Stephen A. Lawrence wrote:
From what I've read it appears that mudslides are almost always the result of deforestation. Remove the forest, and the hillside eventually comes loose.
In this case, the houses (shacks, really) are build on 20-year-old abandoned mountains of garbage and trash. The effect is similar to building on deforested land. When the houses are swept away piles of garbage show up underneath.
Obviously that is an accident waiting to happen, but it happened now rather than later because of unprecedented rain.
- Jed
