A Landslide is the downward  and  outward  movement of slope-forming materials  including soil, artificial fill, or a combination of these  materials. Stabilization or restoration of failed slopes is only eligible in the circumstances described below.

Emergency Work: If a disaster-related landslide poses an immediate threat to life, public  health and  safety, or improved public  or private  property, cost-effective measures  for reducing the threat may be eligible.  Examples include:

 Temporary drainage measures

 Temporary ground protection

 Partial excavation  at the head  to reduce driving force

 Backfilling or buttressing the toe

 Installing barriers to redirect debris flow

 Temporary relocation of the facility’s function, when it is cost- effective and otherwise  meets criteria  for temporary relocation

 Site grading

Such  measures  must  be temporary. FEMA will provide  assistance  to stabilize the  area  of the  immediate threat only; FEMA will not  assist with the stabilization of an entire hillside  or with long-term stabilization of the limited  area.

Permanent Work: If a disaster-related landslide damages an eligible facility, repairs to that facility and replacement of a reasonable  amount  of lost integral ground necessary to support the facility are eligible as long as the site is stable. If the site is not stable and the instability was caused by the disaster, the site is eligible only if the work to stabilize the site is cost effective. If the site was unstable before the disaster, the applicant must pay to stabilize the site before FEMA will provide funds to repair the facility. Natural slopes and hillsides do not qualify as a facility and are not eligible for permanent work assistance.

In some  cases, the  stability of a site cannot be determined by visual inspection, and  a geotechnical study may be necessary to determine the existence  and cause of instability (see Geotechnical Study).

If the disaster  is the exclusive cause of site instability, FEMA can assist with slope stabilization  that is necessary to restore  a facility.

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