Building a national coordination structure to reduce and manage landslide risk in the United States

The National Landslide Hazard Reduction Program is a coordinated Federal effort to reduce landslide risks and losses in the United States. Created in 2021 by the National Landslide Preparedness Act (“the Act”), the Program aims to bolster national capacity to (a) assess landslide hazard and risk, (b) coordinate landslide risk reduction activities, (c) prepare and plan for landslide impacts, and (d) respond to landslide events. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the lead Federal agency for Program implementation. To support implementation, the Act establishes two new coordination bodies: (1) The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Landslide Hazards (ICCLH), with representation from the USGS, National Weather Service, National Science Foundation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other Federal partners; and (2) the Federal Advisory Committee on Landslides (ACL), composed of external advisors from state, Tribal, territorial, and local geological and emergency management organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector. The ICCLH ensures coordination of resources and activities across the many Federal agencies whose missions include landslide hazard and risk. The ACL provides advice and guidance on Program implementation to the USGS and its Federal partners, supporting Program effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. Complementary to these two groups, the new USGS-led National Landslide Hazard and Risk Reduction Work Group brings together local and regional practitioners to share best practices and develop common approaches to landslide hazard and risk management. This presentation will detail USGS efforts over the past 5 years to build a multi-level, multi-sector coordination structure to facilitate landslide loss reduction at a national scale. We will reflect on challenges and opportunities, share examples of successful interagency collaborations, and highlight next steps for the U.S. National Landslide Hazard Reduction Program.