92-1 The U.S. Geological Survey LASER Project: Landslide Assessments, Situational Awareness, and Event Response Research – responding to Hurricane Helene and beyond

Session: Landslide Inventory Mapping and Next Steps: Assessing Susceptibility, Hazard Models, Risk, and Policy

Presenting Author:

Kelli Baxstrom

Authors:

Baxstrom, Kelli W.¹, Allstadt, Kate², Schaefer, Lauren N.³, Rengers, Francis Kevin⁴, Coe, Jeffrey A.⁵, Hoch, Olivia⁶, Schmitt, Robert⁷, Toney, Liam⁸, Einbund, Mason Muir⁹, Mirus, Benjamin¹⁰, Burgi, Paula¹¹, Slaughter, Stephen L.¹², Cerovski-Darriau, Corina¹³, Bilderback, Eric¹⁴, Schulz, William H.¹⁵

(1) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (2) US Geological Survey, Denver, CO, USA, (3) U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO, USA, (4) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards, Lakewood, CO, USA, (5) US Geological Survey, Golden, CO, USA, (6) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (7) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (8) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (9) USGS Landslide Hazards Program, Westminster, CO, USA, (10) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (11) U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, CO, USA, (12) U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO, USA, (13) USGS, Golden, CO, USA, (14) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (15) US Geological Survey, Geologic Hazards, Denver, CO, USA, (16) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (17) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (18) U.S Geological Survey, Golden, CO, USA, (19) U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, CO, USA, (20) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA, (21) U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program, Golden, CO, USA,

Abstract:

In 2023, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched the Landslide Assessments, Situational Awareness, and Event response Research (LASER) project to formalize and expand its longstanding efforts to provide scientific expertise before, during, and after significant landslide events. For decades, USGS landslide scientists have supported local, national, and international partners by offering timely landslide assessments, technical information on causes and impacts of landsliding, and guidance on potential futur¬¬e hazards. To more efficiently respond to major landslide events and to more easily integrate with National Incident Management System protocols, the LASER project has established a trained corps of landslide scientists equipped for both remote and field-based operations. The initiative also emphasizes the rapid collection, analysis, and dissemination of critical landslide-related information to aid emergency management, public safety, and scientific understanding. In September 2024, LASER was fully mobilized for the first time in response to landslides triggered by Hurricane Helene and its preceding rainfall event, which produced widespread and damaging landslides across the Blue Ridge Escarpment along the southern Appalachian Mountains. In the aftermath of the event, scientists involved in the response have continued to collaborate and support follow-up assessments and research in the region while learning from the experience to actively hone the team’s operational capacity to respond to future landslide emergencies. The LASER team is focused on enhancing its ability to apply established and novel methods to deliver timely, science-based information, and to improving coordination and communication with stakeholders.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7688

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved.