Senior Science Exam
Thredbo Landslide
The Thredbo landslide disaster occurred late evening on 30/7/1997 in the Thredbo village in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW. A portion of a road on Alpine Way collapsed resulting in the above ski lodge to slide down the hill, over 1000 tones of material slid down and crushed into another ski lodge below it. 18 people died from the disaster(Hand, 2000).
Consequence of the disaster
The Thredbo Landslide brought along a range of consequences including physical damage, environmental, 18 people dead as well as a huge financial cost related to the investigations, tourism, rescue and recovery.
The Caringa and Bimbadeen ski lodges were both destroyed in the disaster. The impact zone of the landslide was very unstable, delaying the speed of the rescue effort. The area which was being searched for survivors had to be constantly monitored by specialists. This was in order to reduce the risk of injury to rescue workers.
The area of the landslide suffered significant environmental damage including loss of top soil and vegetation. This resulted in an increase in the level of erosion in the area. Following the landslide there was a considerable amount of money spent in the recovering the area, this was to reduce the chance of a further landslide .(Ylvisaker, 2003)
There was a huge economic cost associated with the recovery. Many resources were required for the recovery. Diamond dill bits were used to drill through the concrete slabs. These bits costing $10 000(Ryzman & Zwar, 2003) Thermal imaging equipment was also used in an attempted to find survivors. Helicopters were also required to remove concrete slabs from the area. This resulted in the rescue operation costing millions of dollars(Hand, 2000).
Many emergency service workers were required as well as additional help from hundreds of volunteers. The rescue effort was taxing on the workers due to the bad weather conditions and the threat of working on unstable ground. Part of the
The Thredbo landslide disaster occurred late evening on 30/7/1997 in the Thredbo village in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW. A portion of a road on Alpine Way collapsed resulting in the above ski lodge to slide down the hill, over 1000 tones of material slid down and crushed into another ski lodge below it. 18 people died from the disaster(Hand, 2000).
Consequence of the disaster
The Thredbo Landslide brought along a range of consequences including physical damage, environmental, 18 people dead as well as a huge financial cost related to the investigations, tourism, rescue and recovery.
The Caringa and Bimbadeen ski lodges were both destroyed in the disaster. The impact zone of the landslide was very unstable, delaying the speed of the rescue effort. The area which was being searched for survivors had to be constantly monitored by specialists. This was in order to reduce the risk of injury to rescue workers.
The area of the landslide suffered significant environmental damage including loss of top soil and vegetation. This resulted in an increase in the level of erosion in the area. Following the landslide there was a considerable amount of money spent in the recovering the area, this was to reduce the chance of a further landslide .(Ylvisaker, 2003)
There was a huge economic cost associated with the recovery. Many resources were required for the recovery. Diamond dill bits were used to drill through the concrete slabs. These bits costing $10 000(Ryzman & Zwar, 2003) Thermal imaging equipment was also used in an attempted to find survivors. Helicopters were also required to remove concrete slabs from the area. This resulted in the rescue operation costing millions of dollars(Hand, 2000).
Many emergency service workers were required as well as additional help from hundreds of volunteers. The rescue effort was taxing on the workers due to the bad weather conditions and the threat of working on unstable ground. Part of the
Bibliography: Ryzman, L & Zwar,D. (2003) Thredbo: A Tragedy waiting to happen, Five Mile Press, Noble Park Ylvisaker, A.(2003) Landslides, Capstone Press NSW Fire Bridge(date unknown) 1997 Thredbo Landslide http://www.nswfb.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=476 (Accessed 24/7/2011) Wallace, N(3/12/2004) Thredbo Disaster: at last, the facts Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Thredbo-disaster-at-last-the-facts/2004/12/02/1101923273802.html (accessed 24/7/2011) Hand. D.(2000) Report of the inquest into the deaths arising from the Thredbo landslide Coroner Inquest http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/local_courts/ll_localcourts.nsf/vwfiles/Thredbo_Final_Report.PDF/$FILE/Thredbo_Final_Report.PDF (accessed 24/7/2011) Daily Telegraph(1997) Thredbo Tragedy http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/gallery/gallery-e6frewxi-1111119530937?page=10 (accessed 24/7/2011) -----------------------