After days of heavy rain, two homes in Louisville, Kentucky, are teetering on the edge above Harrods Creek. WDRB reported that roughly 10 feet of land fell into the water, pushing the homes closer to the creek's edge.
What's happening?
The rainfall triggered a dangerous mudslide along Harrods Creek — leaving two homes on Lynnhall Court at risk of collapsing.
Tony Buckley, whose home is one of those threatened, said: "It's just — it's hard to take it in. I mean, when you first look at it, you're like, 'What the heck's going on?' Is this a dream or something that, you know, you can't understand? It's hard to comprehend it."
Local emergency crews and utility workers responded quickly. They had to secure a fallen utility pole and flag cracks in nearby concrete and soil for monitoring. Engineers from the state and the Louisville Metro Emergency Services assessed the site.
The Buckleys were vacationing in Florida when they got the call that their backyard had vanished.
While firefighters and city officials have said that the home is unsafe, the building inspector didn't issue an official condemnation, so the family chose to stay. Buckley's wife, in particular, did not want to leave the house.
Why is the erosion along Harrods Creek concerning?
This mudslide is one of many recent events that reflect a troubling pattern: Extreme weather events are becoming more destructive and unpredictable as the planet warms.
As researchers reported for The Conversation, warmer air holds more moisture, supercharging storms. In turn, excess runoff destabilizes hillsides and floodplains. Human development, poor land management, and deforestation further worsen the risk of mudslides and erosion.
Kentucky is no stranger to heavy rain, but the severity of the damage is alarming. Similar stories of damage due to extreme weather have become increasingly common.
For example, in California, heavy rains triggered hundreds of landslides last year, putting cliffside homes at risk. In Brazil, floods displaced more than 165,000 people.
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In Louisville, city and state officials coordinated a response, with engineers evaluating the safety of the homes and soil. Officials have also been in contact with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to determine potential long-term solutions.
If you live in a high-risk area, weatherizing your home can reduce vulnerability during storms, while installing solar panels can help maintain power during outages.
For homeowners looking to go solar, EnergySage offers free services that make it easy to compare quotes from vetted local installers, helping households save up to $10,000 on solar installations.
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