Two years ago, Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina. Lives were lost, families were torn apart, and the landscape, adored by so many, turned violent.
One of the dangers that hit many that night was landslides. The USGS describes these as a type of "mass wasting," as gravity carries soil and rock down a slope. In the United States, 25-50 people are killed by landslides each year. 23 people were killed during Hurricane Helene alone, that includes 11 members of a single family.
Landslide mapping can be improved, and experts have been working for years to develop better tools. But efforts to expand mapping and put those tools into use have not always kept pace with the need.
All of this is covered in a new documentary from WCNC titled “Lost Ground: America's Landslide Crisis.” We’re joined by a survivor of the landslide, a researcher who looked into the dangers, and the reporter who dove into it all.
GUESTS:
Alisha Hicks, Helene landslide survivor
Caitlin Meagher, professor of Anthropology at the department at the University of North Carolina-Asheville
Nate Morabito, WCNC investigative reporter
