The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. A Bainbridge Isand family of four was killed in 1997 by an avalanche of mud that hit their home as they slept on Rolling Bay Walk. Learn more about how to prepare for and protect yourself, Escape vertically by moving upstairs or even on countertops to avoid being swept away, Identify and relocate to interior, ideally unfurnished, areas of a building that offer more protection, Open downhill doors and windows to let debris escape. That there even is such a guide should be taken as fair warning: We all live in and around landslide country. Click on the image below to go to the map. Landslides occur in all 50 states and U.S. territories and on average cause $1-2 billion in damages and more than 25 fatalities each year. There are hundreds of such slides across Washington, Hanell notes, that moved under different climate conditions and are presently dormant. Dont add water to steep slopes. The USGS also works with the National Weather Service in several locations on the West Coast to assist communities at risk for landslides. Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for emergency information. Flows may or may not be confined to a channel. A man trapped in the home's basement was extricated, according to the Seattle Fire Department. What happens next, explains Washington State Geologist Casey Hanell of the DNR, is predictable and in some cases, preventable. FOX 13 Seattle Photo: Washington State Patrol SEATTLE - A map provided by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shows areas of landslide susceptibility, with steep banks and. Consider evacuating prior to storm events which can cause sudden flooding and (or) landslides. The ground slopes downward in one specific direction and may begin shifting in that direction under your feet. An incident of this magnitude was not expected based on previous studies of past events in the area as well as comparison with landslides worldwide of this height, volume and type. menu. Block slides are a type of translational slide that occur when large and relatively intact slabs of rock or earth are rapidly transported downslope. A huge storm surged south in California on Monday after flooding highways, toppling trees, and causing rock slides and mud flows across northern part of the state over the weekend. The amount of friction between a deposit of rock or soil and the slope that it rests on plays a large role in when landslides happen. These landslides usually occur as translational slides, rotational slides, or large block slides. Back-tilting may occur near the scarp of the landslide and there is often a toe of displaced material. Rising water from the nearby Skookumchuck River begins to inundate several streets in the town of Bucoda, Wash., Friday, as area rivers and snow runoff begin to accelerate flooding in the south sound. That amount of material would cover approximately 600 football fields 10 feet deep. Mapping shows a slow-moving landslide now blamed for cracked pavement on SR 109 and could lead to the highway possibly collapsing. The highway had flooded after heavy rains caused the Skookumchuck River to rise about its northern banks. The most in-depth studies from the USGS indicate that slope failure occurred in two stages over the course of about one minute. Make no mistake, landslides are us, in a city that has recorded more than 1,300 slides. USGS research indicates that the landslides average speed was about 40 miles per hour, with maximum speeds likely even higher. Debris avalanches are unchannelized debris flows that move very rapidly. Bulging ground appears at the base of a slope. A 1999 report filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers warned of the potential for catastrophic failure. The USGS, working in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Transportation and the University of California, Berkeley, performed laboratory testing of soil samples from the landslide to identify the composition of the materials forming the landslide. This past summer, USGS scientists spent approximately three weeks mapping the geology and geomorphology of the landslide deposit. chevron_right Seismic Scenarios. Thefollowing is an updated version of a story first published in March of 2015. Any commuter on the Sounder trains traveling at the base of bluffs along the shore of Puget Sound is all too familiar with these sorts of landslides, which disrupt service on the mud-piled tracks. The direct cost of landslide damage includes the repair of roads and property and the loss of life. Photo by Tim Walsh, WGS. A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. A hillside that has increased spring and (or) seep activity, or newly saturated ground, especially if it was previously dry. There are two major types of landslides, Hanell explains. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance infants, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP New cracks appear in plaster, tile, brick or foundations. Deep-seated landslides can occur at any time. Changes in water well levels or water wells that suddenly run dry. This year, DNR has made a $1.4 million capital budget request and a $1.1 million operating budget request to the Legislature to do further work to better understand landslide hazards and glacial geology across the state. USGS scientists are conducting aerial overflights to collect photographs and monitor river channel evolution through the landslide. Osowas emblematic of a worst-case landslide scenario. Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. DNR Publishes Inventory of King County Landslides. Such a system would enhance the USGS ability to respond to landslide crises such as the Oso Landslide. Exceptionally high tides and winds were causing coastal flooding around homes in Birch Bay, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. Lateral spreads occur on very low-angle slopes toward a free face such as a cliff or embankment. For more information, watch a video about USGS landslide science, and visit the USGS Landslide Hazards Program website. The AldercrestBanyon landslide complex was active for nearly a year and eventually destroyed 138 homes. Water weighs a lot (about 8 pounds per gallon). Landslide debris covered about 40 homes and other structures as well as nearly a mile of State Route 530. City officials said the roadway is closed at milepost 2. But unquestioned is the regularity with which homes and lives are lost to landslides in Washington. Deep-seated landslides are those that fail below the rooting depth of trees and vegetation. A key example of this collaboration is outlined in a story the USGS ran in March of 2015 on the one-year anniversary of the Oso landslide that occurred in northwest Washington. On Friday morning, King County Fire District #2 responded to a landslide that closed off Southwest 175th and Sylvester Road Southwest in Burien. Landslides occur when the strength of material on a slope becomes less than the force of gravity acting on the material. Sounds of cracking wood, knocking boulders, groaning of the ground, or other unusual sounds, especially if the sound increases. Make a landslide emergency plan. NBC News Watch: Crews work to clear highway closed by huge landslide Engineers say a section of a hill, about 300 feet long and 90 feet high, above State Road 109 broke away and swept across. The direct cost of landslide damage includes the repair of roads and property and the loss of life. Roadway is fully blocked. Shallow landslides typically occur during the winter months in western Washington and during the summer months in eastern Washington, but are possible at any time. The Landslide Compilation contains landslides from the following sources: (1) Landslides that are mapped within 1:24,000-scale geologic mapping (not statewide) and our statewide 1:100,000-scale geologic map compilation; (2) a miscellaneous compilation of pre-existing landslide data from several sources, including the Washington Geological . Educate yourself about your landslide risk. This is because water adds significant weight to the slope as it seeps into the ground and becomes groundwater. Landslides can occur on gentle to steep slopes but they are most common on steep slopes. If you think there is danger, evacuate immediately. Separation of structures from their foundation; movement of soil away from foundations. Leave the area immediately if it is safe to do so! Consider subscribing to our blog, Washington State Geology News, to receive notifications when new information is published. Published findings from USGS studies are already being used by planners and emergency response officials to understand the context in which the landslide occurred and the potential impacts of landslides like Oso. chevron_right Volcanoes. Reston, VA 20192 The goal of USGS landslide science is to help answer questions such as where, when, and how often landslides occur and how fast and far they might move. Hoquiam landslide (Washington State Department of Transportation). A large landslide occurred in northwest Washington on March 22, 2014, leading to tragic loss of life and destruction of property. Several fallen trees due to a slide forced a closure on Highway 112 in Clallam County near milepost 15.85. The Oso landslide occurred in an area of known landslide activity, but at the time of the slide, scientists had not researched the area to fully understand the geological history and various factors that lead to landslides of this magnitude. Further,the USGS is working with the National Weather Service on aDebris FlowWarning Systemto help provide forecasts and warnings to inform community and emergencymanagers about areas at imminent risk. Indirect costs, such as loss of property value and tax revenue, and environmental effects, such as the degradation of water quality, can exceed direct costs. Some landslides may provide clues that they are about to happen; others may happen suddenly without any warning signs. Road closure due to a slide on SR 108 at MP 5. Excess weight, from accumulation of rain or snow, from stockpiling of rock or ore, from waste piles, or from manmade structures, may stress weak slopes to failure. The Oso slide is a grim reminder about the complex nature of these slides and how fundamental ongoing efforts to understand them are to the health and security of the Nation. Report any damage to the utility company. Landslides are one of the most common and devastating natural hazards in the Pacific Northwest and the damage they cause is almost never covered by insurance, warns the state Department of Natural Resources in its Homeowners Guide to Landslides, at st.news/slide. The slide dammed the North Fork Stillaguamish River to a depth of as much as 25 feet, forming a temporary lake 2.5 miles long, which flooded houses and other structures in Steelhead Haven. The landslides high mobility was likely due to several contributing factors, including the soils initial porosity and water content from rainfall in the months prior. Official websites use .gov A woman escaped on her own while one dog died and another is missing, firefighters said. This work has helped researchers understand how soils may move in other areas that have a similar soil composition. These types of landslides are often called 'mudslides' by the news media. They are often slow moving, but can also move rapidly. USGS, working with the University of Washington, University of California, Los Angeles, NOAA, and other partners, published findings that revealed that the time of year in which the seasonal total precipitation had occurred was relevant to triggering the landslide -- heavy precipitation occurred toward the end of the rainy season when the ground was already nearly saturated. Deep-seated landslides are typically much larger than shallow landslides, in terms of both surface area and volume. As the Northwests rainy season takes its usual toll, the Northwest Insurance Council, a trade group, once again is posting the warning on its website that standard homeowners, renters and business insurance policies do not include coverage for landslides. And always, evacuate any structure that starts to slide. These spiders, which were placed on and near the landslide, contained high-precision GPS units for detecting landslide movement as well as geophones for detecting small vibrations. Under the appropriate circumstances, any landslide type can pose a serious hazard to life or property. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. United States. Union Pacific branch rail line collapse during the 1965 Puget Sound earthquake near Tumwater, Washington. Immediately following the event, the USGS installed three rapid-deployment gages and three buoys to measure flow, sediment, and lake levels. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Shortly following the landslide, the USGS assisted state and local agencies by providing emergency landslide monitoring and flood threat information to ensure that if the landslide moved again, warning could be provided to emergency response teams involved in rescue and recovery efforts.