• Slowly developing but widening cracks that appear in roads and sidewalks
  
• Underground utility lines that start to break
  
• Bulging ground that appears at the base of a slope
  
• Water that breaks through the ground in new locations
  
• A faint rumbling sound that increases in volume
  
• Unusual sounds such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together
  
  

Act quickly, but don't panic

As with many other disasters, being quick and staying calm will help to save your property and your family if a landslide occurs:

• Consider leaving if you're in areas where landslides are present
  
• If you're near a stream, look for sudden changes in water level or a change to muddy water
  
• Be alert while driving. If you see embankments and roads collapsed, a landslide might be present
  
• If you can't escape, move to the highest level of your house, curl into a tight ball and protect your head
  
• Afterwards, stay on watch for floods, check your foundation and replant damaged ground
  
  

This information is meant to help you make decisions that may reduce your risk. Of course, we can't note every possible risk, and we can't guarantee that these tips will work for you. However, we hope that if you use some of them, you'll better protect your family and yourself.

Contact your insurance agent to make sure you're properly covered if a catastrophe strikes.

Are landslides happening in your area?