A map showing major landslide hazard events around the globe in 2022-2023. A new research center, based at the University of Michigan and including USC scientists, will help forecast when primary disasters, such as hurricanes, may trigger secondary effects, such as floods or landslides. (Image: University of Michigan)
New research center will forecast long-term effects of natural disasters
Original story by Morgan Sherburne and USC Dornsife News
Hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and other disasters often trigger secondary hazards — landslides, flooding and debris flows — that can be just as destructive. Predicting when and how these cascading events unfold has challenged scientists.
Now, with a $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Centers for Innovation and Community Engagement in Solid Earth Geohazards, researchers across the United States are launching the Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH).
Josh West, professor of Earth sciences and environmental studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, is a co-principal investigator. The new center, based at the University of Michigan, includes 17 academic, governmental, tribal and community partners studying how disasters set off landslides, river erosion, debris flows and flooding.
“CLaSH offers us an opportunity to build a research community that crosses disciplinary silos and confronts the complexity of interconnected hazards, while raising public awareness at the same time,” West said.
Cascading land surface hazards can occur long after an initial disaster, amplifying damage to infrastructure, ecosystems and communities. For example, Hurricane Helene’s 2024 landfall in North Carolina triggered widespread landslides and mudflows that continue to alter flood risk.
CLaSH will draw on new tools such as satellite imagery, drones, ground sensors and artificial intelligence to develop frameworks that improve forecasting and hazard mitigation.
The center will also expand workforce training and community outreach. Programs will support students from two-year and four-year colleges and engage directly with at-risk communities to translate research into action.
“The goal is not only to deepen understanding of the Earth’s processes but also to equip society to better prepare for and recover from these events,” West said.