The 2015 landslide in Sitka tore through the Benchlands subdivision, claiming the lives of three men and destroying property. (Credit: US Coast Guard)
Landslides cause 25-50 deaths in the United States each year. That’s according to a 2005 publication by the US Geological Survey, which puts the annual cost of landslides at an estimated $3.5 billion.
A new bill was introduced in Congress today aimed at reducing the risk of landslides. The National Landslide Preparedness Act has bipartisan support from Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democratic legislators from California and Washington.
In a press release from the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Murkowski noted the 2015 landslide in Sitka, which claimed 3 lives and cost millions of dollars in damage. 
Sen. Murkowski said she’s hopeful the bill will reduce the risk of landslides and speed up the collection of topographic mapping data nationwide.
Mapping efforts are already underway in Sitka. The Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys received $110,000 from FEMA last year to map landslide risk areas in the community and expects to release its final report in 2018.
