RIDING THE STORM

Landslide Danger in the San Francisco Bay Area

Producer/Director/Editor KAREN ADAMS
Principal Videographer DOUGLAS DEVORE
Graphics Animator/Artist BRYAN COLEMAN
Lead Associate Editor WENDY VAN WAZER
Chief Scientific Advisor RAYMOND WILSON
Original Musical Score and Sound Design by DAN CANTRELL
Cover Art by NANCY BROWN

2007

screen shot of disc-box cover showing car crushed by housetrailer that came down on it in a landslide

Movie Synopsis:

A catastrophic 1982 rainstorm triggered 18,000 landslides in the Bay Area, claiming 25 lives and causing $66 million in property damage
The combination of steep slopes, weak rocks, and intense winter storms make Bay Area uplands an ideal setting for landslides
Landslides include both swift, potentially deadly debris flows and slower, but destructive deepseated slides
Learn what USGS scientists have discovered about landslide dynamics and which slopes are most susceptible to sliding
Hear the devastating stories of Bay Area residents affected by landslides and learn to recognize the danger signs

See The Film

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Download the entire movie

View this ~one-hour video. Total run time, 58:27 (gip48.mp4; 482 MB).

Download the "trailer"

View this ~11-minute video. Total run time, 10:59 (gip48_trailer.mp4; 66 MB).

If you use Windows Media Player, you may need to download the trailer in AVI format (234 MB).

If you use a personal video player such as an iPod, you may want to download the trailer in M4P format (127 MB).

Also of interest

USGS Open-File Report 98-229 Scenic Drive Landslide of January-March 1998, La Honda, San Mateo County, California, by Angela S. Jayko, Michael J. Rymer, Carol S. Prentice, Ray C. Wilson, and Ray E. Wells (1998)

USGS Open-File Report 2005-1191 Map showing Features and Displacements of the Scenic Drive Landslide, La Honda, California, During the Period March 31-May 7, 2005, by Ray E. Wells, Michael J. Rymer, Carol S. Prentice and Karen L. Wheeler (2005)

USGS Open-File Report 2006-1397 Map showing Features and Displacements of the Scenic Drive Landslide, La Honda, California, During the Period March 31, 2005-November 5, 2006, by Ray E. Wells, Michael J. Rymer, Carol S. Prentice, and Karen L. Wheeler (2006)

For questions about the content of this report, contact Lynn Highland.

Version history

This movie will be available as a full hour presentation in late February, 2007

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2007/48/
Page Contact Information: Michael Diggles
Page Last Modified: April 14, 2008

U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 48 Version 1.0