Landslide dams induced by typhoon Morakot and risk assessment

Abstract

As with other compound disasters caused by cli- mate change, the occurrence probabilities of landslide dams and their secondary disasters have increased and became a serious issue after the 2009 Morakot typhoon in Taiwan. This paper describes the mechanism of the landslide dam formation. Different types of landslide dams are classified by their danger level. This study also describes the inducements behind earthquake- landslide-triggered and typhoon-triggered landslide dams and compared their differences. Finally, both en- gineering and non-engineering aspects of the disaster management strategies are outlined. This study con- cluded that better disaster management strategies for landslide dams should focus on the long-term mitiga- tion which includes a warning and monitoring system, engineering facilities, and a response process.