Interactive map of landslides in California

The California Geological Survey's interactive landslide map displays landslide locations and links to detailed landslide maps and reports for select Californian regions. The type of landslide reports vary by area and include both historical and recent landslide information.

Click here to use the California landslide interactive map

Interactive map of flood conditions across the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's WaterWatch Flood Map allows you to find areas currently experiencing flood and high flow conditions across the United States. The map is updated daily and provides the option to search flood conditions by state or water-resources region.

Click here to use the WaterWatch flood map.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey WaterWatch

Can floods be predicted?

U.S. Geological Survey FAQs

"Flood predictions require several types of data:

Where can I find up-to-date information about drought conditions in my region?

National Integrated Drought Information System: U.S. Drought Monitor

"The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).

Can droughts be predicted?

Sometimes. Many droughts can be predicted up to a month in advance,^1,2 and in rare cases it may be possible to predict drought conditions more than a year in advance.² However, the complexity of Earth’s climate makes drought forecasting very difficult.

EARTH Magazine: The '100-year-flood' fallacy: Return periods misleading in communication of flood risk

Return periods refer to the amount of time that passes on average between consecutive events of similar magnitude for a given location. But when it comes to communicating potential risk from flooding, return periods give many people a false sense of security, partly because they are often mistaken as absolutes instead of averages.

Can major landslides and debris flows happen in all areas of the U.S.?

U.S. Geological Survey FAQs:

EARTH Magazine: How Much Natural Hazard Mitigation Is Enough?

Hurricane Sandy struck the U.S. East Coast in October 2012, leaving about $65 billion of damage in its wake and raising the question of how to mitigate the damage from future storms. It’s a question that arises in the wake of most natural disasters: What steps can society take to protect itself from storms, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions? But the question itself illustrates the complexity of preparing for natural disasters.

Waste Management Basics

Why does waste management matter?

Safe waste management is essential in a world with increasing amounts of waste – from plastic trash to industrial waste water. Without proper management, solid and water wastes can have a number of impacts on public health and ecosystems.

How does geoscience help?

Geoscientists help design systems to dispose of waste safely – whether in the air, on the surface, or beneath the ground. They also help to locate safe sites for waste management and study the impacts of waste underground and at the surface.

Volcano Basics

Why do volcanoes matter?

As populations expand, more people, property, and airline routes are exposed to volcanic hazards. Volcanoes in the United States principally affect the West Coast states, Hawaii, and Alaska, but ash from eruptions can travel hundreds of miles, grounding flights and hindering ground transportation. The last major eruption in the lower United States occurred at Mount St. Helens in Washington in 1980, killing 57 people and causing nearly $1 billion in losses to forestry, agriculture, buildings, and roads.^[1,2,3]

American Geosciences Institute

hazards