Landslide risk evaluation: tools and tips for risky decisions

When a landslide is recognized to be life-threatening, difficult decisions follow. Like, should the house be evacuated? Is the community safe enough? How much should be invested in mitigation? For the past two decades, we have been applying a quantitative risk management framework to inform these types of decisions. We’ve learned that landslide risk management requires practitioners to navigate through many options, nuances, and pitfalls, as they seek to balance competing (and often contradictory) objectives. This presentation will provide an overview of what we have learned along the way, including tools, tips, and lessons related to each of the three aspects that are balanced in a landslide risk evaluation: the risk estimate, perceptions of tolerable risk, and options for risk control.