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Landslides in the hilly terrain along the Kansas and Missouri rivers in northeastern Kansas have
caused millions of dollars in property damage. In 1997, the Kansas Geological Survey began an
effort to map the landslide hazards of northeastern Kansas. The pilot area was Atchison,
because of the steep bluffs along the Missouri River. A statistical method called multiple logistic
regression has been used to create a landslide-hazard map for Atchison, Kansas, and
surrounding areas. Data included digitized geology, slopes, and landslides, manipulated using
ArcView GIS. Additional information including landslide hazard maps is available for the study
area from the Kansas Geological Survey (reference the KGS M Series Maps).
Previous Occurrences
The most costly landslide in Kansas was in 1995 in Overland park. Two houses were destroyed
and four lots were damaged with an estimated value of $1.5 million. Other landslides in the
planning area include:
• July 2001: Mission, Kansas (Johnson County). A 180 foot wide landslide accord along the
north side of Foxridge Drive. The earthen mass moved laterally and downward
approximately 2 feet.
• 200: Landslide in Shawnee, Kansas that began about 10 feet behind a house and
extended about 90 feet north to the stream 50 feet below. A $275,000 retaining wall was
built to mitigate damages.
• 1998: Kansas City intense rainfall on October 4, 1998 caused excessive pressure on
retaining walls at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Kansas City, KS (north of Parallel and
east of 9th St). Also several roads throughout the County, (51st & Douglas Ave, and
Barnes Dr between Pomeroy Dr & 74th St) experienced landslide damage. The total
landslide damage was over $1 million to repair through FEMA’s Public Assistance
funds.
• 1990: Leawood, Kansas (Johnson County): two homes were damaged at an estimated
cost of $120,000.
Extent
A Landslide in the Region is not expected to be of a catastrophic nature. The planning
committee has determined the magnitude of this hazard as: Limited. No resulting permanent
disability, critical facilities would not be shut down for more than one week, and 10 – 25% of
property could potentially be severely damaged in an event.
Probability of Future Events
According to the Geological Survey, Region L is in an area that is more prone to landslides, due
to its co-location to the Missouri River. However, while it is prone to landslides, historically the
incidences are few and far between. The planning committee has ranked this hazard’s
probability as “Unlikely”, with a 1 in 10 years chance of occurring.
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