FAIRFAX, CA – JANUARY 2: Gilbert Velarde clears debris from a mudslide on Tamalpias Road January 2, 2006 in Fairfax, California. Northern California has been inundated by heavy rain over the past week, causing mudslides and pushing rivers over their banks. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
New federal grants from the U.S. Geological Survey are helping states build landslide databases that can improve hazard mapping, emergency planning and public awareness.