Australia's Next Danger: Mudslides

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2020

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

With many of Australia's hillsides stripped bare by fire, scientists are rushing to predict where mudslides could be triggered by rainfall. NPR science reporter Rebecca Hersher and photographer Meredith Rizzo traveled to Australia to learn how they're doing it. More of their reporting (with photos) is here.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to shortwave from NPR.
0:06.0	Maddie's survive here with NPR science reporter Rebecca Hersher. Hey Becky.
0:09.3	Hey!
0:10.0	So Australia, you just got back.
0:12.0	Yep, still jet lagged.
0:13.5	And so are the fires there still burning or are they out?
0:16.5	They're mostly out.
0:18.0	We have mostly moved beyond that.
0:20.0	It's been raining a ton for the last few weeks.
0:22.5	But that means we've moved into a new dangerous zone.
0:26.0	After it's been raining, there are mudslides.
0:28.5	That started off good and then got bad.
0:30.5	Yeah, that happens actually when I talk.
0:33.0	Yeah.
0:34.0	So yeah, unfortunately the types of fires that we're seeing in Australia recently, they make
0:39.1	mudslides way more likely when it rains, which it's been doing.
0:43.0	And that's because large intense fires burn through hilly areas and then most of the trees
0:49.0	are charred, the underbrush, like all those smaller plants, they're gone.
0:53.0	Right.
0:54.0	So in those areas, changes two, it kind of dries out.
0:57.0	The top layer can basically become ash.
0:59.5	Exactly.
	...

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