Landslide Destroys House in the Hudson Valley

Officials say a landslide destroyed a home in the upper Hudson Valley Tuesday evening.

Landslides happen when masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope, according to the CDC. While some may associate landslides more with places like California, they do happen in New York state as well. New York's unique combination of mountains, valleys, slopes, and moving water make areas in the state susceptible to slides.

According to the NY State Museum website, landslides have occurred across all over the state from the Adirondacks to Long Island, with the most common types being the result of a combination the state's physiography and glacial history.

Landslide Destroys Home in Greene County 

WNYT says a landslide destroyed a home in Catskill Tuesday evening around 8:30. The Red Cross says that they are providing food, clothing and shelter to three people who lived in the home.

There is no word as of yet what caused the landslide.

What Was New York State's Largest Landslide Ever? 

In the spring of 2011, an 82-acre slide landslide on Porter Mountain in the Adirondacks slowly made its way down the slope, brought on by weeks of record-setting heavy rain and saturated ground.

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NPR says the landslide moved in "slow motion", as hundreds of thousands of tons of rock and earth were destabilized, according to New York state geologist Andrew Kozlowski.

Reuters says the landslide only moved at a rate of between six inches and two feet per day, bringing, rocks, trees, debris, and houses along with it. Kozlowski said the "uncommonly lazy slide", that began May 6, was triggered by excessive groundwater from that year's heavy snows and rain.

The United States Geological Survey says that landslides can occur on slopes by rainfall, snowmelt, changes in water level, stream erosion, changes in ground water, earthquakes, volcanic activity, disturbance by human activities, or any combination of these factors.

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