Abstract
A rainfall-induced compound disaster happened in Mocoa in the pre-dawn hours of 1 April 2017. More than 300 people were killed, and a large number of houses and roads were destroyed in the worst catastrophe in the history of Mocoa. To investigate this disaster, a detailed interpretation was carried out using high-resolution images. Analysis of disaster characteristics based on satellite image revealed that the disaster could be identified as a consequence of compound mountain hazards including landslides, debris flows, and mountain torrents. The mountain hazards converged in the mountain watershed, which amplified the disaster’s effects. Analysis considers that this disaster is the result of heavy rainfalls. Moreover, in-depth interpretation of rainfall data and satellite images spanning over 16 years reveals that the previous El Niño event (2014–2016) also played an important role, which caused reduced rainfall and vegetation coverage. The long period of drought brought by El Niño affected the growth of vegetation and reduced the ability of vegetation to cope with heavy rainfalls. The results reveal that both antecedent rainfalls and climate impact need to be taken into consideration for mountain hazard analysis.
Highlights
Mountain torrents, landslides, and debris flows are common mountain hazards
This study shows that in the region’s rainfallinduced mountain hazards, early drought events caused by the El Niño event that could affect rainfalls and vegetation should be taken into account while studying antecedent rainfalls
This research shows that the Mocoa disaster was the comprehensive result of landslides, mountain torrents, and debris flows
Summary
Landslides, and debris flows are common mountain hazards. When heavy rainfalls occur in the mountains, mountain hazards such as landslide (Iverson 2000, Zhou et al 2016), mountain torrents (Eisbacher 1982), and debris flows (Ge et al 2014) may be induced. These hazards could destroy settlements, block rivers, and bury farms and forests, causing huge casualties, property loss, and damage to the ecological environment (Cui 2014). Landslides occurring in the catchment of the Quebrada Taruca River and river erosion provided massive debris for river floods. The floods and debris flows at speeds of 56–64 km/h (Hughes 2017) rushed resident
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