Landslides
are one of the major natural hazards in Germany and the landslide
recordings in this mountainous country date back all the way to the year
1137. Landslide impacts on infrastructure and society in Germany cost a
total of about $300 million US dollars annually. Most of these
landslides occur in low mountain range areas and there is significant
landslide exposure in the Lower Saxon Upland area. Also, the city of
Munden is built on rough, mountainous terrain and is at risk of severe
landslides because of the local topography and disintegrated bedrock.
Landslide mitigation in Germany was aimed at protecting the highway
systems. The most frequently applied method was removing bedrock and
vegetation from areas surrounding highways and infrastructure. Back in
the 1960s, netting on slope areas was installed, but this did little to
prevent serious landslide activity. Within the last decade, millions of
German dollars have been put into reconstructing significant slope areas
that threaten cities and highways.
Works Cited:
Klose, Martin. Landslide Impact: a Historical and Socioeconomic Perspective. 2015 Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/...Landslide...Germany.../562778b108aefb8...
Wow this is insightful because I didn't know Germany had such a predisposition to rockslides. It's also sad to hear about entire communities being constantly at-risk. Is the government trying to relocate these citizens or is tradition of living there too hard to overcome?
ReplyDeleteHi Kara!
ReplyDeleteMy country is Italy, and I picked your blog because they are both European countries. I was curious to see how landslides affected Germany. It is evident from your post that landslides affect Germany greatly, just like landslides affect Italy greatly. I wonder if all of Europe is at major risk for landslides, or if it is only a select few. Personally, I had absolutely no idea that Italy or Germany were such hot spots for landslides to exist prior to this chapter!
Wow. I didn't know how much landslides occurred in Germany and how much it costs them. It's great that the put money into the reconstruction.
ReplyDeleteYes, it seems natural you have some risk for mass wasting events. It seesm like your western side is more at risk (also has more population I saw..). Very interesting!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.preventionweb.net/files/3829_LandslidehazardN3.jpg