By Sentinel Staff
Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has joined a bipartisan group in the Senate to re-introduce legislation to help local communities prepare for and respond to landslides and other natural hazards.
Murkowski said in a news release that S. 529, the National Landslide Preparedness Act, will help protect communities and property, save lives, “and improve emergency preparedness and planning by targeting key gaps in current science and mapping critical to understanding landslide hazards and risks.”
“Alaska has been dealing with the impacts of landslides for decades, most recently as a result of the Southcentral earthquake last November,” Murkowski said. “Due to the great work by the U.S. Geological Survey, we had quick access to accurate data on high-risk areas for landslides, and were able to warn people accordingly. This legislation will enable the Survey and other agencies to continue making those projections to help keep communities safe.”
Other sponsors of the bill are Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., all representing states that have suffered catastrophic landslides in recent years.
The legislation would establish a National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to better identify and understand landslide risks, protect communities, save lives and property, and help improve emergency preparedness, the sponsors said.
In addition, the bill would direct the USGS to implement a 3D Elevation Program to update and coordinate the collection of elevation data across the country using enhanced, high-resolution data.
“Enhanced elevation data helps communities plan for and respond to natural hazards; update the nation’s topographical maps; and inform uses including public safety, national security, planning, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, and natural resource management,” the news release said.
