Hazard Map Reveals Haywood County Real Estate Landslide Risks

Western North Carolina Landslide Hazard Maps

February 2005 marks the month and year that the state acknowledged the fact that Western North Carolina landslide hazard maps were pre-development necessities for 19 high-risk counties. Hazardous-land identification became a concern after the September 2004 Western North Carolina landslide disasters.

With the passage of the Hurricane Recovery Act, legislators found:

Further...people could not know the landslide risks associated with their housing location because such maps are not readily available. The state needs to...prepare landslide mapping for the region so that homes may be built in safe areas.

History of Western North Carolina Landslide Mapping Program

The Western North Carolina Landslide Mapping Program is not a state initiative as readers are led to believe. The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires state and county governments to identify and mitigate natural hazard events or risk losing access to disaster funds. Reference: Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act

Western North Carolina landslides are rated highly probable because of the region's geologic features, soil conditions, and weather patterns. Even though the state has allocated funding for 19 counties, FEMA classifies 21 counties significantly hazardous.

FEMA determined in 1998 that landslide hazard maps were critical for the following counties:

Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey.

Only three county landslide hazard maps have been published: Macon 2006, Watauga 2008 and Buncombe 2009. The North Carolina Geological Survey is working on Henderson and Jackson County maps.

Haywood County Landslide Hazard Map

Unpublished Haywood County Stability Index Hazard Map.
Risk models show that 49% of Haywood County land is unstable.

During the same time frame that legislators were stating “such maps are not readily available” Anne Carter Witt, a North Carolina State University graduate student, was using government documents to finish her 2005 dissertation on Western North Carolina landslides.
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In order to compare risk modeling programs for her landslide predictability thesis, Ms. Witt chose

Haywood County for its rugged topography and the dispersed nature of the inventoried debris flows in the county. Both programs calculated 705.4 km² (49%) of Haywood County to be unstable. SHALSTAB calculated slightly more of the county as unstable (870.3 km² or 61%) than SINMAP (740.5 km² or 52%).)

Reference: “USING A GIS (GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM) TO MODEL SLOPE INSTABILITY AND DEBRIS FLOW HAZARDS IN THE FRENCH BROAD RIVER WATERSHED, NORTH CAROLINA.”

It is not known when Haywood County landslide maps will be officially released. This issue was raised during a January 20, 2009 commissioners meeting:

Wooten reported to the Engineering Board that the North Carolina Geological Survey has completed landslide hazard maps for Buncombe and Macon Counties. The next counties for landslide hazard mapping are Henderson and Jackson Counties. Commissioner Ensley suggested the Board prepare a resolution urging the North Carolina Geological Survey to include Haywood County early in this mapping process. These maps will indicate areas that are potentially more prone to slides. Mark Shumpert, County Engineer, approached the Board. Mr. Shumpert explained that Haywood County was bumped to the bottom of the list with the North Carolina Geological Survey when they realized that the County did not have up-to-date aerial photography for Haywood County. However, new photography has been completed with the criteria for mapping having been met. Commissioner Ensley suggested the Board prepare a resolution of support for this mapping in an effort to protect property owners. David Cotton, County Manager, confirmed that both resolutions would be presented at the next regular Board meeting, February 2nd, 2009.

Haywood County Landslide Photographs

Photographs Jones' Landslide Fatality Haywood County, NC 2003—NCGS & The Enterprise Mountaineer

Photograph of Haywood County, NC landslide property damage caused by 2003 spring rains—Story covered by The Enterprise-Mountaineer.

Photographs Horseshoe Cove Subdivision Landslides- Haywood County, NC
2003 —Pam Williams, Property Owner

Slope Movement Photos Haywood County, NC 2004—NCGS
Landslide Report : "Disappearing Haywood" —The Enterprise-Mountaineer, October 31, 2005.

Photographs Hunters Crossing Subdivision Big-Slow-Moving Landslide— November 2005—NCGS

Photographs Cascades Subdivision Landslide Haywood County, NC 2006—NCGS

Before and after photographs- Donin Landslide
Haywood County, NC—2009 —Asheville Citizen-Times


Photograph Moody Landslide
Haywood County, NC 2009—
Asheville Citizen-Times

Photos of Ghost Town in the Sky landslide damage Haywood County, NC 2010—Asheville Citizen-Times, Flyover video provided by WSPA News

Haywood County Mountain Real Estate Hazardous-Land Disclosure

The joint questions of hazardous-land regulation and real estate disclosure have been raised in the North Carolina General Assembly on three occasions (Safe Artificial Slope Construction Acts) but the legislation remains unfinished business. Please see House Bill 1756 (2007), House Bill 782 (2009) and House Bill 1870 (2010).

The Macon County News reported in June that the North Carolina Real Estate Commission has issued a material fact ruling regarding landslide-mapped counties. According to the newspaper those conducting real estate business in Macon, Watauga and Buncombe Counties must reference landslide maps on property listings and in sales contracts. The North Carolina Real
Estate Commission has not posted this ruling.

Haywood County Commissioners intimate in the 2009 Minutes that without landslide maps they are unable to act.

This reasoning is not supportable. Until the state decides otherwise, county officials have absolute control over residential development. Planners in federally-declared hazardous-land counties have an obligation to mitigate risks for property owners. Their responsibility is twofold: disclose landslide hazards and require feasibility/safety studies for all steep slope (land on or above a 15% grade) subdivision building sites. Haywood County has not met these criteria.

Type in the keyword "landslide" on the Haywood County Web site and searchers will only find a link to the January 2009 minutes.

Unlike Haywood County, The National Weather Service considers the region's hazardous-land conditions relevant. The following is a reprint of a September 21, 2009 weather bulletin:

The recent heavy rainfall across the area from Macon County to Henderson County North Carolina has increased the risk of slope failures and landslides if more heavy rain develops across the southern mountains today. An additional two or three inches…if it falls in a of period of one or two hours…could be enough to trigger slope movements…especially where hillsides have been modified by human activity.

This National Weather Service notification serves as warning that Western North Carolina landslides and slope failures are expected events during periods of heavy rainfall.

Those controlling information on the county level understand the financial impact of hazardous-land disclosure. Prominent displays of landslide maps and soil survey data on county Web sites would cripple the Western North Carolina real estate market.