Facts
- Landslides and rockfalls can be caused by freezing and thawing rock, heavy rains and lightning strikes.
- In the U.S. landslides kill between 25 and 50 people annually. Casualties are primarily caused by rockfalls, rock slides, and debris flows.
- Embankments along roadsides are particularly susceptible to landslides / rockfalls.
Causes of Injury
- Falling rock and landslides can cause multiple traumatic injuries including lacerations, fractures, head injuries and spinal injuries.
Prevention
- Seek high ground at the first sign of a thunder or lightning storm.
- Avoid rock faces during temperature swings, heavy rains and lightning storms, particularly if you see rocky piles at their base.
- Be alert for sounds of a rockfall: crashing, whistling or grinding sounds, (like the boulders knocking together, or stampeding herd of horses) ending in a loud crash and followed by sudden stillness.
- When hiking with others, if you drop or dislodge a rock downslope, shout "Rock!" to alert the others.
- If you sense a rock fall and cannot get clear, hug the slope and cover your head.
Planning / Packing Guide
- Seek flat areas away from slopes and steep river banks.
Symptoms
- Multiple injuries such as abrasions, cuts, lacerations, bruises, fractures, head and spinal injuries
First Aid
- See:
- Fractures / Dislocations
- Head / Spinal Injuries
- Hemorrhage / Shock
Related Links
- Landslide Recognition and Safety Guidelines http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/elnino/landslide-guidelines.html