Seminar: Animal Health Contingency Planning in the Nordic-Baltic Countries 12-13 October 2016 Vilnius, Lithuania

Preparedness for natural disasters - Landslides

Siri Løtvedt, Senior adviser, veterinarian

Mattilsynet / Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Head Office, Animal Health Section

What are we talking about?

Landslides • Earthslides • Quick clay slides • Rockfalls • Rockslides

Climate changes may increase the risk: • More heavy rain • Melting of local permafrost in some mountain areas and

variations in ice temperature and local water level

Main authorities • The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy

Directorate (NVE) • The County Govenor, who has the local and

regional coordination responsibility • The Municipalities • The Police • The Rescue Services • Preparedness against rockslides is designed to

prevent loss of life and health. If possible it should also take into account the environment and material assets.

• Not an operational plan

17 other participants are mentioned in the plan

• +The public, property owners, farmers, business companies etc.

Experience shows that rockslides develops over time. The predictability is the basis for the monitoring, warning and evacuation that constitutes the main elements of preparedness against rockslides.

National contingency plan for rockslides

NFSA Contingency plans for natural disasters

• The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) general preparedness responsibility involves managing events within their own sector (serious animal and plant diseases, food safety, drinking water, animal welfare, etc.).

• Concerning natural disasters, the NFSA works to ensure safe food and that the industry has preparedness for transport and relocation of fish farms, animal herds, and if necessary emergency slaughter.

• The NFSA has a common Administrative Contingency Plan for all events in their sector and specific contingency plans for different events.

• There is a contingency plan for natural disasters (landslides, flooding and hurricanes)

• The NFSA participates in the County

Contingency Council with many of the other authorities working with emergency preparedness.

• Often after heavy rainfall.

• Usually local impact.

• Often difficult to predict

Earthslides

• Quick clay forms in certain areas in Norway where marine clay has been deposited, and due to uplift after the ice age it is now close to or above sea level.

• Quick clay is generally quite firm as long as it is undisturbed soil. Quick clay landslides can develop rapidly in which the fixed quick clay is converted to liquid mass. This can happen due to overloading or digging, and can be triggered by nature itself, for example by river erosion, or due to human activity.

• Often difficult to predict

• The best known quick clay landslide in Norway took place in Verdal in 1893 where 116 people died.

Quick clay slides

• Rockfalls are sometimes predictable.

• Often several incidents over a long time.

• Local impact

Rockfalls

Rockslides • Rockslides are fallouts of large rock volume, from 100,000 to several million cubic

meters.

• History shows two to three major accidents for every century in Norway, and the most serious accidents have occurred by landslides that triggered tsunamis.

• Best known are the events in Loen in Sogn og Fjordane in 1905 and 1936 and Tafjord in Møre og Romsdal in 1934. These three landslides cost 174 people their lives.

• The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) is responsible for mapping rockslides risk in Norway and to monitor unstable massifs with high risk.

• There are hundreds of mountain parts that can develop rockslides, but so far only a few that pose a high risk.

Six mountain areas in Norway are at the moment monitored continuously, with comprehensive instrumentation:

• Tension, lasers, radars, GPS, Total Station, electronic protractor, borehole sensors, seismic sensors and weather stations.

• Each mountain area is monitored by three or more independent systems.

• The measurement data is transmitted continuously to NVE's monitoring centers. Geologists are on duty, and analyzes the data.

MANNEN (THE MAN) in Møre og Romsdal

Landslide up to 20 million cubic meters will cross the valley and can cause damming and flooding. Number of people at risk varies with the seasons, from relatively few to a few hundred. The most active part of this area has moved more than one meter last year. In periods with a lot of rain, it can move up to 10 cm in 24 hours, and people, sheep and horses on the farms below are evacuated. The railway line will be closed and traffic on the road may be limited.

Mannen

Danger of rockslide in Møre og Romsdal

Åkneset in Møre og Romsdal Landslide up to 54 million cubic meters will develop a tsunami that can affect up to ten municipalities. Number of people at risk varies with the seasons, from a few hundred to five to six thousand. Tourist villages Geiranger, Hellesylt and Tafjord is in the danger zone for a possible tsunami. One of the cracks expands up to 15 cm per year. Researchers believe that the mountain will give notice before it breeds out. Foto : Frode Inge Helland, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1418910

Åkneset Foto: Frode Inge Helland - Eget verk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11616300

The wave - Bølgen

FOTO: Ørjan Bertelsen.

Nordnesfjell is located 60 km east of Tromso.

• This mountainside consists of several loose areas of which two are monitored. The two mountain massifs each account for between 5 and 10 million m3.

• Jettan moves up to 4-5 cm a year, while Inner Nordnes has an annual movement of just under one centimeter.

• Avalanches of this mountainous area will trigger tsunamis against three municipalities and their municipal centers. Up to a few thousand people can find themselves at risk.

• In 1810 there was an avalanche of Poll Hill 16 km southwest of Nordnesfjell. Subsequent tsunamis killed 14 people.

Nordnesfjell in Troms

The volume is estimated at 26 million m³. Gamanjunni 3 classified in hazard class very high. The annual probability of a large rockslide is considered to be higher than 1/100. A rockslides from Gamanjunni 3 can reach settlements. Based on the number of people in the danger area, this provides a medium impact class.

Gamanjunni 3 in Troms

From the National contingency plan for rock slides Geological situation Warning level Alert level and measures

Stable movement with seasonality

Low danger Green emergency preparedness • Monitoring • Contingency planning • Exercicing

Increased movement beyond seasonality

Moderate danger Yellow emergency preparedness • Intensified monitoring • Review of contingency plans • Activation of coordinating foras • Preparing of more complex measures • Information

Accelerating movement High danger Orange emergency preparedness • Intensive emergency preparedness • Moving of vulnerable objects • Reduction of activity and traffic

Landslides imminent Landslide has occurred, may go again

Extreme danger Red emergency preparedness • Evacuation • Rescue operations

• maintenance of evacuation • reestablishment of monitoring

Green phase: Low danger The normal situation around a high risk object. A rockslide in the near future (weeks/months) is unlikely.

NFSA, the regions:

• Update alert lists and alert points

• Offices in areas with risk of landslides must have plans for action, evacuation and handling afterwards

• Securing our own premises in the best possible manner.

• Inform animal owners, industry and municipalities that they must have evacuation plans for animals.

• Supervise contingency plans for fish farms

• Keep track of who can assist with relocation, emergency slaughtering or euthanasia of animals

• An overview of the necessary equipment for employees and any other persons who will assist us

• Supervise contingency plans for waterworks, dairies and slaughterhouses to see that they have measures to ensure safe food and water

The Head Office will focus on:

• Ensuring that there are procedures for plan maintenance, training, status reporting and supervision.

Focus on RAV analyzes, contingency planning, regional coordination, seminars, exercises, dissemination of information and contact with citizens and businesses in the community.

Yellow phase : Moderate danger

The NFSA regions will: • Participate in coordination fora in the county and the municipalities involved. Ensure

that everyone in the region is updated on the situation and organizing efforts. • Plan evacuation of employees and equipment Animal health and welfare: • Contact private practicing veterinarians. • Obtain an overview of who can assist with relocation or killing animals. Common

assistance resources eg Civil Defence will have to concentrate on other duties. • Obtain information from animal owners in evacuation zone of the need to move

livestock and give necessary permissions (permits for new housing, moving across borders for certain type of animal). Coordinate efforts if everyone wants to use the same resources.

• Information to livestock owners on the need for access to water and feed, care, milking etc.

• Information about power failure that can cause problems with ventilation, feeding systems, milking, requirements for aggregate capacity for different husbandry

• Measures for animal welfare if animals can not be delivered for slaughter • Preparing euthanasia when moving livestock is not possible.

Intensified monitoring, review of plans, prepare measures and information campaigns. Measures with direct consequences for social functions or individuals is not applied.

Yellow phase cont.

Fish health and welfare:

• Contact fish farms to map the measures they plan. Assess the need for coordination of efforts if everyone grabs for the same resources

• Provide information to farms on assessing the danger of escape, access to feed, emergency slaughtering, towing / moving – fish carrier capacity and assessments regarding route and infected zones

• Give necessary permissions for moving, slaughtering etc.

Food and drinking water

• Informing and / or supervising that enterprises have points in their routines considering measures to ensure safe food.

The head office shall:

• Support, assist, coordinate and possibly report to the ministries.

Orange phase: High danger A landslide can be expected within a week.

The NFSA region focuses on:

• Obtaining information on measures already implemented by the animal owners, farms, waterworks etc.

• If animals are abandoned, the NFSA must handle the situation. If animal owner refuses to evacuate animals, the NFSA, in cooperation with the police, must determine if the animals can be moved, be on the farm when it is closed off from the outside world, slaughtered or euthanized.

• Follow the instruction from the police on evacuation

• Keep track of employees who are allowed by the police to work in areas where danger is imminent. They must be registered in and out of the area each time.

• Implement measures envisaged to Yellow phase.

Head Office focuses on:

• Support, assistance, coordination and possibly report to ministries

Preparing and conducting time-consuming measure in the evacuation zone. Activation of emergency response organizations, relocation of vulnerable functions and reduction of activity and traffic.

Red phase: Extreme danger Landslide is imminant. Red phase shall be notified at least 72 hours before the expected landslide.

The regions will:

• Focus on individual employee safety

• Consult the police whether it is safe to travel in and out of areas if measures in the field should be carried out in this phase. The region must continually keep track of employees who have been allowed to work in affected areas. They must be registered in and out of the area each time

• Help create alternatives for community functions where possible

• Coordinate information with other agencies and ensure necessary public information in our field

The Head Office will focus on:

• Support, assist, coordinate and possibly report to ministries.

A rapid and coordinated evacuation must be completed within 12 hours after the red phase is introduced. Rescue operations and alternative operation of community functions are also started.

After the landslide

The NFSA regions will focus on: • Contact with all stakeholders within our administrative area and prepare status

report

Animal health and welfare: • Contacting private practicing veterinarians and animal owners on the status and the

need for measures to safeguard animal health and welfare • Identify and assess the need for action or coordination for handling: relocation of

animals and required permits, euthanizing or slaughtering of injured animals, handling of dead animals, handling of injured wild animals in cooperation with game authorities, ownerless animals, access to food, housing and veterinary treatment for animals

Fish health: • Contacting aquaculture for status on damage to facilities, and need for measures to

ensure fish health and welfare • Identify and assess the need for action or coordination for handling of escapees,

relocation of farmed fish, emergency killing of farmed fish because of water quality or damage, fish carrier traffic in affected areas.

If a natural disaster has caused great devastation, many assumptions have changed and there will be a need for a thorough assessment of how normalization and reconstruction will be implemented.

After the landslide cont. Food, feed and drinking water

• Pollution of land and water used for food or feed production and drinking water is relevant. Food in the shops may have been spoiled and must be removed. Transport of animals to the slaughterhouse, dairy and feed deliveries may have stopped.

• Supervise producers (seafood businesses, waterworks, slaughterhouses, dairies)

NFSA offices and staff will focus on:

• If own unit is affected

• Supervision activities in affected areas, passability

• The region must continually keep track of employees who have been allowed by the police to work in affected areas. They must be registered in and out of the area each time

• Facilities, food, clothing and resting facilities for employees

• Debriefing of employees

The Head Office will focus on:

• Handling of complaints

• Evaluation and follow up on the need for improvement

Thank you for your attention!