Insurance for Landslide Damage: Thinking Outside the Shear Box

Abstract eng:
Landslides can be induced by seismic activity, among other causes. The science of landslides is now mature enough that, in many locations, the probability of landslides can be predicated and mitigated. Comprehensive models of the effects of natural hazards, combined with inventories of at-risk properties and populations, are needed to quantify natural hazard damage risks. Reasonable probabilistic models require collaboration of geo-technical specialists, insurance actuaries, urban planners, and geographers. Government agencies involved at a regulatory level should produce quantitative hazard-distribution maps of use to insurers. Climate change, responsible for more frequent natural processes at potentially damaging intensities, can initiate landslides or intensify their immediate or future damage potential. The contribution of climate change to landslide damage and evolution of insurance as an alternative mitigation response deserve consideration by landslide geologists and engineers. Damage statistics, typically disregarded by geotechnical specialists, are vitally important in these considerations.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket