Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New Geological Risk Zones Identified

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TEGUCIGALPA, Jul 18 2011 (IPS) - Students and geologists from Costa Rica will undertake the mapping of new areas at risk of landslides and flooding in the Honduran capital. The three-week mapping project will include 14 highly vulnerable zones, among over a hundred areas of potential risk in Tegucigalpa, Municipal Emergency Committee member Julio Quiñónez told Tierramérica.

Soil types and their vulnerability to seismic activity and heavy rainfall are two factors that will be assessed by the specialists, with the support of a United Nations risk management program and the National Autonomous University of Honduras.

Once the degree of risk is determined, the authorities can design and implement evacuation and risk mitigation plans, instead of “being caught by surprise by more landslides that we can’t manage or react to in time,” said Quiñónez.