Seminar: Insights from the Brienz/Brinzauls landslide (Switzerland)

Insights from the Brienz/Brinzauls landslide (Eastern Switzerland, of June, 2023)

Seminar by Simon Löw (ETH Zurich) and Andreas Huwiler (Canton of Grisons), experts of the crisis management team

The massive landslide above Brienz Brinzauls (Eastern Switzerland) was one of the most highly regarded events in the Alps in 2023. An entire village had to be evacuated and there was great uncertainty as to how far the released mass would run out. In this LandAware seminar, two experts from the operational crisis management will tell us how they experienced the situation before and during the event and what lessons they learned from it. Simon Löw (ETH Zurich) will explain the hazard scenarios, the expected and observed long-term displacement evolution, the early warning criteria and evacuation phases, and finally the collapse processes. Andreas Huwyler (Canton of Grisons) will answer questions regarding the communication with the local people who were evacuated one month before the event and with the media. There will also be time for questions and discussion.

photo by Christoph Nänni