Atlanta – When Hurricane Helene hit the southeast about two weeks ago, devastating parts of North Carolinait also triggered hundreds of landslides according to federal geologists who flew over the Appalachians to find all the places where parts of the Earth moved under heavy rains.
Dr. Ben Mirus and Dr. Francis Rengers of the U.S. Geological Survey used laser scanners and GPS cameras, with accuracy to within an inch, to map the landslides caused by Helen. They hope to trace The destruction of Helene will help predict future disasters.
“It feels historic,” Rengers said. “It is not certain that there has ever been a storm this widespread that caused this much damage to this area.”
So far, they have mapped more than 600 landslides caused by Hélène.
“Once we get in the air and get satellite images, we expect to find hundreds, if not thousands, of landslides,” Mirus said. “…If this event is consistent with previous events in which so much rain fell, then yes, we expect there could be thousands of landslides.”
Meanwhile, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center outside Washington, D.C., Dr. Dalia Kirschbaum watches from space.
“What we’re seeing is that precipitation is becoming more and more extreme,” said Kirschbaum, director of the Earth Sciences Division.
NASA has more than two dozen satellites and instruments orbiting Earth, Kirschbaum says. On a large map hanging on a wall in Goddard, these satellites show where rain is falling in real time, as well as where landslides have occurred around the world.
“What we’re trying to do at NASA is understand the different conditions under which landslides can occur,” Kirschbaum said.
Data collected from NASA, USGS and other scientists, with the help of artificial intelligence, could soon help predict landslides. And these better predictions and preparations could help save lives.
The death toll from Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26 in Florida, stood at at least 241 as of Saturday, according to figures compiled by CBS News, including at least 122 deaths in North Carolina.
“I hope that a community can take this model, apply it effectively and use it in their community to better understand, and even anticipate, where we have the greatest risk of landslides,” Kirschbaum said.
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Dave Malkoff
