Debris Flow

NOAA-USGS Partnership

• NOAA-USGS Debris-Flow Warning System: Final Report (Circular 1283)
• A NOAA–USGS Demonstration Flash-Flood and Debris-Flow Early-Warning System
• USGS:
  • Post-Wildfire Landslide Hazard
  • Video: Debris flow triggered by rainfall on slopes above Devore, CA, burned by wildfires in 2003.
• American Red Cross:
• Disaster Services:  Landslide and Debris Flow (Mudslide)

Commonly Asked Questions

Once the smoke clears from a wildfire, the danger is not over. Flash floods and debris flows—or mudflows—can be one of the most hazardous consequences of rainfall on burned hill slopes. Just a small amount of rainfall on a burned area can lead to these hazards. The powerful force of rushing water, soil, and rock, both within the burned area and downstream, can destroy culverts, bridges, roadways, and structures, and can result in injury or death. The U.S. Geological Landslides Hazards Program in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration strives to reduce loss of life and property to landslide hazards through improved understanding and effective mitigation. This is accomplished in three primary ways: development of improved approaches for landslide hazard assessments; post-disaster response; and public information and outreach.