2006 Southern Leyte mudslide
Date | February 17, 2006 |
---|---|
Time | 10:30 UTC+08:00 |
Location | Guinsaugon, Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines |
Coordinates | 10°20′15″N 125°05′51″E / 10.33750°N 125.09750°E |
Deaths | 1,126 |
On February 17, 2006, a massive rock slide-debris avalanche occurred in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte, causing widespread damage and loss of life. The deadly landslide (or debris flow) followed a 10-day period of heavy rain and a minor earthquake (magnitude 2.6 on the Richter scale). The official death toll was 1,126.[1]
Overview
At around 10:30 on February 17, 2006, a cliff face of a ridge straddling the
Among the worst of the tragedies was the burial of the local
Lerias said that although several residents had left the area the week before due to the fear of landslides, several of them had returned when the rains had eased.[citation needed]
Rescue and relief
Rescue teams including military personnel proceeded to the affected areas.[citation needed] However, relief efforts were hampered by rain, chest-deep mud, roads blocked by boulders, washed-out bridges, and lack of heavy equipment.[citation needed] A minor earthquake in the morning of February 17 also affected the relief operation as the ground remained unstable.[citation needed]
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gave an address on television stating that "help is on the way". Navy and coast guard ships were dispatched to the coastal area.[4]
On February 17, Philippine National
The United States sent three naval vessels, the
About 6,000
Other countries donated or pledged assistance to the
The Philippine National Red Cross reported that 53 persons were rescued from the mud on February 17, but the rescue efforts had to be suspended at nightfall for safety reasons.[7]
Possible causes
Congressman Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte claimed in a Reuters interview that logging and mining done in the area three decades ago was the main culprit.[9] Dave Petley, professor at the International Landslide Centre, Durham University, told the BBC that the causes Mercado mentioned, if proven true, created a "dangerous combination" that produced a "classic landslide scenario".[10]
However, local government officials and eyewitnesses claimed anecdotally that the area was "well forested" and the governor's office said that deforestation from mining and logging activities were not the causal factor, although no scientific evidence was presented to back the claims. The governor’s office did not explain why the soil was so unstable at the time of the slide, after millennia of stability.[10]
Experts did agree that torrential rains lasting two weeks before the mudslide were the tipping point that precipitated the disaster. Rainfall amounting to nearly 1,200 millimetres (47 in) over the period of February 4–14
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a magnitude 2.6 earthquake in Southern Leyte just prior to the landslide although the effects of this are unclear.[10]
2008 workshop
After two years, the international geoscience community including experts from Japan, Canada, United States, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Hong Kong, UK, Taiwan and the Philippines, came together in Tacloban and St. Bernard to examine known information on the Guinsaugon disaster. In addition, the workshop was tasked with determining the next steps after the disaster. The landslide is classified as a rock slide-debris avalanche using the Varnes (1978)
May 2006 mudslide
Due to Typhoon Chanchu (Philippine name: Caloy), flash floods and mudslides isolated at least 11 barangays in Sogod, Southern Leyte. No casualties were reported.[21]
In popular culture
Footage taken during helicopter rescues after the mudslide was featured in an episode of the American reality television series, World's Most Amazing Videos.[citation needed]
See also
- List of landslides
- Tropical Storm Thelma (Uring, 1991)
- Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda, 2013)
References
Citations
- ^ "Philippine Landslide and Flood Operations Update #7" Archived August 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, red, Red Cross, Appeal #MDRPH00107, update August 7, 31, 2007
- ^ "Disaster Relief: Too Late, Earth Scans Reveal the Power of a Killer Landslide", Science Magazine, March 31, 2006
- ^ "80 Abanse! Pinay members still missing in Guinsaugon" Archived August 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 22, 2006
- ^ a b "Hundreds feared dead in Philippine mudslide", Reuters, February 17, 2006
- ^ "Red Cross seeks $1.5 mln for Philippine mudslide", Reuters, February 17, 2006
- ^ "USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Curtis Wilbur Arrive on Station to Help Philippine Mudslide Victims"
- ^ a b No Signs of Life' after Huge Mudslide hits Philippines Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Pakistan Times
- ^ a b Landslide triggers avalanche of international aid, The Inquirer, February 19, 2006
- ^ Hundreds feared dead in Philippine mudslide[dead link], Reuters, February 17, 2006
- ^ a b c d "What caused Philippines landslide?", BBC, February 17, 2006
- .
- ^ "Leyte Mudslide: CDRC Report on St. Bernard". Citizens' Disaster Response Center. Archived from the original (Microsoft Word) on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Varnes D. J.: Slope movement types and processes. In: Schuster R. L. & Krizek R. J. Ed., Landslides, analysis and control. Transportation Research Board Sp. Rep. No. 176, Nat. Acad. oi Sciences, pp. 11–33, 1978.
- ^ Cruden D.M., VARNES D. J. (1996) – Landslide types and processes. In: Turner A.K.; Shuster R.L. (eds) Landslides: Investigation and Mitigation. Transp Res Board, Spec Rep 247, pp 36–75.
- S2CID 128915964.
- ^ Catane,S.G., Cabria, H.B., Tomarong, C.P., Saturay, R.M., Zarco, M.A.H. and Pioquinto, W.C. 2007. Catastrophic rockslide-debris avalanche at St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines. Landslides, 4.
- ^ Evans, S.G., Guthrie, R.H., Roberts, N.J., and Bishop, N.F. 2007. The disastrous February 17, 2006, rockslide-debris avalanche on Leyte Island, Philippines: a catastrophic landslide in tropical mountain terrain. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 7, 89 – 101.
- ^ Orense, R.P. and Sapuay, S.E. 2006. Preliminary report on February 17, 2006, Leyte Philippines landslide. Soils and Foundations, 45, 685–693.
- ^ Makino, M., Mandanas, A.A. and Catane, S.G. 2007. Gravity basement of the Guinsaugon landslide along the Philippine Fault Zone. Earth Planets Space, 59, 1067 – 1071.
- ^ www.gmanews.tv, Scientists clueless on cause of Southern Leyte landslide
- INQ7.net, May 12, 2006
Sources
- A.M.F. Lagmay, J. B. T. Ong, D.F.D. Fernandez, M. R. Lapus, R. S. Rodolfo, A. M. P. Tengonciang, J.L.A. Soria, E. G. Baliatan, Z. L. Quimba, C. L. Uichanco, E. M. R. Paguican, A. R. C. Remedio, G.R.H. Lorenzo, W. Valdivia, and F. B. Avila (2006) "Scientists investigate recent Philippine Landslide". EOS vol 87 no. 12, pp. 121–124.
- Lagmay, A.M.F., Raymond S. Rodolfo, Arlene Mae P. Tengonciang, Janneli Lea T. Soria, John Burtkenley T. Ong, Dan Ferdinand D. Fernandez, Mark R.Lapus, Eden G. Baliatan, Zareth P. Quimba, Christopher L. Uichanco, Engielle R. Paguican (2008) "Science guides search and rescue after the 2006 Philippine landslide" Journal of Disasters. vol.32(3): 416–33.
External links
- 1500 Missing in Village Mudslide – CBC Dean Bernardo February 17, 2006
- Philippine rescuers find bodies – BBC News February 19, 2006
- Philippine rescue teams find more bodies – MSNBC February 19, 2006
- Hope fades for villagers in Philippine mudslide horror – The Observer John Aglionby, February 19, 2006
- Mud wipes out Philippines village – BBC News February 17, 2006
- What caused Philippines landslide? – BBC News February 17, 2006