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27 August 2009
Op Ed in Taipei Times on landslide management in Taiwan
The Taipei Times, which is the premier English language newspaper in Taiwan, has generously run as an Op. Ed. an improved version of my blog post reflecting on landslide management in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot. This is available here.
18 August 2009
Some reflections on the Typhoon Morakot landslide disaster in Taiwan
For landslide scientists Taiwan has an almost mythical status, effectively being the nearest thing to a landslide laboratory. To my great benefit I have been able to work on landslides in Taiwan since 1991. As well as being a country of great beauty (there are good reasons why the Portuguese named it Ilha Formasa – Beautiful Island – in 1544), the combination of high rates of tectonic uplift, weak rocks, …
A first decent view of the Shiaolin (Hsiao-Lin) Landslide
First, apologies if my posts are a little sporadic (and if I am not replying to your emails). I am currently on leave in the Swiss Alps. However, I will continue to make short posts over the next fortnight, especially in light of the Taiwan landslides. Thanks again to Tsou Ching-Ying of Kyoto University for bringing to my attention a Youtube video of the Shiaolin site. This is of course …
Typhoon Morakot mudslides: Before and after photos of Shiaolin (Hsiao-lin) village in Taiwan
Thanks to Tsou Ching-ying from Kyoto University for providing this pair of images, showing the impact of the mudslides on Shiaolin village in Taiwan as a result of Typhoon Morakot. Before (from an online album here): After (from an online album here):
12 August 2009
Taiwan mudslides – a very lucky escape for most
(AFP image) This morning various news agencies are reporting the very good news that four days after Typhoon Morakot 726 survivors have been found from the villages destroyed by the mudslides. This does not mean that the mudslides had no victims – the Taiwan police are saying that it is difficult to know how many people were buried.
10 August 2009
A dreadful weekend of landslides
The last few days have been a dreadful period for landslides. I really cannot cover all that has happened in enough detail, so all I can do is to outline the main events: 1. Rotorua rockfall, New ZealandActually the period started with a very lucky escape in New Zealand on Thursday when a rockfall on a slope under maintenance crushed a car with two passengers. Both were trapped but were …
Breaking news? Hundreds missing in Taiwan landslides after Typhoon Morakot?
The Taiwan Government’s news agency is reporting that hundreds of people may be missing after mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot: “An estimated 500 to 600 people remain unaccounted for Monday after mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot hit an isolated mountain village in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung County, according to rescued villagers.” This story has been expanded by Taiwan News: “An estimated 500 to 600 people remain unaccounted for Monay after mudslides …
2 August 2009
The low level of NH hurricanes and typhoons in summer 2009
One of the reasons that the northern hemisphere summer is essentially the global landslide season is that landfalling tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) represent a rather efficient way of triggering slope failures. This is especially the case in the Caribbean, Taiwan, Japan, SE and S China, the Philippines and Vietnam. Typhoon rain is astonishing to experience for the first time – peak intensities of 100 mm per hour are not …
6 May 2009
Early May is the start of the landslide season
Whilst the transition towards the Northern Hemisphere summer is rather pleasant for many of us, the start of May also marks the start of the landslide season in the Northern Hemisphere. Of course the main problems kick in when the SW monsoon really gets going in Asia and the tropical cyclone season properly begins in the N. Pacific and N. Atlantic basins, but already there are clear signs that the …
16 September 2008
River bank erosion in Taiwan during Typhoon Sinlaku
Over the weekend Typhoon Sinlaku slowly tracked across the northern part of Taiwan (Fig. 1). Whilst attention was diverted towards the landfall of Hurricane Ike in Texas, this typhoon wreaked considerable havoc across Taiwan. The steep, weak mountains of Taiwan are amongst the most landslide prone environments on Earth. Typhoons in Taiwan deposit extraordinary amounts of rain. Typhoon Sinlaku was no exception – parts of Taichung County in central Taiwan …
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
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