Photo/Burlingame Landslide—The Oregonian—October 8, 2008
PortlandMaps—6438 Burlingame Place—landslide hazard map
Buncombe County, North Carolina
Starnes Cove Landslide—NCGS—September 2004
Landslide Hazard Map—Town of Woodfin—April 2009
Landslide reports show parcel count and value for parcels in the unstable
area and the upper threshold area.
Disaster Maps Reveal Buncombe County Real Estate Hazards
Federal and state emergency management agencies expect disastrous events such as landslides, wildfires and flooding to impact major residential areas in Buncombe County. These forecasts have prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to require real estate risk blue prints as part of the county’s hazard mitigation planning.
The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) has designed and installed computer software that is able to locate by address all naturally hazardous real property locations. Although new to Buncombe County, these real estate risk determinate programs are in place in other multi-hazard municipalities.
Looking to buy real estate in the city of Portland? Type in an address, such as 6438 SW Burlingame Place- Hillsdale, on the PortlandMaps website and you will find that this property is rated for landslides, earthquakes and wildfires.
Why was this address chosen? There are two reasons: the first is to illustrate the sophistication of the PortlandMaps system and the second is to demonstrate the accuracy of geological findings. On the morning of October 8, 2008, a portion of the Burlingame lot collapsed and a neighborhood was devastated. The cause of the Burlingame landslide: use of a sprinkler system on unstable slopes.
Renaissance Computing Institute — Hazardous-Land Maps
Emergency personnel along with county, city and town planners were briefed in March 2009 on the use of the Buncombe County Multi-Hazard Risk Tool and its ability to generate real estate hazard/risk maps similar to those of Portland. Hazardous-land risk identification tools were installed in Buncombe County computer systems in April 2009.
Homes in Harm’s Way— Landslide Investigations
In March 2009 two newspapers, one national and the other regional, reported on the dire consequences of hazardous-land real estate development. The New York Times and the Asheville Citizen-Times found that thousands of homeowners across the county will face significant uninsurable landslide property losses.
Asheville Board of Realtors
Realtors doing business in the city of Asheville and Buncombe County have long been aware of the region’s hazardous-land conditions but this risk information has never been quantified.
Now that all real property has been rated for potential hazardous events, Realtors have an obligation to provide their clients with a Buncombe County Real Estate—Hazardous-Land Disclosure Statement.
The following is a modified version of the 1998 California disclosure statement and is an example of the type of risk information that should be included in Buncombe County real estate transactions.
Proposed: Buncombe County Real Estate—Hazardous-Land Disclosure Statement
Please be advised that you are buying real estate in a federally designated disaster-prone county.
The Renaissance Computing Institute and the Buncombe County Emergency Operations Center have researched hazardous-land data and have determined that extensive real property in Buncombe County is threatened by three expected high-impact geological events: landslides, flooding and wildfires. Every parcel in the county has been assessed for hazard extent and potential market-value loss. Information is available though various planning offices throughout the county.
Buncombe County— Landslide-Hazardous Real Estate
The decision to buy landslide-hazardous real estate should be well-considered. Flood and fire insurance is available to property owners. Landslide insurance protection is not obtainable. The inability to insure this special-risk real estate will have an adverse effect on property values. Please seek legal advice concerning landslide liability.
The maps and reports generated by the Buncombe County Multi-Hazard Risk Tool are “best guess” estimations of probable disastrous events. Flood and wildfire risks are known through published maps available to the insurance industry. Costs to insure these properties are predicated on the level of risk.
Landslide maps, likewise, show generalized questionable building locations. Landslide propensity is only determinable by on-the-ground site surveys. These investigations should be conducted by state licensed engineers.
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