Geologist tells Polk 40-percent slope increases landslide
chancePublished 5:00pm Tuesday, July 17, 2012 The Polk County
Planning Board heard facts about landslides during a July 12
meeting, as well as a geologist’s opinion that a 40-percent
slope is the point at which the chances of a landslide increase.
Rick Wooten, senior geologist for geohazards and engineering
geology with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR), Division of Land Resources, presented data
from past landslides around the state. Wooten said landslide
damage and losses can be avoided. He said most insurance
policies do not cover damage to homes from landslides. Since
1916, there have been at least 46 deaths in North Carolina
related to landslides, according to Wooten’s data. Between 1990
and 2011, 57 landslides occurred in the state, resulting in six
fatalities, with 40 structures destroyed or condemned and 24
structures damaged. Studies also show that between 1990 and 2011
there was one fatality and 24 structures wer