Mass Wasting Hazards

                                     

                          This week I will touch a little on mass wasting,  also known as mass movement. Mass wasting is when rock and soil fall down a slope causing landslides, mudslides, or rockslides. This happens after another natural hazard has occurred such as an earthquake or heavy rainfall, or it could just simply be because of over steeping and gravity. Venezuela unfortunately is a victim of many landslides. Besides being prone to earthquakes, Venezuela experiences some heavy rainfall seasons (and even heavy rain outside of the rainy seasons) that result in many of floods and landslides, especially after an earthquake. 

                        

                         One of the most devastating landslides occurred in December 1999 is known as the Vargas tragedy. Heavy rainfall caused flash floods and debris flows causing roughly two billion dollars in damage, leaving 400,000 without homes and about 30,000 people dead. This mass movement also led to the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure. Then President, Hugo Chavez, blamed much of the disaster on previous governments for allowing illegal shanties to be built on dangerous terrain as well as luxury apartment buildings to be built in areas highly vulnerable to flash floods and mudslides. This is why it is so important to not to follow proper seismic codes. They are in place to save lives. Below is a short video to give you a glimpse of the damage caused by a recent mudslide in Venezuela.