Many Americans are unaware of the serious and unpredictable threats that landslides pose on property and on human lives. This year, a U.S. Geological Survey documentary has gained great respect for its coverage of the history and dangers of San Francisco Bay Area landslides. “Riding the Storm:  Landslide Danger in the San Francisco Bay Area” has garnered one first-place journalism award and a nomination for another. 

“Riding the Storm” took first place in the documentary category of the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club’s 31st Annual Journalism Awards on June 6 .  It also received a nomination for a regional Emmy at the 37th Annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards. The film is the first to focus on San Francisco Bay area landslide hazards (specifically those resulting from the heavy rains El Niño caused in 1998.) Locals, scientists and educators alike greatly value the film for this reason.

The “Riding the Storm” team spent 11 years obtaining footage and creating the film. The producer and director of the film, former USGS employee Karen Adams, wrote that the project was a “passionate obsession.” She added that she “realized that “Riding the Storm” would be a significant contribution because nothing of its kind existed.”  Adams combined interviews with USGS scientists, interviews with locals and footage of the destructive landslides to create an evocative and informative documentary.

Raymond Wilson, a retired USGS scientist and chief scientific adviser for the film, said he hopes viewers gain a better understanding of landslides. “I would like the audience to come away from viewing ‘Riding the Storm’ with the knowledge that landslides are a real natural hazard that can impact their neighbors and their communities,” Wilson said.

The film is proving to be a great tool for public outreach and education on the dangers of landslides. USGS has already distributed more than 1,000 copies of the DVD, most to educators. The recipients were more than satisfied with their DVDs, many requesting several copies after viewing “Riding the Storm.”

“Riding the Storm” shows the harmful effects of landslides and explains many aspects of landslide hazards. When and where a landslide occurs depends on the geologic, topographic and the weather conditions. The combination of young, weak bedrock on hill slopes, along with heavy rainfall, creates a high potential for landslides to occur.  This combination can lead to landslides that include quick-moving, potentially deadly debris flow or slower, but destructive, deep-seated slides.

The information within the film has the potential to save people’s homes and lives by helping them to better understand what makes an area at high risk. However, the personal anecdotes from the locals are what drive the landslide stories home. “I now believe that these personal stories are the most valuable part of the video,” Wilson wrote. “Our interviewees spoke candidly and forthrightly about their encounters with landslides. … Their stories are fascinating and compelling and draw the viewing audience into a deeper understanding of the power of a landslide to damage, destroy, or forever alter the course of human lives.”

Those involved in making the film sought not just to inform the public but also to impact the public. The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club has clearly recognized the success of their efforts in its acknowledgment of “Riding the Storm.”