Landslides are something most of us think won't happen in our backyard, but over the weekend, one in a state park in Minnesota had tragic consequences: 19-year-old Jack Robert Loso was visiting Minneopa State Park with his family from Robbinsdale, Minnesota when he was trapped in a landslide inside the park. The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office received a call just before 5 p.m. that "someone was trapped under the earth that had collapsed," and rushed to the scene.
Unfortunately, emergency workers were only able to recover the teenager's body.
According to MPR News, the landslide happened near the waterfalls at the park, which are now closed until further notice.
While landslides—which is when a mass of rock, debris, or earth is moving down a slope—may seem like a rarity that won't happen in your own backyard, they actually occur in every US state and territory. Landslides are often set off by rain, snowmelt, erosion, or human activities.
No further information was given on what caused the landslide at Minneopa State Park, though the area around the falls is incredibly steep and water-logged.
Landslides of any size are incredibly dangerous and kill 25 to 50 Americans each year.
The tragic news out of Minnesota comes in the aftermath of another deadly landslide in the southeast Alaska community of Wrangell on November 20. The landslide ripped down the mountain during an incredibly rainy and windy storm and spread nearly 450 feet across, taking out three homes. Five people have been confirmed killed in the landslide: Otto Florschutz, 65, Timothy and Beth Heller, and two of their children, Kara, 11, and Mara, 16. Florchutz's wife was also caught in the landslide but survived. In an Alaska Public Media interview, she said the landslide threw her "like a piece of weightless popcorn." Over two weeks later, bodies are still being pulled from the Alaska slide.
Areas that are prone to landslides include on or at the base of hills, minor drainage hollows, and steeply cut slopes. The USGS cautions people to look for landslide warning signs, such as:
- Saturated ground in unusual areas
- New cracks or bulges in the ground
- Soil moving away from foundations
- Rapid increases or decreases in the flow of streams
- Rumbling sounds
If you are about to be caught in a landslide, evacuate the area immediately or, if it's too late, curl into a ball and protect your head.
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