Landslide Hazard Mitigation and Loss-reduction
for the Kingston Jamaica Metropolitan Area

Workshop Program

26-28 January 1999
Unit for Disaster Studies, Department of Geography and Geology
The University of the West Indies
Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica

Venue: LeMeridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THE FIELD TRIP:

The field programme has been revised to accommodate late registrations.

Two 30-seater buses have been hired. The areas to be visited are in St. Andrew. In order to avoid wasting time on the congested roads, it has been decided to avoid all those roads where a heavy vehicular traffic is likely to be encountered.

Please check the field list that includes all those who had expressed an interest before 20^th January. Please re-confirm attendance on 26^th January before 10.30 a.m. Thanks. You may join the field trip if space is available. Simply add your name to the list. Enquiries to: Ian Brown.

Field party departs from the De La Beche Building (Geog. &Geol. Dept., UWI, Mona) on 27^th January at 8.30 a.m. to return at 5.30 p.m. Please enter the campus from the Mona Road, drive along the Ring Road till you reach an obelisk, the only structure of its kind on Campus. You have reached Geography & Geology Department (The obelisk displays rocks found in Jamaica arranged in a chronological order).

Assembly is between 8.00 – 8.30 a.m. This to facilitate and secure safe parking of your car at the lower level of the building and at its western end. You know about parking problem in Kingston. Field transport, lunch and drinks will be provided. In terms of difficulty, the fieldwork may be classified as "easy" and involves some walking along roads and tracks, nothing difficult. Comfortable walking shoes and a sun hat are recommended. Some of the landslides are very impressive and you may wish to take a picture or two.

PLEASE BEWARE OF TRAFFIC ALONG ROADS DURING FIELDWORK.

PERSONS ASKING QUESTIONS: WE VALUE YOUR QUESTION/ ENQUIRY AND WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE AND INCLUDE THE CONCERN EXPRESSED IN OUR PROJECT DOCUMENTS. WE REQUEST YOU TO KINDLY WRITE THE QUESTION ON THE "QUESTION SLIP" AND LEAVE IT IN THE QUESTION BOX.

DAY ONE: Tuesday, 26 January 1999

8.00 to 8.30 a.m. REGISTRATION

SESSION I INTRODUCTION TO WORKSHOP (8.00 to 9.00 a.m.)

8.30 Welcome and introductory remarks by Rafi Ahmad, Landslide Project, Unit for Disaster Studies, UWI (Brief introduction, KMA Landslide Project, purpose and scope of the workshop, background of participants)

8.40 Welcome and project introduction by Steven Stichter, Technical Coordinator, Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (CDMP/OAS)

8.45 Welcome by Mrs. Jennifer Worrell, Regional Disaster Advisor USAID

8.50 Introduction of the Workshop Faculty by Rafi Ahmad

• Mr. Bill Cotton, Engineering Geologist, Cotton, Shires and Associates, Inc., Ca, USA
• Mr. Jerome DeGraff, Engineering Geologist, U.S. Forest Service, Sierra National Forest, Fresno, Ca, USA
• Dr. David G. Howell, Chief Scientist, United States Geological Survey San Francisco Bay Landslide Project, Menlo Park, Ca, USA
• Dr. Jim McCalpin, Director, GEO-HAZ Consulting, Inc., Estes Park, Co, USA
• Mr. Franklin McDonald, Executive Director, NRCA, Jamaica
• Mr. Carlton Hay, Geotechnical Engineer, NHL Engineering, Kingston, Jamaica
• Mrs. Blossom Y. Samuels, Government Town Planner, Jamaica
• Mr. Rafi Ahmad, Lecturer in Geology, Incharge KMA Landslide Project, Unit for Disaster Studies, Dept. of Geography and Geology, UWI, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

SESSION II LANDSLIDE HAZARD AND HAZARD MAPPING

9.00 am Jerry DeGraff: THE LANDSLIDE PROBLEM: AN OVERVIEW

Why is there a landslide problem in Jamaica and the Caribbean? What is a landslide? Types of landslides. Anatomy of a landslide. How landslides are caused? Landslide triggers. Significance of landslides, vulnerability and impact. Importance of landslide processes in watershed and forest management. The problem of landslides along roads. How can we evaluate, communicate and define the landslide hazard?

9.45 to 10.00 Discussion

10.00 to 10.30 Refreshments

10.30 Rafi Ahmad: THE KMA LANDSLIDE PROJECT

To include a brief outline of the KMA project, aims and objectives; products delivered; constraints; KMA geology, structure, geomorphology, and land use; History of landslides in KMA, their impact, Landslide mapping in KMA, approach followed, limitations and preparation of inventory map; Geological and structural controls on landslides; Landslide triggers- rainfall/earthquakes; Landslides along roads; Landslides and erosion; and Future landslide activity.

11.15 Discussion

11.30 James P. McCalpin: PREPARATION OF LANDSLIDE HAZARD MAPS AND GIS USED

12.15 p.m. Discussion

12.30 to 1.30 p.m. LUNCH

1.30 Welcome By Dr. Trevor Jackson, Head Dept. of Geography and Geology Presentation of Landslide Hazard Maps, Guidelines, Landslide Loss-Reduction Manual, and Final Report to CDMP Representative. Thanks by Dr. Barbara Carby, Executive Director, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.

SESSION III RESPONSE TO LANDSLIDES (1.45 to 5.00 p.m.)

1.45 David G. Howell: LANDSLIDE INFORMATION IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESS-I

3.00 to 3.30 p.m. Tea/coffee break

3.30 Bill Cotton: LANDSLIDE MITIGATION: INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

4.30 Discussion

DAY TWO: Wednesday, 27^th January 1999

SESSION IV LANDSLIDE FIELD TRIP, ST.ANDREW (8.30 to 5.00 p.m.)

Rafi Ahmad (Field Leader), Barbara Carby, Bill Cotton, Jerry DeGraff, Norman Harris, David Howell, Franklin McDonald, Paul Manning, and Jim McCalpin

AIMS OF THE FIELD WORK:

The aims of the fieldwork are to introduce landslides, the hazard they create, uses of hazard maps and a response to the hazard in a field situation. A field guide has been provided which may be used to revisit the sites for independent observations.

DAY THREE: Thursday, 28^th January 1999

SESSION V RESPONSE TO LANDSLIDE HAZARD IN THE KINGSTON AREA (8.30 to 11.15 a.m.)

8.30 Franklyn McDonald: SIGNIFICANCE OF LANDSLIDES IN JAMAICA: AN ENGINEERING GEOLOGIST’S PERSPECTIVE

9.15 Discussion

9.30 Blossom Y. Samuels: PHYSICAL PLANNING MECHANISM AND NATURAL HAZARDS

10.00 Discussion

10.15 to 10.30 Refreshments

10.30 David Howell: LANDSLIDE INFORMATION IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESS- II, RESPONSE FROM PARTICIPANTS

12.30 to 1.30 p.m. LUNCH

1.30 Jerry DeGraff: LANDSLIDES AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN

2.15 Discussion

2.30 Carlton Hay: AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRACTICE OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING IN JAMAICA- RE: SLOPE STABILITY

3.00 to 3.15 p.m. Tea/coffee break

3.15 Bill Cotton: USE OF LANDSLIDE HAZARD INFORMATION IN THE COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS.

4.00 Discussion

4.15 to 5.00 p.m. OPEN DISCUSSION

Workshop participants are requested to make very short contributions on the need of landslide hazard information in their area of work, the proposed mechanism of data transfer, in what form, need for collaboration, recommendations, way forward and support for research etc. Please communicate your inputs in a written form so that they may be included in the workshop recommendations to the Prime Minister and other relevant agencies.

Workshop closes at 5.00 p.m.